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Sri Lanka

South Asia

Photos of Sri Lanka

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The Galle lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse in Sri Lanka, first built in 1848; it lies at the entrance to Galle harbor on southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, about 120 km south of Colombo. The lighthouse is situated within Galle Fort, first fortified by the Portuguese in 1588 and then extensively improved upon by the Dutch in the 17th and 18th centuries. The current lighthouse is 26.5 m tall and was built in 1939 after the original lighthouse was destroyed by fire in 1934. Galle was a historically important port of call in the Indian Ocean trade being visited by the Islamic explorer Ibn Batuta, the Chinese admiral Zheng He, and where the Portuguese first landed in 1502. Today, the lighthouse and surrounding fort have been designated as a World Heritage Center.
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Geography

Area

comparison ranking: total 122

Area - comparative

Area comparison map:
Area comparison map

People and Society

Age structure

2023 population pyramid:
2023 population pyramid

Median age

comparison ranking: total 107

Population growth rate

comparison ranking: 159

Birth rate

comparison ranking: 116

Death rate

comparison ranking: 101

Net migration rate

comparison ranking: 179

Maternal mortality ratio

comparison ranking: 112

Infant mortality rate

comparison ranking: total 157

Total fertility rate

comparison ranking: 93

Tobacco use

comparison ranking: total 72

Education expenditures

comparison ranking: 187

Environment

Revenue from coal

comparison ranking: 178

Government

National anthem

This is an audio of the National Anthem for Sri Lanka. The national anthem is generally a patriotic musical composition - usually in the form of a song or hymn of praise - that evokes and eulogizes the history, traditions, or struggles of a nation or its people. National anthems can be officially recognized as a national song by a country's constitution or by an enacted law, or simply by tradition. Although most anthems contain lyrics, some do not.:

Economy

Real GDP growth rate

comparison ranking: 208

Real GDP per capita

comparison ranking: 133

Labor force

comparison ranking: 62

Unemployment rate

comparison ranking: 130

Public debt

comparison ranking: 40

Taxes and other revenues

comparison ranking: 195

Current account balance

comparison ranking: 49

Exports

comparison ranking: 94

Imports

comparison ranking: 98

Debt - external

comparison ranking: 17

Energy

Communications

Internet users

comparison ranking: total 51

Transportation

Airports

comparison ranking: 141

Railways

comparison ranking: total 81

Roadways

comparison ranking: total 44

Waterways

comparison ranking: 110

Merchant marine

comparison ranking: total 92

Military and Security

Military expenditures

comparison ranking: 84

Terrorism

Transnational Issues

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