Sri Lanka 
Facts
Population: 20,926,315
note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2007 est.).
Age structure: 0-14 years: 24.3% (male 2,596,295/female 2,495,949)
15-64 years: 67.9% (male 6,947,310/female 7,259,271)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 765,507/female 861,983) (2007 est.).
Population growth rate: 0.982% (2007 est.).
Birth rate: 17 births/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Death rate: 6.01 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Net migration rate: -1.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.).
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.957 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.888 male(s)/female
total population: 0.971 male(s)/female (2007 est.).
Infant mortality rate: total: 19.45 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.2 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 17.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.).
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.8 years
male: 72.81 years
female: 76.88 years (2007 est.).
Total fertility rate: 2.05 children born/woman (2007 est.).
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (2001 est.).
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 3,500 (2001 est.).
HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.).
Nationality: noun: Sri Lankan(s)
adjective: Sri Lankan.
Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 73.8%, Sri Lankan Moors 7.2%, Indian Tamil 4.6%, Sri Lankan Tamil 3.9%, other 0.5%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data).
Religions: Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data).
Languages: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%
note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population.
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 90.7%
male: 92.3%
female: 89.1% (2001 census).
GDP (purchasing power parity): $95.55 billion (2006 est.).
GDP - real growth rate: 7.5% (2006 est.).
GDP - per capita (PPP): $4,700 (2006 est.).
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 17.3%
industry: 27.3%
services: 55.3% (2006 est.).
Labor force: 7.5 million (2006 est.).
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 34.3%
industry: 25.3%
services: 40.4% (30 June 2006 est.).
Population below poverty line: 22% (2002 est.).
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.1%
highest 10%: 39.7% (FY03/04).
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12.1% (2006 est.).
Unemployment rate: 7.6% (2006 est.).
Budget: revenues: $5.61 billion
expenditures: $8.39 billion; including capital expenditures of $2.8 billion (FY07 est.).
Agriculture - products: rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish.
Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining.
Industrial production growth rate: 6.2% (2006 est.).
Electricity - production: 8.766 billion kWh (2005).
Electricity - consumption: 8.17 billion kWh (2005).
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2005).
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2005).
Exports: $7.076 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.).
Exports - commodities: textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish.
Exports - partners: US 31.1%, UK 12.2%, India 8.9%, Germany 4.3% (2005).
Imports: $9.655 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.).
Imports - commodities: textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment.
Imports - partners: India 20.7%, Singapore 8.3%, Hong Kong 7.3%, China 7.1%, Iran 5.9%, Malaysia 4.4%, Japan 4.3% (2005).
Debt - external: $12.23 billion (2006 est.).
Economic aid - recipient: $808 million (2005).
Currency (code): Sri Lankan rupee (LKR).
Exchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 103.99 (2006), 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003), 95.662 (2002).
Fiscal year: calendar year.
Statistics: C.I.A. World Factbook. Updated: July 20, 2007.
Press
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Displaying 8 to 14 of 20 items.
(Independent, Sinhalase-language), Colombo
http://www.lakbima.lk
(Sinhala-language), Colombo
http://www.lankadeepa.com
(Independent weekly), Colombo
http://www.lanka.net/midweekmirror
(Independent, Sinhalase-language), Colombo
http://www.ravaya.lk
Sun
(Independent), Colombo
Colombo
http://www.thesundayleader.lk/
(Government-owned), Colombo
http://www.sundayobserver.lk
Sri Lanka in the News
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Displaying 1 to 4 of 18 items.
The overwhelming success of a breakaway faction of the L.T.T.E. in the March 10 local government elections has prompted the group to seek additional victories at provincial level.
The Sri Lankan Army has met strong resistance in its attempts to seize areas of the island country that are controlled by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.
The United Nations should call on the people of Sri Lanka to demonstrate that goodness does prevail in the world with a day of peace on Dec. 26, 2006.
Although concern among the South Asian population about the spread and impact of H.I.V./AIDS is significant, governments continue to give the problem a low priority.
Americas 
