Ayubowan! Welcome to the Pearl of the Indian Ocean—Sri Lanka, a lush island nation located just off the southern tip of India. There are around 22,000,000 people living here, and while Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital, Colombo remains the largest city and the bustling commercial heart of the country. The official languages are Sinhala and Tamil, though English is widely used in education and business.
Sri Lanka covers about 65,610 square kilometers (25,332 square miles). To imagine its size, the country is roughly the same size as the state of West Virginia in the U.S., or about the same size as Lithuania. The island is famous for its diverse geography, transitioning quickly from golden coastal beaches to misty highlands filled with emerald-green tea plantations.
The most popular sport is Cricket, and the national team’s victory in the 1996 World Cup remains one of the proudest moments in the nation’s history. Their national animal is the Sri Lankan Elephant, which is deeply revered in cultural and religious processions.
The flag consists of a yellow border surrounding two vertical stripes of green and orange and a large maroon rectangle containing a golden lion holding a sword and four bo leaves in the corners, where the lion represents the Sinhalese people, the orange represents the Sri Lankan Tamils, the green symbolizes the Sri Lankan Muslims, and the bo leaves stand for the four Buddhist virtues of kindness, compassion, equanimity, and joy.
The food is an explosion of spices and coconut flavors. You must try Kottu Roti, a popular street food made of chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables, eggs, and aromatic spices. Another favorite is Parippu (Dhal Curry), a creamy lentil dish cooked in coconut milk. For a unique breakfast, try Hoppers (Appam), bowl-shaped pancakes with crispy edges and a soft center, often served with a spicy Lunu Miris sambal. Of course, no visit is complete without tasting authentic Ceylon Tea, which is famous globally for its quality.
Sri Lanka is home to Sigiriya (Lion Rock), an ancient rock fortress rising 200 meters from the jungle, featuring beautiful frescoes and a palace at its summit. The country features the Temple of the Sacred Tooth Relic in Kandy, which houses a relic of the tooth of the Buddha. You can visit Yala National Park, which has one of the highest densities of leopards in the world. For a scenic experience, the train ride from Kandy to Ella is often called one of the most beautiful rail journeys on Earth. Interestingly, Sri Lanka was the first country in the world to have a female Prime Minister, Sirimavo Bandaranaike, elected in 1960!
From the stilt fishermen of Weligama to the ancient ruins of Anuradhapura, Sri Lanka is a land of spiritual serenity and tropical wonder. Bohoma Istuti! That means “Thank you!”