According to Allcitycodes, The island of Sri Lanka is in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Sea of Oman. It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Strait of Palk. According to Hindu mythology, a bridge from the land to the Indian mainland, known as the Rama Bridge, was built during the time of Rama by the architect of the vánara Nala.
It was often referred to as Adam’s Bridge and now it rises to just a chain of limestone sandbars that remain above sea level. According to temple records, this natural overpass was previously complete, but was affected by a violent storm (probably a cyclone) in 1480.
The width of the Palk Strait is small enough towards the Sri Lankan coast to be visible from the farthest point near the Indian village of Rameswaram. The pear- shaped island consists mostly of rolling coastal plains and plains, with mountains rising only in the south-central part. These include Sri Pada and the highest point Pidurutalagala (also known as Ta Pedro), at 2,524 meters (8,281 ft). The Mahaweli Ganga (the Mahaweli River) and other major rivers provide fresh water.
Economy
In 1977, the UNP government began to incorporate privatization, deregulation, and the promotion of private enterprise. While the production and export of tea, rubber, coffee, sugar, and other agricultural goods is still important, the nation has steadily moved toward an industrialized economy with the development of processed foods, textiles, telecommunications, and finance.
In 1996, plantation crops accounted for only 20% of exports and have declined further, to 16.8% in 2005 (compared to 93% in 1970), while textiles and clothing have reached a 63%. GDP grew at an average annual rate of 5.5% in the early 1990s; a drought and a worsening security situation slowed growth to 3.8% in 1996.
The economy rebounded in 1997-2000, with average growth of 5.3%. The year 2001 saw the first economic contraction in the history of the country, as a result of the scarcity of purchasing power, budget problems, global backwardness and continuous civil dissent. Signs of recovery appeared after the truce of 2002. Shares Change Colombo reported the highest growth in the world for 2003, and today Sri Lanka has the highest per capita incomes in Asia of the South.
In April 2004, there was a sharp reversal in economic policy after the government led by Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party was defeated by a coalition between the Freedom Party of Sri Lanka and the leftist Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna. nationalist, calling this union the Alliance for the Freedom of Persons.
The new Government stopped the privatization of state enterprises, reformed the power of the State, the profits of the oil and embarked on an economic grant program called the Rata Perata that. Its main theme, sustaining the rural and suburban SMES and protecting the domestic economy from external influences, such as oil prices, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.
But this policy of subsidizing goods that require fuel, fertilizer, and wheat soon destabilized the fiscal sector. In 2004 Sri Lanka alone spent approximately US $ 180 million on a fuel subsidy, as the fixing of fuel prices had been an election promise.
To finance the increasing budget deficit that arises from a range of subsidies and public procurement in the sector, the government eventually had to print R 65 billion (US $ 650 million) or around 3% of GDP (Gross Domestic Product). The policy expansionary tax, coupled with loose monetary policy, inflation eventually promoted to 18% in January 2005, taking by reference the price index for consumption Sri Lanka.
Fauna and Flora
Fauna
It is the most varied in the world: tigers, leopards, water buffalo, monkeys, elephants, porcupines, bear anthill, black bears, panthers and deer in national parks. Whales, dolphins, swordfish and turtles on the shores. In the lagoons and mangroveswe will find crocodiles, salamanders, toads and snakes, like the python and cobra that also occupy other habitats.
In the chapter on birds, the gray heron, cormorants, ibis, pelicans, flamingos, among others, and several endemic species such as the Ceylon thrush and the Yellow-eared Bulbul stand out.
Sri Lanka is an ornithologists’ paradise. 15% of the territory is dedicated to the protection of nature and life wild: 92 species of mammals, 435 birds, 107 fish, 81 of reptiles and 242 butterflies about.
Include protected areas of the Park National Bundala, Udawalawe National Park, Yala National Park, Horton Plains National Park and Forest Reserve of Sinharaja World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
Flora
The island contains different microclimates, benefiting from the monsoon and its location on the globe. From the tropical with its orchids and palm trees, to the mountainous with its pines and tea crops.
Not for nothing is it home to two of the trees considered “exceptional” in the world. It is famous for its botanical gardens and known as the island of spices for its crops of cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, vanilla, etc.
Also noteworthy are the plantations of certain species, such as ebony, teak and mahogany, which produce some of the most appreciated woods in the world.
