Sunday, March 8, 2009

Sri Lanka Wild Life










Sri Lanka Wild Life

he Magnitude of bio diversity found in Sri Lanka is not in line with it's physical proportions. United nations has acknowledged this fact by ranking Sri Lanka, as the 10th highest in bio diversification present per square area. Through out this tropical island, geographical facade changes dramatically, from the patanas (Grass Lands) to tropical rain forests, and from sandy beaches dotted with mangroves to monsoon dependant greenery. These consist the likes of Horton plains, sitaeliya plains, Agarapatana (all are grass lands/plains), Sinharaja (a rain forest since pre historic times), and Beaches of unawatuna, bundala and hikkaduwa, wildlife sanctuaries like Yala, Wilpattu and mangrove abundant marshes of muthurajawela & attidiya. Apart from the obvious geographical variations there is a vast number of less prominent ecological systems in Sri Lanka such as forests of ritigala and rumassala, udawatte kelle in kandy etc. All these contribute to an exotic system, which is the natural habitat of a variety of animal and plant species. Contrasting eco systems means that Sri Lanka is a haven for a nature lover who want to do exploring to his/her heart's content.

An important part of ecological systems prevalent in Sri Lanka would be the animal species. Like the variety among environment one can find so many kinds of fauna who observe many a behavioral pattern. Animals in Sri Lanka could be broadly categorized in to many groups such as Birds, Mammals, Reptiles, Fish, and etc. what ever the creature it would always follow a behavioral pattern suitable to its habitat.

A major attraction for a nature lover would be the national parks of Sri Lanka.




Waves of Paradise










Waves of Paradise

The soft sound of waves lapping in to the beach, endless strips of white sandy beaches contrasting with deep blue waters must be what's on your mind when you plan to travel to a beautiful tropical beach to spend a sunny holiday. Whether to set your spirit of adventure free or just to relax and enjoy the tranquil settings, Sri Lanka is the ideal holiday destination. Sri Lanka is endowed with so many beautiful beaches, many an idyllic setting with swaying palm trees bending over the white sand lapped by blue waves and coral reefs that are home to many types of tropical fish. As you travel along the western, eastern or southern coastline, around every bend you will come upon yet another inviting tropical vista, which testifies Sri Lanka, a tropical island as the best place to holiday.

If you're the active type looking for action, a variety of water sports await you. Snorkeling, windsurfing, angling and sailing are just a few activities if one wants to indulge in water sports. Exploring coral reefs, the beautiful under water flora & fauna is a must when you travel to Sri Lanka. Various types of crustaceans and hydra add to the exquisiteness of a coral reef, which is home to many authentic species. Windsurfing is a popular activity, which brings much fun and tests your competitive skills. Windsurfing races are held mainly on the southeastern coast. Not just water sports, you could socialize with the warm friendly people out there and move to the sunny vibes emitting from this beautiful and tropical culture.

What else can you find on Sri Lanka, which is studded with sunny beaches? Well, if you want to enjoy a beautiful sunset, sipping a drink made of tropical fruits or a cool beer relaxing on a hammock, listening to the hum of seagulls synchronized with music of waves lapping on to beaches where "two's company and three's crowd", Sri Lanka offers all types of sunny environment. These beaches are a paradise for honeymooners, where the environment is so romantic one could smell love in the air!

If you want to satisfy you're Epicurean desires, a variety of Sri Lankan seafood consisting exotic dishes are available. Tiger prawns, lobsters and crabs are just a few kinds of crustaceans that make in as ingredients to many types of excellent cuisine that you could try. Many restaurants specializing in seafood are found in the city of Colombo and on the western coast.

If you want to find accommodation there are many motels, which charge nominal rates. Always beware of touts when trying to locate a hotel. When you travel to Sri Lanka with the intention of experiencing the beautiful beaches, sub cultures associated with them such as quaint fishing communities would broaden your knowledge on this sunny island.

Negombo
The beach of Negombo is situated 37km from Colombo to north. It is a paradise for seafoods. There's much more in Negombo than just a sandy stretch of beach, where much history has been witnessed. During the period of time when Dutch were ruling the coastal areas of Sri Lanka, a fort, a canal and many a church was built and cinnamon cultivation took high priority. Remanents of these adorn the beach of Negombo along with fishing villages, which are sprinkled in the area.


Mt-Lavinia
Mt-Lavinia beach is both high in historical value and beauty. The beach of Mt-Lavinia is situated 12 km from Colombo towards south. It is an ideal place to relax and enjoy the sea. Mt-Lavinia Beach is crowded on Sundays and public holidays with large crowd gathered to participate in many beach sports activities such as swimming, surfing, beach volleyball, beach rugby. Music by Live bands & Entertainment by DJs keep the toes of the crowd tapping.

Beruwela & Bentota
The Beruwela and Bentota beaches are situated 56 km and 62 Km from Colombo towards south respectively. This section of the southwestern coast gives a typical picture of a tropical beach dotted with palm trees, white sandy strips and blue water, which is an ideal spot for lovers.

Hikkaduwa
The beach of Hikkaduwa is situated 98 km from Colombo towards the south of Sri Lanka. The Hikkaduwa beach is a paradise of coral reefs. Hikkaduwa beach is highly picturesque and arguably the most beautiful stretch of beach in Ceylon. The coral sanctuary found on the coast of hikkaduwa is a large shallow body of water enclosed by a reef, decorated with layers of multi coloured corals, witch is home to countless number of colourful fish. Off the beach there is a collection of tine islets surrounded by beautiful coral formations. Many species of fish and large turtles are found here. After a shot distance southwards from the center of the reef, it diminishes given rise to a wider sandy bottomed beach with good waves ideal for board surfing and body surfing. You can always rent the necessary equipment needed for snorkeling and surfing.
There are many shops selling Masks, Gems, Jewellery, Batik, Antiques and etc. along with several Buddhist temples, all which add spice to life at Hikkaduwa.

Galle
The port of Galle is situated 115Km south of Colombo. This bears testimony to a past where many foreign elements have done trade and the most famous being European nations. Primarily Portuguese built the fort of Galle, and then Dutch expanded it into a larger structure. A pleasurable activity one could partake while in Galle would be going for a stroll along the circuit of the fort walls and inside the fort. Architecture of Dutch period is omnipresent within the fort; along with a museum are the major attractions of the City of Galle.
"Roomassala" is a patch of forest, home to many herbs of medicinal value. "Roomassala" is in the vicinity of the City of Galle.
"Unawatuna" Beach is yet another beautiful beach in Sri Lanka. "Unawatuna" Beach is in Galle, increasing the scenic beauty of this picturesque Island.




Explore Sri Lanka


Explore Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, a patch of land in the Indian Ocean just 65610 sq. km in extent and located at a latitude of 5.55g- 6.59g and longitude of 79.42g- 81.52g is indeed a Tangible Paradise. The pioneer seafarers amazed by its beauty and magic, described Sri Lanka in numerous ways, but whether words did justice is certainly to be judged by the individual by personal experience and opinion.

The civilization of Sri Lanka ranges back to the 5th century BC and evidence of its richness in culture, the skills and techniques of its inhabitants of the bye gone eras are evident by the existing artifacts in the form of monuments, Ancient shrines, ruined cities, incredibly large artificial lakes, exquisite granite carvings and much more. Anuradhapura and Polonnaruwa which were the first and second capitals of Sri Lanka draw many international scholars of archaeology and tourists due to their importance as world renown archaeological sites. There are many more such sites of interest in the region such as Ritigala, Lion Rock Fortress of Sigiriya , Medirigiriya, Cave Temples of Dambullaare some of them and many other interesting sites are found in other parts of the island.

As an island, Sri Lanka possesses some of the best beaches in the world. The sun kissed palm fringed golden beaches that surround the island are indeed an oasis to those who thirst for relaxation. There are two types of beach resorts to choose from and one is the busy type where one could enjoy aquatic sports such as Water Skiing, Water Jet Scooter Riding, Scuba Diving, Snorkeling, Deep sea Fishing etc. while the other is the quaint tucked away resorts where the stressed and pressurized could absorb tranquility, revitalization and also acquire a Tan by lazing under the Tropical Sun.

Typical of the Tropics, most of Sri Lanka is clothed in lush green vegetation and its topography of varying altitudes attribute to the incredible variation of temperatures between the low lands and hill country. The gushing rivers and cascading waterfalls that spring from the central hills gracefully flow down to their resting place, the Indian Ocean. The scenic beauty of the hill country of Sri Lanka is not to be expressed but to be viewed.

Most of the central hills appear to be smoothly carpeted in green due to tea cultivation that covers most of the terrain. Both Kandy (mid country) and Nuwara Eliya (up country) are two of the most popular Hill Stations of Sri Lanka. Star class accommodation is available at both stations and for those who wish to experience the lifestyle Srilankans in deeper manner bungalows and guesthouses are available.

About Sr Lanka

About Sr Lanka
Location:
Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 81 00 E

Climate:
Tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March), Southwest monsoon (June to October)

Population: 19,238,575

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26% (male 2,605,251; female 2,490,416)
15-64 years: 67% (male 6,285,118; female 6,606,196
65 years and over: 7% (male 602,470; female 649,124) (2000 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.89% (2000 est.)
Sri Lanka Map

Birth rate: 16.78births/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 6.43deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)

Sex ratio:
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2000 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 16.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: Total population: 71.83 years
Male: 69.33 years
Female: 74.45 years (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.98 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%

Religions: Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999)

Languages: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population

Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 90.2%
Male: 93.4%
Female: 87.2% (1995 est.)

Elevation extremes:
Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m

Natural resources:
limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower

Environment:
Current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo

Capital: Colombo

Administrative divisions: 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western

Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK)

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (since 12 November 1994); note - Rathnasiri Vicramanayaike is the prime minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist

Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term.

Election results:
Presidential Election, 1999

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga (CBK) PA 4,312,157 51.12%
Ranil Wickramasinghe (Ranil) UNP 3,602,748 42.71%
M D Nandana Gunathilaka (MDNG) JVP 344,173 4.08%



General Election 2000 results:

People's Alliance (PA) 3,899,329 45.20%
United National Party (UNP) 3,476,284 40.29%
Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) 518,725 6.01%
National Unity Alliance (NUA) 185,593 2.15%
Sihala Urumaya (SU) 127,859 1.48%
Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF) 105,907 1.23%

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district to serve six-year terms)