Culture

The Sri Lankan culture is mainly influenced by Buddhism and Hinduism. Sri Lanka is home to two major traditional cultures: Sinhala (centered in Kandy and Anuradhapura) and Tamil (centered in Jaffna). Since then the Tamils ​​have co-existed with the Sinhala people, and early mixing has made the two ethnic groups almost physically indistinguishable. Ancient Sri Lanka is characterized by its genius in hydraulic engineering and architecture. British colonial culture also influenced the locals. The rich cultural traditions shared by all Sri Lankan cultures underlie the country’s long life expectancy, advanced healthcare standards and high literacy rate.

Food And Festivals

Dishes include rice and curry, pittu, kiribath, wholemeal roti, hoppers, wattalapam (a rich pudding of Malay origin made with coconut milk, jaggery, cashews, eggs and spices including cinnamon and nutmeg), kottu and appam. Jackfruit can sometimes replace rice. Traditionally the food is served on a plantain or lotus leaf. Middle Eastern influences and practices are found in traditional Moorish dishes, while Dutch and Portuguese influences are found in the island’s bourgeois community which preserves its culture through traditional dishes such as lamprais (rice cooked in broth and cooked in a banana leaf), breudher (Dutch feast biscuit) and Bolo fiado (Portuguese-style layer cake).

In April, Sri Lankans celebrate Buddhist and Hindu New Year festivals. Esala Perahera is a symbolic Buddhist festival consisting of dancing and decorated elephants held in Kandy during July and August. Fire dances, whip dances, Kandyan dances and various other cultural dances are an integral part of the festival. Christians celebrate Christmas on December 25 to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and Easter to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Tamils ​​celebrate Thai Pongal and Maha Shivaratri, while Muslims celebrate Hajj and Ramadan.

Climate

The climate is tropical and warm due to the moderate effects of ocean winds. Average temperatures range from 17 °C (62.6 °F) in the central highlands, where frost can occur for several days in winter, to a maximum of 33 °C (91.4 °F) in low-altitude areas. Average annual temperatures range from 28 °C (82.4 °F) to nearly 31 °C (87.8 °F). Day and night temperatures can range from 14°C (57.2°F) to 18°C ​​(64.4°F).

The rainfall pattern is influenced by the monsoon winds coming from the Indian Ocean and the Bay of Bengal. The “wetland” and some of the windward slopes of the centrThe arid northwest and southeast coasts receive less rainfall, 800 to 1,200 mm (31 to 47 in) per year. Periodic thunderstorms occur, and tropical cyclones sometimes bring cloudy skies and rain to the southwest, northeast, and eastern parts of the island. Humidity is typically higher in the south-west and in mountainous areas and depends on the seasonal pattern of precipitation. An increase in average rainfall coupled with more intense rainfall has resulted in recurrent flooding and related damage to infrastructure, public service provision and the urban economy.al highlands receive up to 2,500 millimeters (98.4 in) of rain each year, but the leeward slopes in the east and northeast receive little rain. Most of the eastern, southeast, and northern parts of Sri Lanka comprise the “dry zone”, which receives between 1,200 and 1,900 mm (47 and 75 in) of rainfall per year.

The arid northwest and southeast coasts receive less rainfall, 800 to 1,200 mm (31 to 47 in) per year. Periodic thunderstorms occur, and tropical cyclones sometimes bring cloudy skies and rain to the southwest, northeast, and eastern parts of the island. Humidity is typically higher in the south-west and in mountainous areas and depends on the seasonal pattern of precipitation. An increase in average rainfall coupled with more intense rainfall has resulted in recurrent flooding and related damage to infrastructure, public service provision and the urban economy.

Flora And Fauna

The Western Ghats of India and Sri Lanka have been included in the top 18 global biodiversity hotspots due to the high levels of species endemism. The number of biodiversity hotspots has now increased to 34. Sri Lanka has the highest biodiversity per unit area among Asian countries for flowering plants and all vertebrate groups except birds. A remarkably high percentage of flora and fauna species, 27% of the 3,210 flowering plants and 22% of mammals, are endemic. Sri Lanka supports a rich avifauna that amounts to 453 species and this includes 240 bird species that are known to breed in the country. 33 species are accepted by some ornithologists as endemic while some ornithologists consider only 27 endemic and the remaining six are considered proposed endemics. Sri Lanka’s protected areas are administered by two government bodies; The Department of Forest Conservation and the Department of Wildlife Conservation. The Department of Wildlife Conservation administers 61 wildlife reserves, 22 national parks, four wildlife reserves, three hard nature reserves and one jungle corridor, while the Department of Forest Conservation oversees 65 protected forests and one heritage wilderness area national. 26.5% of the country’s territory is legally protected. This is a higher percentage of protected areas than in the rest of Asia.

Sri Lanka contains four terrestrial ecoregions: Sri Lanka lowland rainforests, Sri Lanka montane rainforests, Sri Lanka dry zone dry evergreen forests, and Deccan thorn forests. Flowering acacias thrive on the arid Jaffna peninsula. Among the trees of the mainland forests there are valuable species such as satinwood, ebony, ironwood, mahogany and teak. The wetland is a tropical evergreen forest with tall trees, extensive canopy and a dense undergrowth of vines and climbing plants. Evergreen subtropical forests similar to those in temperate climates thrive at higher elevations. Yala National Park in the southeast protects herds of elephant, deer and peacocks. Wilpattu National Park in the northwest, the largest national park, preserves the habitats of many water birds such as storks, pelicans, ibises and spoonbills. The island has four biosphere reserves: Bundala, Hurulu Forest Reserve, Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya and Sinharaja. Sinharaja is home to 26 endemic birds and 20 rainforest species, including the elusive red-faced malkoha, green-billed coucal and Sri Lankan blue magpie. The untapped genetic potential of the Sinharaja flora is enormous. Of the 211 woody trees and lianas present in the reserve, 139 (66%) are endemic. The total density of vegetation, including trees, shrubs, grasses and seedlings, was estimated at 240,000 individuals per hectare. Minneriya National Park borders the Minneriya Tank, which is an important water source for the elephants that inhabit the surrounding forests. Nicknamed “The Gathering”, the congregation of elephants can be seen at the bottom of the tank in the late dry season (August to October) as surrounding water sources steadily disappear. The park also includes a number of microhabitats that include classic dry zone tropical monsoon evergreen forest, dense stands of giant bamboo, hilly pastures (patanas), and grasslands (talawas). During the Mahaweli Program of the 1970s and 1980s in northern Sri Lanka, the government set aside four areas of land totaling 1,900 square km (730 square miles) as national parks. Sri Lanka’s forest cover statistics show rapid deforestation from 1956 to 2010. In 1956, 44.2% of the country’s land area was covered by forest. Forest cover has been rapidly depleted in recent decades; 29.6% in 1999, 28.7% in 2010.