Sri Lanka 🇱🇰

Sri Lanka is an independent state in Southern Asia, and a member of the United Nations. Treaties and official documents call it Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. Government sits in Colombo.

The land area is 65,610 km², which ranks it 124th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind Georgia and just ahead of Lithuania. Put next to a country most people can picture, it is a fraction smaller than Ireland.

The population is about 21.9 million, placing it 61st of 250 by population — between Taiwan above it and Malawi below. Within Southern Asia alone it is the 7th largest of 9 and the 7th most populous.

Sri Lanka on the map

The coordinates the dataset gives are 7.0° N, 81.0° E, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 779 km from the equator, in what geographers would call the equatorial belt.

Ethiopia, Venezuela and the Central African Republic sit at almost exactly the same latitude on other parts of the globe.

It borders 1 neighbour: India.

Unlike its landlocked neighbours it reaches the sea directly, while also sharing land frontiers.

The people of Sri Lanka

Density comes out at around 334 people per square kilometre, which makes it densely populated. For comparison, the median entry on this list sits near 90 per square kilometre.

Officially it is multilingual, listing Sinhala and Tamil. Sinhala is listed for no other entry in this dataset, which makes it effectively unique to Sri Lanka.

The demonym is Sri Lankan, so residents are Sri Lankans.

Against Asia as a whole it is the 24th most populous of 50 entries, and it accounts for 1.1% of everyone living in Southern Asia.

Useful reference details

It uses the Sri Lankan rupee (Rs රු, LKR). That currency appears nowhere else on this list.

The top-level domain is .lk. To phone it from abroad you dial +94. In ISO terms it is lk in two letters and LKA in three.

Colombo is the city to remember for this country.

Sri Lanka is one of the 193 UN member states in this dataset. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.

Neighbouring countries

Sri Lanka shares borders with 1 country:

• 🇮🇳 India

Fun facts about Sri Lanka

• In land area it is a fraction smaller than Ireland.
• It shares land borders with 1 country: India.
• Websites based there use the .lk domain.
• Ranked by land area, Sri Lanka is 124th out of the 250 countries and territories on this site.
• Its full official name is Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.
• It lies about 779 km from the equator, in equatorial latitudes.
• The Sri Lankan rupee is used here and nowhere else on this list.

Sri Lanka — frequently asked questions

What is the capital of Sri Lanka?

The capital of Sri Lanka is Colombo.

How big is Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka covers 65,610 km², ranking 124th of 250 by land area. That makes it a fraction smaller than Ireland.

What language is spoken in Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka lists 2 official languages: Sinhala and Tamil. Sinhala does not appear as an official language anywhere else in this dataset.

Where is Sri Lanka located?

Sri Lanka is in Southern Asia, part of Asia. Its reference coordinates are 7.0° north and 81.0° east, roughly 779 km from the equator in equatorial latitudes.

What is the population of Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka has a population of about 21.9 million, which makes it the 61st most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Taiwan sits just above it and Malawi just below.

Is Sri Lanka a country?

Yes. Sri Lanka is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.

Which countries border Sri Lanka?

Sri Lanka borders 1 country: India.

What currency does Sri Lanka use?

Sri Lanka uses the Sri Lankan rupee, written Rs රු (currency code LKR). No other entry in this dataset uses it.