Sri Lanka formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, separated from the Indian peninsula by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. Sri Lanka shares a maritime border with the Maldives in the south-west and India in the north-west.
Sri Lanka has a population of around 22 million (2020) and is home to many cultures, languages, and ethnicities. The Sinhalese people form the majority of the nation's population, followed by the Tamils, who are the largest minority group and are concentrated in northern Sri Lanka; both the linguistic groups have played an influential role in the island's history. Other long established groups include the Moors, the Burghers, the Malays, the Chinese, and the indigenous Vedda.
Sri Lanka has two main seasons, the Maha season associated with the northeast monsoon (September – March) and the Yala season associated with the southwest monsoon (May – August). With an average temperature of around 27 - 28°C, Sri Lanka is one of the hottest countries in the world.
Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
Largest city: Colombo
Official Language: Sinhala and Tamil, and English
Language spoken: Sinhala, Tamil
Total Area: 65,610 km2
Population- 2020 estimate: 22,156,000
Main Religion: Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity, Others
