Principal Languages
Sinhala, Tamil, English is widely understood and spoken throughout island
Principal religions
Buddhism, Hinduism, Christianity, Islam
Principal ethnic groups
Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Burghers(Eurasians) and Malays
Education & Literacy
Sri Lanka’s Literacy rate stands at 90%, one of the highest in the region. Education is divided into Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary (University) education. Sri Lankan students spend twelve years in College, Which encompasses the Primary and Secondary divisions.
Currency
Sri Lanka Rupee Denomination: Rs. 10/-, Rs.20/-, Rs.50/-, Rs.100/-, Rs.200/-, Rs.500/-, Rs.1000/- and Rs.2000/-. One hundred Cents make a Rupee.
Exchange Rates (at 17 August, 2007)
See the Central Bank of Sri Lanka web site for current rates (http://www.cbsl.gov.lk/)
Business hours
Sri Lanka adopts a five day week from Monday through Friday. Hours of Business are usually as follows:
- Government offices: 9.00 am to 4.30 PM.
- Private Enterprises: 8.30 am to 5.00 PM.
- Banks: 9.00 am to 3.00 PM
- Post Offices: 8.30 am to 5.00 PM (The General Post Office in Colombo Fort is Open 24 hours a day)
Holidays
Sri Lanka has three categories of holiday; Public Holidays, Mercantile Holidays and Bank Holidays. Apart from the weekend holidays (Saturday and Sunday), the Public and Mercantile holidays above are linked to religious festivals of the main ethnic groups and vary from year to year. The Bank holidays are specific to banks. Wednesday September 26th 2007 is a Public, Bank and Mercantile holiday in Sri Lanka.
Hotels
The Hilton, Cinnamon Grand, Intercontinental, Taj, Holiday Inn, Galadari and Trans Asia Hotel chains have 5 star representations in Colombo. Other high Quality accommodation is also available.
Telecommunications
Telephone, Fax, Cellular, Satellite, E-Mail and Internet Services are widely available in Colombo. Typical line speed for data transmission averages 28.8K/ 64K ISDN lines. Cellular systems offer AMPS, ETACS and GSM networks.
Electricity Supply
220 - 240 volts AC
Credit Cards
VISA, Mastercard, American Express, Diners are accepted in the commercial centers
Banks
Hong Kong Shanghai Bank, ANZ Grindlays, ABN Amro, Standard Chartered, Deutsche Bank, Mashreq, Malaysia Public Bank, American Express and Societe Generale, among other international banks, are represented in Sri Lanka.
Airports
The Bandaranaike International Airport is situated in Katunayake, an hour’s drive from Colombo.
Airlines
Sri Lankan Airlines, Mihin Air, Emirates, Air India, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Royal Jordanian and Thai Airways International are some of the international airlines flying to Sri Lanka.
Climate
Sri Lanka is a typically tropical country with distinct dry and wet seasons, but the picture is somewhat complicated by the fact that it is subject to two monsoons: the Yala season (May to August), when the south-west monsoon brings rain to the southern, western and central regions; and the Maha season (October to January), when the north-east monsoon brings rain to the north and east of the island. Temperatures in the low-lying coastal regions are high year round but they rapidly fall with altitude and in the hill country, where it feels like perpetual spring. The highest temperatures are from March through June, while November to January is usually the coolest time of the year. Rainfall is heaviest in the south, south west and central highlands; the northern and north-central regions are very dry. The best time to visit the west, south coast and hill country is between December and March. May to September is best on the east coast. |
