Exploring the Beautiful Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an island country and a part of southern Asia. The country is blessed with many natural beauties including hills, waterfalls, mountains, beaches and many more. Sri Lanka is one of the favourite destinations of tourists. The area of Sri Lanka is 65,610 square kilometres and the population of the country is around 21.57 million.

Sri Lanka is a country with a great sporting tradition. Many sports played in this country such as cricket, volleyball, badminton, football, water rafting, canoeing etc. The national sport of Sri Lanka is volleyball. India is a neighbouring country of Sri Lanka and there is friendly relation between both of the countries. The Palk strait separates both the countries.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is situated in the south-east tip of India. The country is surrounded by the Gulf of Mannar, Indian Ocean and Palk Strait. The executive as well as Judicial capital of Sri Lanka is Colombo, while the legislative Capital of the nation is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Sri Lanka is a diverse country and the communities like Sinhalese, Tamils, Burghers, Muslims etc. Sinhala is the most common language of the country, which is spoken by 74% of the Sri Lankan. Buddhism is the major religion of Sri Lanka, which is followed by the majority population of Sri Lanka. Around 69.1% of the total population of Sri Lanka belongs to the Buddhist community. Along with Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Christianity are the major religion of this country.

Capital of Sri Lanka

There are not one but two capitals of this beautiful country. The first capital of Sri Lanka is Colombo. Colombo is the Executive as well as Judicial capital of Sri Lanka. The city is the commercial and financial centre of Sri Lanka. The city is situated at southwestern part of the country and considered as the port city. Many important industries of Sri Lanka have been operational for a long time in Colombo, such as glass production units, cement, textile and cloth production units, food processing units etc. Initially, only Colombo was the capital of Sri Lanka.

The second capital of Sri Lanka is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. This capital is the Legislative Capital of the nation. The city was made the new capital of Sri Lanka in 1977 to reduce the traffic and population growth in Colombo and to help government officials to work properly. Along with many government offices, the University of Sri Jayewardenepura is located in this city, which is the leading body for higher education in Sri Lanka.

Beauty of Sri Lanka

Marco Polo, Venetian merchant and explorer writes about Sri Lanka as one of the finest Islands in the world. The wildlife and huge mountains in the centre of dense forest are the tourist attractions of the world. Some of the beautiful places of Sri Lanka are described below.

1. Sigiriya- Sigiriya is an ancient rock fortress which is also known as Sinhagiri. It is situated in Matale district of Sri Lanka, and it was built by the King Kashyapa. Sigiriya is included in world heritage sites by UNESCO. This site is the most visited site of Sri Lanka by the people.
2. Beaches-Sri Lanka is an Island and beaches are the center of attraction in this nation for its people and those who visit the country. MIrissa, Tangalle, Hikkaduwa and Bentota are some of the most popular beaches of Sri Lanka. 
3. The nation is the home of many animals. Many reserves and national parks are built in the nation for the protection of this wildlife and for the tourists to explore the wildlife of the beautiful country. Some of the best national parks of Sri Lanka are Yala National Park, Udawalawe National Park, Minneriya National Park.  

National Sport of Sri Lanka  

There are many games played in Rugby Union, Volleyball, Cricket, badminton, football are some of the popular games in this country. Among these games, Volleyball is considered as the national game sport of Sri Lanka.

Sri Lanka Volleyball Federation (SLVF) is the representative board of Volleyball sport in Sri Lanka which was formed in 1947. The first World tournament of Volleyball for men was held in 1949. From the date, the Volleyball team of Sri Lanka have won a total 304 Sri Lanka Colors in which 175 men and 129 women have won.

Important Facts About Sri Lanka

• Mahaveli Ganga is the longest river of Sri Lanka. The length of this river is 308 kilometers.
• Pidurutalagala is the Highest peak of Sri Lanka. The height of its peak point is 2528 meters.
• There are more than 100 waterfalls in this country in which Bambarakande falls from a height of 363 metres.
• The literacy rate of the country is 92%. This is the best literacy rate in South Asia.
• The currency of Sri Lanka is Sri Lankan Rupee. 
• The flag of Sri Lanka has a golden lion on it which has a sword in its hand.

Conclusion

Sri Lanka is the land of beautiful nature, exotic wildlife, perfect tea hills and amazing beaches. It is one of those countries which have two capitals, one is Colombo and another one is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte.  The country  also has a healthy culture of sports. Cricket and volleyball (national game of Sri Lanka) are the famous sports of the nation.