SRI LANKA
Vacations and Sightseeing
Vacations and Sightseeing
| Basic information | |
| Official language | Sinhala, Tamil |
| Capital | Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte |
| Area | 65.610 km² |
| Population | 21,570,428 (2021) |
| Currency | Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) |
| Web | .lk |
| Code. | LKA |
| Tel. | +94 |
Cities in SRI LANKA
| Colombo |
Vacations and Sightseeing
Sri Lanka has not been a popular holiday destination for long. Only since 1977 has the number of western holidaymakers grown to around 400,000 in the 1990s.
Popular are the beaches on the west coast, the ruins of old capitals and the tea plantations.
Due to the civil war in the 1980s, the whole sector collapsed from time to time. Fortunately, the influx of tourists quickly recovered after the armistice.
What is annoying is that much of the income from tourism has flowed away to foreign hotel chains and investors.
Anuradhapura is one of the ancient capitals of Sri Lanka, famous for its well-preserved ruins of ancient civilisation. Anuradhapura was the capital of Sri Lanka from the 4th century BC to the beginning of the 11th century AD. The ancient city is considered sacred in the Buddhist world and today is surrounded by monasteries covering an area of more than 40 km². Anuradhapura is also known from Hindu legend as the legendary capital of the Asura King Ravana in the Ramayana.
Kandy is the last capital of the Sinhala kingdom. Because of its altitude (500 m), Kandy has an average temperature of 26 °C. It is located 116 km from Colombo. Kandy City is an international religious centre and since 1988 Kandy is on the UNESCO world heritage list. Sri Dalada Maligawa (The Temple of the Tooth) is the most famous attraction. It contains a real tooth of Lord Gauthama Buddha in seven golden cases and boxes and is situated on the northern shore of Lake Kandy. During the annual Esala Perahera (full moon in July), the golden coffin is carried through the city by musicians, dancers, dignitaries on beautifully decorated elephants.
Colombo is the capital of Sri Lanka. The two towers of the World Trade Center are seen as the most recognisable landmarks of the city. In the era before the skyscrapers, the old parliament building and the lighthouse stood out the most. Even before that period, the Jami-Ul Alfar Mosque became the symbol of Colombo and was recognised by sailors approaching the harbour. The mosque is still one of the most visited tourist attractions in Colombo. Read more on the Colombo page.
Sources
Bradnock, R.W. / Sri Lanka handbook : the travel guide
Footprint Handbooks
Geetha Kumari, W.M. / Reishandboek Sri Lanka
Elmar,
Laet, R. de / Sri Lanka en de Malediven
Kosmos-Z&K
Plunkett, R. / Sri Lanka
Lonely Planet
Rokebrand, R. / Sri Lanka
Gottmer/Becht
Schiller, B. / Sri Lanka
Van Reemst
Sprang, U. / Sri Lanka : mensen, politiek, economie, cultuur, milieu
Koninklijk Instituut voor de Tropen
Sri Lanka
Cambium
Te gast in Sri Lanka
Informatie Verre Reizen
Wanasundera, N.P. / Sri Lanka
Benchmark Books
CIA - World Factbook
BBC - Country Profiles
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