Sri Lanka - Geography

Here, let us take a look at the Geography of Sri Lanka. Strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes; Adam's Bridge is a chain of limestone shoals between the southeastern coast of India and the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka; geological evidence suggests that this 50-km long Bridge once connected India and Sri Lanka; ancient records seem to indicate that a foot passage was possible between the two land masses until the 15th century when the land bridge broke up in a cyclone. Mother's mean age at first birth is 25.6 years (2016 est.) (Note: data represents median age at first birth among women 30-34), whereas, the Maternal mortality ratio is 29 deaths/100,000 live births (2020 est.)

Geographical data of Sri Lanka
Location Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Geographic coordinates 7 00 N, 81 00 E
Map references Asia
Tarrain mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Natural Resources limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower, arable land
Natural Hazards occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Irrigated Land 5,700 sq km (2012)
Major rivers (by length in km)
Major aquifers
Land Boundaries 0 km
Border Countries
Coastline 1,340 km
Climate tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
Area
Total Area
Land Area 64,630 sq km
Water Area 980 sq km
comparative Area slightly larger than West Virginia
Maritime Claims
Territorial sea 12 nm
Contiguous zone 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone 200 nm
Continental shelf 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Elevations
Highest point Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Lowest point Indian Ocean 0 m
Mean elevation 228 m
Land Use
Agricultural land 43.5% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: arable land arable land: 20.7% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent crops permanent crops: 15.8% (2018 est.)
Agricultural land: permanent pasture permanent pasture: 7% (2018 est.)
Forest 29.4% (2018 est.)
Other 27.1% (2018 est.)
Population Distribution

The population is primarily concentrated within a broad wet zone in the southwest, urban centers along the eastern coast, and on the Jaffna Peninsula in the north

People and Society

In Sri Lanka, the different Ethnic groups are such that we have: Sinhalese 74.9%, Sri Lankan Tamil 11.2%, Sri Lankan Moors 9.2%, Indian Tamil 4.2%, other 0.5% (2012 est.)

Population
Pop growth rate 0.39% (2024 est.)
Birth rate 14.5 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Death rate 7.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Health expenditure 4.1% of GDP (2020)
Physicians Density
Hospital bed Density 4.2 beds/1,000 population (2017)
Total fertility rate 2.13 children born/woman (2024 est.)
Gross reproduction rate 1.04 (2024 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rate 64.6% (2016)
Est married women (ages 15-49) 65.1% (2023 est.)
Literacy age 15 and over can read and write
Education expenditures 1.9% of GDP (2019 est.)
Net Migration rate -3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2024 est.)
Nationality Sri Lankan | Sri Lankan(s)
Languages Sinhala (official) 87%, Tamil (official) 28.5%, English 23.8% (2012 est.)
Religions Buddhist (official) 70.2%, Hindu 12.6%, Muslim 9.7%, Roman Catholic 6.1%, other Christian 1.3%, other 0.05% (2012 est.)
Age Structure
0-14 years 22.6% (male 2,537,918/female 2,423,615)
15-64 years 65% (male 6,954,869/female 7,336,897)
65 years and over 12.4% (2024 est.) (male 1,149,256/female 1,580,053)
Dependency Ratios
Total dependency ratio 53.7
Youth dependency ratio 35.4
Elderly dependency ratio 17
Potential support ratio 5.9 (2021 est.)
Median Age
Total 34.1 years (2024 est.)
Male 32.2 years
Female 35.8 years
Urbanization
Urban population 19.2% of total population (2023)
Rate of urbanization 1.22% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)
Major urban areas (Pop) 103,000 Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital) (2018), 633,000 COLOMBO (capital) (2023).
Sex Ratio
At birth 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over 0.73 male(s)/female
Total population 0.94 male(s)/female (2024 est.)
Infant Motality
Total 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male 7.5 deaths/1,000 live births
Female 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births
Life Expectancy at birth
Total population 76.8 years (2024 est.)
Male 73.7 years
Female 79.9 years
Drinking Water Sources
Improved: urban urban: 99.7% of population
Improved: rural rural: 91.2% of population
Improved: total total: 92.8% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 0.3% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 8.8% of population
Unimproved: total total: 7.2% of population (2020 est.)
Sanitation facility acess
Improved: urban urban: 96.6% of population
Improved: rural rural: 97.9% of population
Improved: total total: 97.6% of population
Unimproved: urban urban: 3.4% of population
Unimproved: rural rural: 2.1% of population
Unimproved: total total: 2.4% of population (2020 est.)
Alcohol consumption per capita
Total 2.58 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Beer 0.22 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Wine 0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Spirits 2.32 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Other alcohols 0.03 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)
Tobacco use
Total 22% (2020 est.)
Male 41.4% (2020 est.)
Female 2.6% (2020 est.)
Child marriage
Women married by age 15 0.9%
Women married by age 18 9.8% (2016 est.)
Demographic profile
All Important Facts about Sri Lanka

Want to know more about Sri Lanka? Check all different factbooks for Sri Lanka below.

Sri Lanka is found in Southern Asia