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Compare Sierra Leone (2001) - Sri Lanka (2004)

Compare Sierra Leone (2001) z Sri Lanka (2004)

 Sierra Leone (2001)Sri Lanka (2004)
 Sierra LeoneSri Lanka
Administrative divisions 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western* 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western; note - North Eastern province may have been divided in two - Northern and Eastern
Age structure 0-14 years:
44.73% (male 1,190,207; female 1,237,326)

15-64 years:
52.12% (male 1,351,455; female 1,477,155)

65 years and over:
3.15% (male 84,364; female 86,111) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 24.8% (male 2,526,143; female 2,414,876)


15-64 years: 68.2% (male 6,589,438; female 6,976,487)


65 years and over: 7% (male 655,636; female 742,585) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef
Airports 11 (2000 est.) 14 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
1

over 3,047 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 13


over 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
10

914 to 1,523 m:
7

under 914 m:
3 (2000 est.)
total: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total:
71,740 sq km

land:
71,620 sq km

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


land: 64,740 sq km


water: 870 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than South Carolina slightly larger than West Virginia
Background Since 1991, civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well over one-third of the population) many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries. A peace agreement, signed in July 1999, collapsed in May 2000 after the RUF took over 500 UN peacekeepers hostage. The RUF stepped up attacks on Guinea in December 2000, despite a cease-fire that it signed with the Freetown government one month earlier. As of late 2000, up to 13,000 UN peacekeepers were protecting the capital and key towns in the south. A UK force of 750 was helping to reinforce security and train the Sierra Leone army. 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 45.11 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 15.88 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues:
$96 million

expenditures:
$351 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $3.229 billion


expenditures: $4.526 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
Capital Freetown Colombo; note - Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital
Climate tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April) tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
Coastline 402 km 1,340 km
Constitution 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times adopted 16 August 1978
Country name conventional long form:
Republic of Sierra Leone

conventional short form:
Sierra Leone
conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka


conventional short form: Sri Lanka


former: Serendib, Ceylon
Currency leone (SLL) Sri Lankan rupee (LKR)
Death rate 19.19 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $1.28 billion (1999) $10.52 billion (2003)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Joseph H. MELROSE, Jr.

embassy:
Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown

mailing address:
use embassy street address

telephone:
[232] (22) 226481 through 226485

FAX:
[232] (22) 225471
chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey J. LUNSTEAD


embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3


mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo


telephone: [94] (11) 244-8007


FAX: [94] (11) 243-7345
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador John Ernest LEIGH

chancery:
1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone:
[1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263

FAX:
[1] (202) 483-1793
chief of mission: Ambassador Devinda R. SUBASINGHE



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 civil war has engendered massive refugee movements into neighboring Guinea and Liberia none
Economic aid - recipient $203.7 million (1995) $577 million (1998)
Economy - overview Sierra Leone is an extremely poor African nation with tremendous inequality in income distribution. It does have substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Bauxite and rutile mines have been shut down by civil strife. The major source of hard currency is found in the mining of diamonds, the large majority of which are smuggled out of the country. The resurgence of internal warfare in 1999 brought another substantial drop in GDP, with GNP recovering part of the way in 2000. The fate of the economy depends upon the maintenance of domestic peace and the continued receipt of substantial aid from abroad. 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 5.5% in the early 1990s until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-2000 with average growth of 5.3%, but 2001 saw the first contraction in the country's history, -1.4%, due to a combination of power shortages, severe budgetary problems, the global slowdown, and continuing civil strife. Growth recovered to 4.0% in 2002 and 5.2% in 2003. 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.
Electricity - consumption 223.2 million kWh (1999) 5.915 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 240 million kWh (1999) 6.36 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Environment - current issues rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands

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 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-18th century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%
Exchange rates leones per US dollar - 1,653.39 (January 2001), 2,092.13 (2000), 1,804.20 (1999), 1,563.62 (1998), 981.48 (1997), 920.73 (1996) Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 96.521 (2003), 95.6621 (2002), 89.383 (2001), 77.0051 (2000), 70.6354 (1999)
Executive branch chief of state:
President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election held 26-27 February and 15 March 1996 (next to be held NA September 2001); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms

election results:
Ahmad Tejan KABBAH elected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 59.5%, John KAREFA-SMART (UNPP) 40.5%
chief of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note - Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 6 April 2004)i s the prime minister; the president is considered both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note - Mahinda RAJAPAKSE (since 6 April 2004) is the prime minister; the president is considered both the chief of state and head of government


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


elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 21 December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2005)


election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA reelected president; percent of vote - Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA 51%, Ranil WICKREMASINGHE 42%, other 7%
Exports $65 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish textiles and apparel, tea, diamonds, coconut products, petroleum products
Exports - partners Belgium 38%, US 6%, Italy 4%, UK 4% (1999) US 34.6%, UK 12.5%, India 4.8%, Germany 4.5% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue 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 purchasing power parity - $2.7 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $73.7 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
43%

industry:
26%

services:
31% (1999)
agriculture: 19.9%


industry: 26.3%


services: 53.8% (2003)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $510 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $3,700 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.2% (2000 est.) 5.5% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 8 30 N, 11 30 W 7 00 N, 81 00 E
Geography - note - strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
Heliports 1 (2000 est.) -
Highways total:
11,300 km

paved:
904 km

unpaved:
10,396 km (1997)
total: 96,695 km


paved: 91,860 km


unpaved: 4,835 km (1999)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
0.5%

highest 10%:
43.6% (1989)
lowest 10%: 3.5%


highest 10%: 28% (1995)
Imports $145 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals textiles, mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment
Imports - partners UK 34%, US 8%, Italy 7%, Nigeria 5% (1999) India 16.1%, Hong Kong 8.4%, Singapore 7.8%, Japan 6.7%, China 4.9%, South Korea 4.2%, Taiwan 4.2%, UK 4.1%, Malaysia 4% (2003)
Independence 27 April 1961 (from UK) 4 February 1948 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 5.8% (2003)
Industries mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining rubber processing, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco
Infant mortality rate 146.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 14.78 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 16.01 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 13.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 15% (2000 est.) 6.3% (2003 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO AsDB, 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, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 290 sq km (1993 est.) 6,510 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Appeals Court; High Court Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president
Labor force 1.369 million (1981 est.)

note:
only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)
7.17 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% agriculture 38%, industry 17%, services 45% (1998 est.)
Land boundaries total:
958 km

border countries:
Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
0 km
Land use arable land:
7%

permanent crops:
1%

permanent pastures:
31%

forests and woodland:
28%

other:
33% (1993 est.)
arable land: 13.86%


permanent crops: 15.7%


other: 70.44% (2001)
Languages English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%) 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 law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; 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 unicameral House of Representatives (80 seats - 68 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms)

elections:
last held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)

election results:
percent of vote by party - SLPP 36.1%, UNPP 21.6%, PDP 15.3%, APC 5.7%, NUP 5.3%, DCP 4.8%, other 11.2%; seats by party - SLPP 27, UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5, NUP 4, DCP 3; note - first elections since the former House of Representatives was shut down by the military coup of 29 April 1992
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 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 or electoral alliance - SLFP and JVP 105, UNP 82, TNA 22, JHU 9, SLMC 5, UPF 1, EPDP 1
Life expectancy at birth total population:
45.6 years

male:
42.69 years

female:
48.61 years (2001 est.)
total population: 72.89 years


male: 70.34 years


female: 75.57 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic

total population:
31.4%

male:
45.4%

female:
18.2% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 92.3%


male: 94.8%


female: 90% (2003 est.)
Location Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Map references Africa Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea:
200 NM

continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
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:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,057 GRT/3,498 DWT

ships by type:
cargo 1 (2000 est.)
total: 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 120,924 GRT/173,604 DWT


by type: cargo 14, container 2, petroleum tanker 2


foreign-owned: Germany 8, Singapore 1


registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)
Military branches Army Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure $46 million (FY96/97) $518 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2% (FY96/97) 3.2% (2003)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
1,161,790 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 5,418,496 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
563,631 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 4,195,736 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 179,869 (2004 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 27 April (1961) Independence Day, 4 February (1948)
Nationality noun:
Sierra Leonean(s)

adjective:
Sierra Leonean
noun: Sri Lankan(s)


adjective: Sri Lankan
Natural hazards dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to February); sandstorms, dust storms occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Natural resources diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower
Net migration rate 10.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

note:
by the end of 1999 refugees from Sierra Leone are assumed to be returning
-1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders All People's Congress or APC [Edward Mohammed TURAY, chairman]; Democratic Centre Party or DCP [Adu Aiah KOROMA]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA [Amadu M. B. JALLOH]; National Republican Party or NRP [Sahr Stephen MAMBU]; National Unity Party or NUP [Dr. John KARIMU, chairman]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [Thaimu BANGURA, chairman]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Abass Chernok BUNDU, chairman]; Revolutionary United Front Party or RUFP [Foday SANKOH, chairman]; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP [President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH, chairman]; United National People's Party or UNPP [John KARIFA-SMART in exile, Raymond KAMARA, acting leader] 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 [Tilvan SILVA]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [Ferial ASHRAFF]; National Heritage Party or JHU [Tilak KARUNARATNE]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [leader NA]; Sihala Urumaya or SU [leader NA]; 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 Trade Unions and Student Unions 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 5,426,618 (July 2001 est.) 19,905,165


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; as of yearend 2000, approximately 65,000 were housed in 131 refugee camps in south India, another 40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 68% (1989 est.) 22% (1997 est.)
Population growth rate 3.61% (2001 est.) 0.81% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999) AM 26, FM 45, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 1.12 million (1997) -
Railways total:
84 km used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed

narrow gauge:
84 km 1.067-m gauge
total: 1,449 km


broad gauge: 1,449 km 1.676-m gauge (2003)
Religions Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10% Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999)
Sex ratio at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
0.96 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female


total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
marginal telephone and telegraph service

domestic:
national microwave radio relay trunk system, made unserviceable by military activities, is now operating from Freetown to Bo and Kenema (April 2001)

international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
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 at 2.6 main lines per 100 persons (1999)


international: country code - 94; submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999)
Telephones - main lines in use 17,000 (1997) 881,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 650 (1999) 931,600 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1999) 21 (1997)
Terrain coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Total fertility rate 6.01 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.88 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 8.4% (2003)
Waterways 800 km (of which 600 km navigable year round) 160 km (primarily on rivers in southwest) (2004)
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