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Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia, located in the Indian Ocean to the southwest of the Bay of Bengal and to the southeast of the Arabian Sea. The island is historically and culturally intertwined with the Indian subcontinent, but is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait. The legislative capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the commercial capital and largest city, Colombo.
Silva, de Silva and da Silva are surnames in Portuguese-speaking countries, such as Portugal and Brazil. It is derived from the Latin word silva, meaning 'forest' or 'woodland'.
The Central Bank bombing was one of the deadliest terrorist attacks carried out by the LTTE during the Separatist civil war in Sri Lanka between the government and the Tamil Tigers.
Islam is a minority religion in Sri Lanka. 9.66% of the Sri Lankan population practice Islam. 1,997,361 persons adhere to Islam as per the census of 2012.
Burgher people, also known simply as Burghers, are a small Eurasian ethnic group in Sri Lanka descended from Portuguese, Dutch, British and other European men who settled in Sri Lanka and developed relationships with native Sri Lankan women. The Portuguese and Dutch had held some of the maritime provinces of the island for centuries before the advent of the British Empire. With the establishment of Ceylon as a crown colony at the end of the 18th century, most of those who retained close ties with the Netherlands departed. However, a significant community of Burghers remained and largely adopted the English language. During British rule they occupied a highly important place in Sri Lankan social and economic life.
Capital punishment is a legal penalty in Sri Lanka.
Jayewardene or Jayawardene is a Sinhalese surname. Notable people with the surname include:
Christianity is a minority religion in Sri Lanka. Christianity was introduced to the island in first century, probably in AD 72. Traditionally, after Thomas the Apostle's visit in Kerala in AD 52, Christianity is said to have been introduced via India because of its close geographical and commercial ties. According to Christian traditions, the apostle Thomas preached the Gospel in Sri Lanka Records suggest that St. Thomas Christians and Nestorian Christians lived in Sri Lanka. Anuradhapura cross is one of the archaeological claims that suggest Christianity in Sri Lanka before Portuguese. Roman Catholicism was introduced by the Portuguese in 1505. There were conversions by Dutch persons in the 17th century, which resulted in a percentage of church members in excess of 10%.
Sri Lanka Law College was established as the Ceylon Law College under the Council of Legal Education in 1874 in order to impart a formal legal education to those who wished to be lawyers in Ceylon. The institute is situated at Hulftsdorp Street in Colombo. The Main Building of the College, an impressive pieces of architecture, was constructed in the year 1911. This magnificent building remains a thriving focal point of the Law College.
Peiris, Peries or Pieris is a Sinhalese surname. It is a common surname in coastal area of Sri Lanka. It is originated from Portuguese surname Peres and was spread across Sri Lanka during the time of Portuguese rule of the island. The name has been adapted over time, hence the variation in its spelling. Notable people with the surname include:
Chitta Ranjan De Silva, PC was a Sri Lankan lawyer. He was Attorney General and Solicitor General of Sri Lanka. He was the Chairman of the Lessons Learnt and Reconciliation Commission
Sri Lankan passports are issued to citizens of Sri Lanka for the purpose of international travel. The Department of Immigration and Emigration is responsible for issuing Sri Lankan passports.
The Dutch Burghers are an ethnic group in Sri Lanka, of mixed Dutch, Portuguese Burghers and Sri Lankan descent. However, they are different community when compared with Portuguese Burghers. Originally Protestant, many Burghers today are Christian, but belong to a variety of denominations. The Dutch Burghers of Sri Lanka speak English and the local languages Sinhala and Tamil.
Sri Lanka will in the 2016 South Asian Games in Guwahati and Shillong, India from 5 February to 16 February 2016. The team will consist of 484 athletes in all 23 sports. Athlete Manjula Kumara will be the country's flagbearer during the opening ceremony.
