Location: Southern Asia, 29 km southeast of India across the Palk Strait in the Indian Ocean

Map references: Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area:
total area: 65,610 sq km
land area: 64,740 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,340 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or the edge of continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)

Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior

Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay

Land use:
arable land: 16%
permanent crops: 17%
meadows and pastures: 7%
forest and woodland: 37%
other: 23%

Irrigated land: 5,600 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff
natural hazards: occasional cyclones and tornadoes
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation

Note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

NOTE: The information regarding Sri Lanka on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Sri Lanka Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Sri Lanka Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.