National Profile & Geography

Official Name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Location: South Asia, island nation in the Indian Ocean at the junction of the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea.
Capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (administrative); Largest city: Colombo.
Coordinates: Between 5°55’ and 9°51’ N latitude and 79°41’ and 81°53’ E longitude.
Time Zone: UTC +5:30 (Sri Lanka Standard Time).

Total Land Area: About 65,610 km². (Length of the island is 432 km and the width is 224 km)
Sea Territory: Territorial waters extend 12 nautical miles from the coastline; Exclusive Economic Zone ~230,000 km². (Coastline is approximately 1,790 km long)
Terrain: Coastal plains rising to central highlands; highest point is Pidurutalagala (also known as Mount Pedro) (2524 m).
Climate: Four rainfall seasons during the year
- South-west monsoon period: May to September
- Intermonsoon period following the South-west monsoon: Oct to Nov
- North-east monsoon period: December to February
- Intermonsoon period following the North-east monsoon: March to April
Average Rainfall: ~2,000 mm annually with significant spatial and seasonal variation.
Average Temperature: ~27.5 °C in lowlands; cooler in highlands ~18 °C.

Sources: The Department of Census and Statistics-2024, Central Bank of Sri Lanka-2024