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Compare Oman (2008) - Sri Lanka (2006)

Compare Oman (2008) z Sri Lanka (2006)

 Oman (2008)Sri Lanka (2006)
 OmanSri Lanka
Administrative divisions 5 regions (manatiq, singular - mintaqat) and 4 governorates* (muhafazat, singular - muhafazat) Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al Buraymi*, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat*, Musandam*, Zufar (Dhofar)* 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western


note: in 1998 the Government of Sri Lanka proposed a merger of the former Northern and Eastern provinces; while this merger was never ratified, the Government treats North Eastern Province as a de facto singular administrative unit
Age structure 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 698,461/female 670,793)


15-64 years: 54.6% (male 1,026,686/female 723,712)


65 years and over: 2.7% (male 47,534/female 37,711) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 24.1% (male 2,488,689/female 2,379,233)


15-64 years: 68.6% (male 6,727,399/female 7,140,751)


65 years and over: 7.3% (male 687,842/female 798,326) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish
Airports 137 (2007) 16 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 7


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
total: 14


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 7 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 130


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 51


914 to 1,523 m: 35


under 914 m: 34 (2007)
total: 2


under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Area total: 212,460 sq km


land: 212,460 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 65,610 sq km


land: 64,740 sq km


water: 870 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Kansas slightly larger than West Virginia
Background The inhabitants of the area of Oman have long prospered on Indian Ocean trade. In the late 18th century, a newly established sultanate in Muscat signed the first in a series of friendship treaties with Britain. Over time, Oman's dependence on British political and military advisors increased, but it never became a British colony. In 1970, QABOOS bin Said al-Said overthrew the restrictive rule of his father; he has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world while preserving the longstanding close ties with the UK. Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries. The Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-third century B.C., and a great civilization developed at the cities of Anuradhapura (kingdom from circa 200 B.C. to circa A.D. 1000) and Polonnaruwa (from about 1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was united under British rule by 1815. As Ceylon, it became independent in 1948; its name was changed to Sri Lanka in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted into war in 1983. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic conflict that continues to fester. After two decades of fighting, the government and Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam formalized a cease-fire in February 2002, with Norway brokering peace negotiations.
Birth rate 35.76 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 15.51 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $13.82 billion


expenditures: $13.67 billion (2007 est.)
revenues: $3.804 billion


expenditures: $5.469 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital name: Muscat


geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E


time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Colombo


geographic coordinates: 6 56 N, 79 51 E


time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


note: Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)
Climate dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
Coastline 2,092 km 1,340 km
Constitution none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a basic law considered by the government to be a constitution which, among other things, clarifies the royal succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from holding interests in companies doing business with the government, establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens adopted 16 August 1978, certified 31 August 1978
Country name conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman


conventional short form: Oman


local long form: Saltanat Uman


local short form: Uman


former: Muscat and Oman
conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka


conventional short form: Sri Lanka


local long form: Shri Lamka Prajatantrika Samajaya di Janarajaya/Ilankai Jananayaka Choshalichak Kutiyarachu


local short form: Shri Lamka/Ilankai


former: Serendib, Ceylon
Death rate 3.78 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 6.52 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $3.483 billion (31 December 2007 est.) $11.05 billion (2005 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Gary A. GRAPPO


embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat


mailing address: P. O. Box 202, P.C. 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos, Muscat


telephone: [968] 24-643-400


FAX: [968] 24-699771
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert O. BLAKE, Jr.


embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3


mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo


telephone: [94] (11) 249-8500


FAX: [94] (11) 243-7345
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Hunaina bint Sultan bin Ahmad al-MUGHAIRI


chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980 through 1981, 1988


FAX: [1] (202) 745-4933
chief of mission: Ambassador Bernard GOONETILLEKE



chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028)


FAX: [1] (202) 232-7181


consulate(s) general: Los Angeles


consulate(s): New York
Disputes - international boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah exclave, but details of the alignment have not been made public none
Economic aid - recipient $30.68 million (2005) $577 million (1998)
Economy - overview Oman is a middle-income economy that is heavily dependent on dwindling oil resources, but sustained high oil prices in recent years have helped build Oman's budget and trade surpluses and foreign reserves. Oman joined the World Trade Organization in November 2000 and continues to liberalize its markets. It ratified a free trade agreement with the US in September 2006, and, through the Gulf Cooperation Council, seeks similar agreements with the EU, China and Japan. As a result of its dwindling oil resources, Oman is actively pursuing a development plan that focuses on diversification, industrialization, and privatization, with the objective of reducing the oil sector's contribution to GDP to 9 percent by 2020. Muscat is attempting to "Omanize" the labor force by replacing foreign expatriate workers with local workers. Oman actively seeks private foreign investors, especially in the industrial, information technology, tourism, and higher education fields. Industrial development plans focus on gas resources, metal manufacturing, petrochemicals, and international transshipment ports. In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. In 2003, plantation crops made up only 15% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an average annual rate of about 5.5% in the 1990s, but 2001 saw the first contraction in the country's history, by 1.4%, due to a combination of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. Growth recovered to 5% between 2002 and 2005. About 800,000 Sri Lankans work abroad, 90% in the Middle East. They send home about $1 billion a year. The struggle by the Tamil Tigers of the north and east for a largely independent homeland continues to cast a shadow over the economy. In late December 2004, a major tsunami took about 31,000 lives, left more than 6,300 missing and 443,000 displaced, and destroyed an estimated $1.5 billion worth of property.
Electricity - consumption 8.661 billion kWh (2005) 6.796 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 11.89 billion kWh (2005) 7.308 billion kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m


highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Environment - current issues rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African 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)
Exchange rates Omani rials per US dollar - 0.3845 (2007), 0.3845 (2006), 0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004), 0.3845 (2003) Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 100.498 (2005), 101.194 (2004), 96.521 (2003), 95.662 (2002), 89.383 (2001)
Executive branch chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
chief of state: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 19 November 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government; Ratnasiri WICKREMANAYAKE (since 21 November 2005) holds the ceremonial title of prime minister


head of government: President Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 19 November 2005)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held 2011)


election results: Mahinda RAJAPAKSE elected president; percent of vote - Mahinda RAJAPAKSE 50.3%, Ranil WICKREMESINGHE 48.4%, other 1.3%
Exports 733,100 bbl/day (2004) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds, rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish
Exports - partners China 23.6%, South Korea 17.9%, Japan 10.9%, Thailand 10.7%, South Africa 7.7%, UAE 6.3% (2006) US 30.9%, UK 11.6%, India 7.3%, Belgium 4.8%, Germany 4.5% (2005)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three horizontal bands of white, red, and green of equal width with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered near the top of the vertical band yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border around the entire flag and extends between the two panels
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 2.2%


industry: 38.3%


services: 59.5% (2007 est.)
agriculture: 17.8%


industry: 27.6%


services: 54.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.3% (2007 est.) 6% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates 21 00 N, 57 00 E 7 00 N, 81 00 E
Geography - note strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
Heliports 2 (2007) -
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 3.5%


highest 10%: 28% (1995)
Imports 15,440 bbl/day (2004) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants textile fabrics, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment
Imports - partners UAE 22.4%, Japan 16.4%, US 8.1%, Germany 5.5%, India 4.3% (2006) India 19.7%, China 9.9%, Singapore 7.2%, Iran 5.5%, Malaysia 4.6%, Hong Kong 4.5% (2005)
Independence 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese) 4 February 1948 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate 3.2% (2007 est.) 8.2% (2005 est.)
Industries crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production; construction, cement, copper, steel, chemicals, optic fiber processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement, petroleum refining
Infant mortality rate total: 18.28 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 20.96 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 13.97 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 15.18 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 4% (2007 est.) 11.6% (2005 est.)
International organization participation ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO AsDB, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-15, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land 720 sq km (2003) 7,430 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court


note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has judges who practice secular and Shari'a law
Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president
Labor force 920,000 (2002 est.) 8.08 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
agriculture: 38%


industry: 17%


services: 45% (1998 est.)
Land boundaries total: 1,374 km


border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 0.12%


permanent crops: 0.14%


other: 99.74% (2005)
arable land: 13.96%


permanent crops: 15.24%


other: 70.8% (2005)
Languages Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects 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
Legal system based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch bicameral Majlis Oman consists of Majlis al-Dawla or upper chamber (70 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory powers only) and Majlis al-Shura or lower chamber (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; body has some limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise has only advisory powers)


elections: last held 27 October 2007 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: new candidates won 46 seats and 38 members of the outgoing Majlis kept their positions; none of the 20 female candidates were elected
unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district to serve six-year terms)


elections: last held 2 April 2004 (next to be held by 2010)


election results: percent of vote by party or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP (no longer in formal UPFA alliance) 45.6%, UNP 37.83%, TNA 6.84%, JHU 5.97%, SLMC 2.02%, UPF 0.54%, EPDP 0.27%, others 0.93%; seats by party - UNP 68, SLFP 57, JVP 39, UNP dissident 1, TNA 22, CWC 8, JHU 7, JHU dissidents 2, SLMC 6, SLMC dissidents 4, Communist Party 2, LSSP 2, MEP 2, NUA 2, UPF 2, EPDP 1
Life expectancy at birth total population: 73.62 years


male: 71.37 years


female: 75.99 years (2007 est.)
total population: 73.41 years


male: 70.83 years


female: 76.12 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: 81.4%


male: 86.8%


female: 73.5% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 92.3%


male: 94.8%


female: 90% (2003 est.)
Location Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Map references Middle East Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Merchant marine total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,155 GRT/7,244 DWT


by type: chemical tanker 1, passenger 1


registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2007)
total: 22 ships (1000 GRT or over) 144,066 GRT/196,418 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 17, container 2, petroleum tanker 2


foreign-owned: 7 (Germany 5, UAE 2)


registered in other countries: 5 (Panama 5) (2006)
Military branches Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat Oman, RAFO) (2007) Sri Lankan Army, Sri Lankan Navy, Sri Lankan Air Force (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $606.2 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 11.4% (2005 est.) 2.6% (2005 est.)
National holiday Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November (1940) Independence Day, 4 February (1948)
Nationality noun: Omani(s)


adjective: Omani
noun: Sri Lankan(s)


adjective: Sri Lankan
Natural hazards summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Natural resources petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower
Net migration rate 0.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Pipelines gas 4,126 km; oil 3,558 km (2007) -
Political parties and leaders none All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [KUMARGURUPARAM]; Ceylon Workers Congress or CWC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party or CP [D. GUNASEKERA]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF [Shrimani ATULATHMUDALI]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRAN]; Janatha Vimukthi Perumuna or JVP [Somawansa AMARASINGHE]; Lanka Sama Samaja Party or LSSP; Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (People's United Front) or MEP [D. GUNAWARDENE]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Tilak KARUNARATNE]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDHARTHAN]; Sihala Urumaya or SU; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM]; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF [P. Nelson PERERA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [SABARATNAM]; Tamil National Alliance or TNA [R. SAMPANTHAN]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [V. ANANDASANGAREE]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil WICKREMASINGHE]; Up-country People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either Parliament or provincial councils
Political pressure groups and leaders none Buddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE [Velupillai PRABHAKARAN](insurgent group fighting for a separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups
Population 3,204,897


note: includes 577,293 non-nationals (July 2007 est.)
20,222,240


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 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 22% (1997 est.)
Population growth rate 3.234% (2007 est.) 0.78% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) AM 26, FM 45, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways - total: 1,449 km


broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2005)
Religions Ibadhi Muslim 75%, other (includes Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu) 25% Buddhist 69.1%, Muslim 7.6%, Hindu 7.1%, Christian 6.2%, unspecified 10% (2001 census provisional data)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.041 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.419 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.26 male(s)/female


total population: 1.238 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 21 years of age; universal; note - members of the military and security forces are not allowed to vote 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable


domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership both increasing; open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations


international: country code - 968; the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) and the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable provide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat
general assessment: very inadequate domestic service, particularly in rural areas; likely improvement with privatization of national telephone company and encouragement to private investment; good international service (1999)


domestic: national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and two fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains low (1999)


international: country code - 94; submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999)
Telephones - main lines in use 278,300 (2006) 1.244 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1.818 million (2006) 3.362 million (2005)
Television broadcast stations 13 (plus 25 repeaters) (1999) 21 (1997)
Terrain central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Total fertility rate 5.7 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.84 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 15% (2004 est.) 7.7% (2005 est.)
Waterways - 160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2005)
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