Sri Lanka

Geography

Sri Lanka is an island state in the Indian Ocean about 60 km from the Indian mainland. The land has a total area of 65,610 km² (25,332 mi²) and a total coastline of 1,340 km (832.6 mi). This land area is approximately 82% of the area of Maine. Sri Lanka is thus the 17th smallest country in Asia and ranked 123rd in the world. A considerable share of the inhabitants (81%) belongs to the rural population.

Sri Lanka is comparatively low at an average elevation of 228 meters above sea level. The highest mountain peak (Pidurutalagala) is at 2,524 meters. In addition to the main island, around 80 other small islands still belong to the country. India is the only directly neighboring country of Sri Lanka. The distance between New York City and the Capital Colombo is about 14,100 km (8,761 mi).

Climate in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, as in all equatorial countries, there is a tropical climate. Unlike in Europe or the USA, there is almost no difference between the seasons. The daylight hours vary little, and the temperature differences between summer and winter are also lower. Depending on the season, the average daytime temperatures range between 28 and 31 degrees. In some parts of the country, the temperature rises to 35 °C. In the colder months, and depending in the region, the temperature drops to 20 °C in a month's average.

• Detailed climate data for Sri Lanka
• Tsunamis
• Cyclones