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SRI
LANKA > CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY
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CLIMATE
Set like
a jewel between the latitiudes of 6 and 10 degrees north and
the eastern longitudes of 79 and 81 degrees, this pear-shaped
island was often described by early visitors arriving by sea,
as being a narrow streak with a thick middle area. A chain of
tiny islets and sandbars called Adam's Bridge separates Sri
Lanka from the subcontinent of India across the Palk Straits.
Tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March);
southwest monsoon (June to October)
Natural hazards : Occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Set like a jewel between the latitiudes of 6 and 10 degrees
north and the eastern longitudes of 79 and 81 degrees, this
pear-shaped island was often described by early visitors arriving
by sea, as being a narrow streak with a thick middle area.
A chain of tiny islets and sandbars called Adam's Bridge separates
Sri Lanka from the subcontinent of India across the Palk Straits.
From its southernmost point in its equatorial setting, the next
neighbours are penguins, for there is nothing but ocean until
the landfall of Antarctica. This convenient position along the
ancient seafaring routes in the Indian Ocean, proved to be the
initial bend along the twisted road to Sri Lanka's destiny.
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Because
of its equatorial setting, Sri Lanka's climate is generally
hot and humid. The average annual temperature in the lowlands
is 32.2 C (approximately 90 F). Elevation
lowers the temperature, giving an average annual temperature
of 21.1 C ( 70 F). Humidity decreases in these hilly areas and
in the much hotter dry zones in the north and east of the island.
Monsoons
The island's weather is dominated by its two monsoons, which
cause wide seasonal and regional variations. The central massif
of mountains catches two monsoons from two different directions
and times. The south west monsoon season sets in from May to
June and continues through to November. The south west wet zone
receives some rainfall throughout the year but peaks occur in
May to June and October to November, when extremely heavy rainfall
occurs. The north east of the island gets its share of about
40 inches of rain from the beginning of November until January.
Sri Lanka is never out of season thanks to this neat arrangement
between mountains, winds and oceans. The island's proximity
to the equator also means that there is hardly any twilight.
Spectacular sunsets are daily phenomena but are so brief that
it's best to order your second sundowner with the first, before
it no longer qualifies for its name. Roll handy which you can
buy at any super market or general store.
GEOGRAPHY
The island's greatest length is 353 km running
north-south and is only 183 km at its widest along an east-west
line just south of the centre. Within its area of 66,000 km2
is a remarkable variety of landforms, vegetation and wildlife.
There are wide plains with high mountains, gentle slopes and
steep precipices. Golden sandy beaches stretch for 1400 km encircling
scrubland, semi-desert, grassland and hills covered in thick
jungle.
The most important factors in creating this wonderful diversity
have been climate, rock type and geological structure. There
are three distinct erosion levels. The lowest, gently rises
to a generally flat plain like the wide brim of a hat. This
rises by a steep steppe of more than 300m to the second plain
of the south central hill country. This middle peneplain has
a maximum elevation of about 833m. From the centre of this rises
another steep steppe of 1000 - 1300m to the highest mountain
ranges. The island's longest rivers, feeding much of the country,
spring from these peaks
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Location
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:
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India |
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Map
references |
:
Asia |
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Land
Area |
:
62,705 |
sq.
kms |
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Inland Water |
:
2,905 |
sq.
kms |
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Total
Area |
:
65,610 |
sq.
kms |
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Coastline |
:
1,340 km |
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Terrain
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:
Mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
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Capital |
:
Sri Jayawardenapura |
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Commercial
Capital |
:
Colombo |
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Population |
:
18.3 |
million |
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Population
density |
:
292 |
per
sq. km |
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Population
proj. 2001 |
:
19 |
million |
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Population
growth |
:
1.2% |
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