Sri Lanka7.58° N, 80.70° E
No land border at all — every neighbor is across water, along 1,340 km of coast, the 71st longest on Earth.
land borders 0 km · 164th/230 · coastline 1,340 km · 71st/229
CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · ranks computed across the countries in this atlas that carry the value
geometry: Natural Earth 1:50m · EPSG:6933 equal-area
Each line is every country in this atlas that carries the value, ordered smallest to largest. The line down the middle is the world median; the mark on each line is this country.
"Sri Lanka" combines Sanskrit "shri" ("happiness or holiness") and "lanka" ("island"). "Serendib" was an Arabic derivation of Sanskrit "simhaladvipa", or "island of the place of lions", while "Ceylon" came from Sanskrit "simha", or "lion".
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
A tropical monsoon climate includes a northeast monsoon and a southwest monsoon. Occasional cyclones and tornadoes are natural hazards.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
A mixed system combines Roman-Dutch civil law, English common law, Jaffna Tamil customary law, and Muslim personal law. Its government is a presidential republic. The latest constitution was adopted 16 August 1978 and certified 31 August 1978. The country gained independence from the UK on 4 February 1948. The national holiday is Independence Day (National Day), 4 February (1948).
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
A left panel has green and orange vertical bands beside a larger maroon panel bearing a yellow lion with a sword and bo leaves in each corner. The sword stands for national sovereignty; the lion stands for Sinhalese ethnicity, the strength of the nation, and bravery. Orange stands for Tamils, green for Moors, maroon the Sinhalese majority, yellow other ethnic groups. The national symbols are the lion and water lily.
Source: CIA World Factbook · 2026-02-01 · text generated from this source, approved by a person
CIA World Factbook
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Population · Natural Earth