Facts

See FAST FACTS for South Asia Region.

Slightly larger than the U.S. state of West Virginia

Brief History: The country, then known as Ceylon, gained its independence from Britain in 1948. In 1972, it officially changed its name to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka has been involved in a civil war since 1983. The war began when some ethnic Tamils began seeking to develop an independent state in the north and east of the country. The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam, also known as simply the Tamil Tigers, began a military strike against the government. Intense fighting since that time has caused the deaths of tens of thousands of people in this ongoing conflict. An official cease-fire was declared in 2002 and remains in effect though periodic violence still occurs.

Official name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

Population: 20 million

Religion: Buddhism – 72%

Unengaged Unreached People Groups: 1
{see our section on the Unreached}

Official Language: Sinhala and Tamil

Capital: Colombo

The national flag of Sri Lanka, the Lion Flag, is considered one of the oldest flags in the world. The flag is a symbol of unity, harmony, and friendship of all peoples. The gold color represents intelligence, peace, non-violence, and truth and the crimson represents immortality. The saffron and green vertical stripes represent the minority communities. The four bo-leaves stand for compassion, kindness, joy, and equanimity. The lion symbolizes heroism, strength and discipline of the nation. [2]