A short essay on Sri lankan geography

Sri Lanka, formerly Ceylon, is a small drop-shaped island country positioned to the southeast of India. It covers a total area of 65,600 km² (just slightly smaller than Ireland), with about 64,740 km² of land and 870 km² of water.

For administrative reasons, the country is divided into nine provinces, each with a provincial capital: 

North (Jaffna)

Northwest (Puttalam)

East (Trincomalee)

North Central (Anuradhapura)

South (Galle)

Western (Colombo)

Central (Kandy)

Uva (Badulla) and

Sabaragamuwa (Ratnapura)

Despite its relatively humble size, this Indian Ocean island has one of the most varied landscapes in the region such as hilly central regions, palm-fringed coastal belts, vast fertile plains, dense forests, thick jungles, mangrove and savannah.

There are five peaks that rise over 2000 m above sea level:  Pidurutalagala or Mount Pedro (2,524 m), Kirigalpotta (2,392 m), Thotupola (2,358 m), Adam’s Peak or Sri Pada (2,243 m) and Namunukula (2,036 m).

The sheer diversity of the island’s flora and fauna is awe inspiring as you will find out in the sections dedicated to wildlife.

The climate of Sri Lanka is tropical with hot and humid seasons. There are two monsoons that are to be taken into account before you plan a trip. For detailed information, click here.