OFFICIAL NAME : Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

CAPITAL : Sri Jayawardenapura

COMMERCIAL CAPITAL: Colombo

GEOGRAPHY:
The island of Sri Lanka is situated south of the southern tip of the Indian sub-continent, 880 kilometers north of the Equator. The terrain consists of three main peneplains, starting from its highest level in the central mountain massif and decreasing in altitude to reach her 1230 kilometer coastline of wide sandy beaches. These geological attributes has created the conditions for a land of contrasting beauty with hills, valleys, ridges, and plateaus with grassland, forested hills, scrubland, semi-desert, streams, rivers, lakes and waterfalls. With such natural endowments it is no surprise that many a traveler from ancient times spoke of Sri Lanka as one of the most beautiful islands in the world.

Area: 65,610 square kilometers or 25,332 square miles
Maximum Length 435 km or 270 miles
Maximum Breadth 225 km or 150 miles
Longest River Mahaweli 331km or 207 miles
Highest Mountain Pidurutalagala 2520 m or 8268 ft
Tallest Waterfall Bambarakanda 241 m or 791 ft

NATIONAL DAY: 4th February

CLIMATE & WEATHER:
The climate of Sri Lanka has an all year round summer tropical climate. The temperature changes with the altitude; The lowland plains range between 27 C and 32 C, in the hill country it ranges from 20 - 25 C and in the mountains between 10 - 16 C. The sea temperature around the island rarely drops below 27 C.

As in most other countries around the world the impact of climate change has effected Sri Lanka. The island has recorded lower rainfall and higher temperatures during the recent decade. However the country still has fairly definite periods of dry and rainy seasons. The south west monsoon from is from May to July and the North East monsoon from December to January. Although there is heavy rain during these monsoons, sunny days are extremely common even during there peak. January is considered the coolest month and May the hottest. Humidity levels remain between 60 and 90 per cent depending on the area of the country and the season.

ECONOMY
The 30 year war with LTTE and natural disasters such as the Asian Tsunami impacted heavily on the economic growth of the country. Sri Lanka’s economy is mainly depended on tea, tourism, apparel, textiles. gems as well as rice, coconut, rubber and other agricultural crops. Earnings of Sri Lankans working in the Middle East also a brings in foreign exchange. With the end of the war in 2009, the opportunities for economic growth are looking brighter for the future. Foreign investments are expected to increase.

POPULATION AND RELIGION:
The population of Sri Lanka is over 20 million. The main ethnic groups are Sinhala, Tamil, Moors, Burghers and Malaya. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism and Islam are the main religious philosophies and beliefs.

LANGUAGES:
The official languages are Sinhala, Tamil and English. Communication in English is possible in most places in the Island, making it easy to find your way around, however, some difficulties may be encountered when traveling into remote regions and villages.

AIRPORTS:

INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT:

BANDARANAIKE INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Bandaranaike International Airport is located 35 Km away from Colombo City.

Arrival Terminal

The airlines will distribute disembarkation cards to passengers arriving to Sri Lanka on board their incoming flight. In the event you do not receive one, you can obtain one from the immigration area once you are in the terminal.

On completing your immigration formalities, you will proceed through the Duty Free shopping area, where you can make any purchases if you wish to do so.

You will then reach the baggage claim area. Baggage trolleys are freely available in this hall. Collect your baggage, and proceed through customs formalities. You also have the option to hire the services of a porter at this point for a nominal charge of approximately US$ 1/- per piece of baggage.

Banks are located in the arrival hall for currency exchange services.

The passenger greeting area is at the further end of the hall where the Travelations Representative will be there to welcome you and assist you. The representative will carry a name board displaying your name for easy identification.

Our representative will then accompany you to the passenger pick up area and you will commence your program.

Departure Terminal

Based on the estimated time of departure of the flight, economy class and business class passengers must be at the check-in counters before 3 and 2 hours respectively.

There is a separate terminal for departures. Keep your passport and flight tickets ready for examination when you arrive at the entrance by airport security.

Baggage trolleys are available near the entrance at no cost. Porters are also available and can be hired for a nominal charge of approximately US$ 1/- per piece of baggage.

From here you proceed through the baggage security scan area and then onward to the departure hall with your baggage. At the entrance to check-in area, you will be requested by airport security to show your passport and ticket for identification. From this point you may proceed through any custom formalities if required and proceed to the check-in counter of your flight.

After you complete check-in and obtain your boarding card, you should ensure that you fill-in a embarkation card and continue through immigration formalities to enter the departure lounge area. A selection of restaurants and duty free shops are located here. Boarding information will be available on the display screens.

At the time of entering the boarding gate area,  you will go through a final security check.

There are domestic airports around the island in the following places. With the lifting of security restrictions in 2009, the opportunity for domestic flight operations have started to increase.
Ratmalana Airport, Jaffna Airport, Palaly Airport, Anuradhapura, Ampara, Vavuniya, China Bay, Sigiriya, Batticaloa, Minneriya, Wirawila, Koggala.

MOBILE PHONE:

If you wish to use a local mobile phone connection you could obtain one at the airport on your arrival. Two companies operate here – Dialog GSM and Mobitel. You can purchase a prepaid SIM card with a local number which you can connect to your personal phone. Based on your usage, the call charges will be automatically deducted. You can reload the value by purchasing phone cards from shops in the town and cities as you travel. You can also have the option to get this SIM card along with a mobile phone unit by paying a deposit for the value of the phone. You can get back your deposit for the phone unit by returning the phone to the same company on your departure at the Airport. Terms and condition apply to cover damages that maybe caused to the unit while in your possession.

INTERNET ACCESS:

Most hotels have the facility to give you access to an internet connection for a nominal fee. Contact the front office of the hotel to find out if you have access at their business centre or they have a WIFI facility you can use. However, if you require information on specific hotels you plan to choose, please email; This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it


POWER SUPPLY:

Sri Lanka’s supply is at 230 Volts / 50 Hertz. It may be necessary to bring along a power adaptor in case any of your electrical equipment is functioning at different frequencies. Also, a universal plug adapter will be a useful item to bring along to be ready for different types of plugs that may be available at the hotels you will stay in. This will ensure that you will be equipped and prepared to charge the batteries of your electronic items during your stay.

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