| Geographic Location |
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Sri Lanka is an island situated at the southern tip of India between 6° and 10° north and 80° and 82° east. The country is separated from India by the Palk Straits, 32km wide at its narrowest.
Sri Lanka measures 432 km north to south & 224 km east to west, covering a total area of 65,610 sq.km.
The island's strategic location in the Indian Ocean on the major air & sea routes between Europe & the Far East is an advantage to positioning Sri Lanka as a global logistics hub.
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| Key Economic Indicators |
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Units |
2004 |
2005 |
2006 |
2007 |
2008(a) |
GDP at current market price |
SLRs. Bn |
2,091 |
2,453 |
2,939 |
3,579 |
4,411 |
Real GDP Growth |
%YoY |
5.4 |
6.2 |
7.7 |
6.8 |
6.0 |
Per Capita GDP |
US$ |
1,062 |
1,241 |
1,421 |
1,634 |
2,014 |
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Sectoral Growth Rate |
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Agriculture |
%YoY |
0.0 |
1.8 |
6.3 |
3.4 |
7.5 |
Construction |
%YoY |
5.9 |
9.0 |
9.2 |
9.0 |
7.8 |
Industry |
%YoY |
5.4 |
8.0 |
8.1 |
7.6 |
5.9 |
Services |
%YoY |
6.7 |
6.4 |
7.7 |
7.1 |
5.6 |
WA Prime Lending Rate |
% |
10.2 |
12.2 |
15.2 |
18.0 |
18.5 |
Investment |
% of GDP |
25.3 |
26.8 |
28.0 |
28.0 |
27.5 |
Domestic Savings |
% of GDP |
16.4 |
17.9 |
17.0 |
17.6 |
14.1 |
Exports |
US$ mn. |
5,757 |
6,347 |
6,883 |
7,640 |
8,137 |
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%YoY |
12.2 |
10.2 |
8.4 |
11.0 |
6.5 |
Imports |
US$.mn. |
8,000 |
8,863 |
10,254 |
11,296 |
14,008 |
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%YoY |
19.9 |
10.8 |
15.7 |
10.2 |
24.0 |
Exchange Rate |
SLRs./US$ |
101.19 |
100.5 |
103.96 |
110.62 |
108.33 |
(Annual Average) |
%YoY |
4.8 |
-0.7 |
3.4 |
6.4 |
-2.1 |
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(a) Provisional
SLR - Sri Lankan Rupee
Source : Central Bank of Sri Lanka |
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| GDP First Half 2004, 2005 and 2006 (at 1996 Constant Factor Cost Prices) |
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Sector |
First Half (Rs.Mn.) |
Growth Rates (%) |
2004 |
2005 (a) |
2006 (b) |
First Half |
05/04 |
06/05 |
| Agriculture |
84,603 |
83,315 |
89,265 |
-1.5 |
7.1 |
| Industry |
123,015 |
133,066 |
141,225 |
8.2 |
6.1 |
| Services |
256,464 |
272,209 |
297,039 |
6.1 |
9.1 |
| GDP |
464,082 |
488,591 |
527,530 |
5.3 |
8.0 |
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(a) Revised
(b) Provisional
Source : Central Bank of Sri Lanka |
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| Selected Economic Indicators |
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| Commercial Bank Average Weighted Prime Lending Rate |
Units |
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| Week ending March 30, 2007 |
% |
20.01 |
| Year ago |
% |
11.97 |
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| Exchange Rate |
SLRs/US$ |
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| Week ending March 30, 2007 |
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109.32 |
| Year ago |
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102.72 |
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SLRs - Sri Lankan Rupee
Source: Central Bank of Sri Lanka |
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| Climate |
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Sri Lanka has a pleasant tropical climate with two climatic zones - the wet & the dry. Temperatures range from 23-30 degrees Celsius in the lowlands & 16 - 25 degrees Celsius in the hill country. The average temperature in the country is approximately 27 degrees Celsius. |
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| Temperature : ºC |
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Minimum |
Maximum |
| Low Country |
23.8 |
31.6 |
| Hill Country |
16.9 |
25.8 |
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| Population |
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| Mid – year population (‘000) (2005) |
19,668 |
| Male (‘000) |
9,361 (47.6%) |
| Female (‘000) |
10,306 (52.4%) |
| Population Density (2005) |
314 persons per sq. km |
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| Source : Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka |
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| Population Composition by Ethnic Group |
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| Sinhalese |
74.0 % |
| Sri Lankan Tamils |
12.6 % |
| Moors |
7.1 % |
| Indian Tamils |
5.5 % |
| Others |
0.08% |
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| Source : Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka |
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| Religion Composition by Religion |
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| Buddhists |
69.3% |
| Hindus |
15.5% |
| Christians |
7.6% |
| Muslims |
7.5% |
| Others |
0.1% |
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| Source : Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka |
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Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic, multi religious country with a diverse & rich culture. The Sinhalese, the majority community, comprise 74.0% of the country's estimated 19.7mn population. The other ethnic groups that are part of Sri Lanka's social fabric are the Sri Lankan Tamils, Indian Tamils, Moors & other minorities including Malays & Burghers. Each of these groups has its own identity, customs & traditions. |
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| Languages |
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The two official languages are Sinhala & Tamil. Sinhala is the language of the majority of the population. Tamil is widely used in the northern & eastern parts of the country. English is widely spoken & understood in the urban centres. It is the language of business & commerce. |
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