Tourism in Sri Lanka is growing rapidly. For centuries, Sri Lanka has been a popular place of attraction for foreign travelers. The Chinese traveler Fa-Hien visited Sri Lanka as early as the 410's AD/CE, and in the twelfth century, Italian explorer Marco Polo claimed Sri Lanka to be the "best island of its size in the world".
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) is the naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography and is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its interests. The role of the Sri Lanka Navy is to conduct operations at sea for the defence of the nation and its interests and conduct prompt and sustainable combat operations at sea in accordance with the national policies.
A President's Counsel is an eminent lawyer who is appointed by the President of Sri Lanka as an individual "learned in the law". The term is an honorific that replaced the Queen's Counsel (QC), which Sri Lanka ceased appointing when it became a republic in 1972. It is equivalent to the appointment of a King's Counsel in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms, and that of Senior Counsel in Commonwealth republics, bearing the same privileges, such as sitting within the Bar of court.
Plastic pellet pollution is a type of marine debris originating from the plastic particles that are universally used to manufacture large-scale plastics. In the context of plastic pollution, these pre-production plastic pellets are commonly known as 'nurdles'. These microplastics are created separately from the user plastics they are melted down to form, and pellet loss can occur during both the manufacturing and transport stages. When released into the open environment, they create persistent pollution both in the oceans and on beaches. About 230,000 tonnes of nurdles are thought to be deposited in the oceans each year, where they are often mistaken for food by seabirds, fish and other wildlife. Due to their small size, they are notoriously difficult to clear up from beaches and elsewhere.
The following tables present the ranks and insignia of the Sri Lanka Army. The ranks are similar to the British army officer ranks and the other ranks.
Kamilo Beach, is a beach located on the southeast coast of the island of Hawaii. It is known for its accumulation of plastic marine debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch.
Savumiamoorthy Arumugam Ramanathan Thondaman was a Sri Lankan politician who served as a Cabinet Minister. He was the grandson of prominent unionist Saumyamoorthi Thondaman. He was the leader of the Ceylon Workers' Congress, a Member of Parliament representing the Nuwara Eliya District and was an advocate for the Indian Tamils of Sri Lanka. His career as a politician spanned over 20 years, holding several ministerial portfolios in different governments. He was regarded as one of the prominent politicians from Nuwara Eliya.
Halkedaliya Lekamlage alias Mahawela Lekamlage Premalal Jayasekara, also known by his pseudonym Choka Malli is a Sri Lankan convicted murderer, politician, and is a member of the Parliament of Sri Lanka and a former government deputy minister.
Deshamanya Vajira Chitrasena is a veteran Sri Lankan traditional dancer, choreographer and teacher. Vajira is regarded as Sri Lanka's first prima ballerina. She is the first Sri Lankan woman to practice the traditional Kandyan dance which was traditionally performed only by men. Vajira is credited for creating brand for female style of Kandyan dancing and set the tone for women to become ritual dancers. She was married to Chitrasena who was a well known legendary dancer and dance guru. On 26 January 2020, she along with late professor Indra Dassanayake was conferred with the Padma Shri award which is one of the highest Indian civilian awards coinciding with the 71st Republic Day of India.
Indra Dassanayake was a Sri Lankan academic, emeritus professor in Hindi, a scholar, and known for promoting Hindi-language and North Indian culture in Sri Lanka through educational institutions. On 26 January 2020, she received the Padma Shri award.
Mohamed Uvais Mohamed Ali Sabry, PC, MP, , also known as Ali Sabry, is a Sri Lankan lawyer and politician. He is the Current Minister of External Affairs serving since 22 July 2022. He previously served as the Minister of Finance until 9 May 2022. He was a Member of Parliament, appointed from the national list of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna. He also served as the Minister of Justice until 9 May 2022. He served as the defense counsel of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, chief legal adviser and President of the Muslim Federation of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna.
Jagath Gunawardana is a lawyer, environmentalist and educator based in Sri Lanka. Gunawardana is known for his advocacy in wildlife conservation and environmental protection.
Oceanswell is Sri Lanka's first marine conservation and research education organisation and was founded by marine biologist Asha de Vos.
Environmental Foundation Limited (EFL) is a public interest litigation and environmental conservation organisation in Sri Lanka. Established in 1981, EFL seeks to protect and conserve the natural environment through litigation, advocacy, awareness and youth-engagement.
Wildlife and Nature Protection Society is a conservation organisation. It is the third oldest non-governmental conservation organisation in the world and was instrumental in setting up Wilpattu National Park and Yala National Park.
Centre for Environmental Justice is an environmental conservation and public interest litigation organisation in Sri Lanka. The organisation is a member of the Friends of the Earth International network which is the world's largest international grassroots environmental network.
X-Press Pearl was a Singapore-registered Super Eco 2700–class container ship. The vessel entered service in February 2021 and was around 186 metres (610 ft) long. It was operated by X-Press Feeders.
Access Engineering PLC is a Sri Lankan civil engineering company engaged in the construction industry and supply of construction-related services and materials. The company is one of the constituents of the S&P Sri Lanka 20 Index. The company was found in 2001 and in 2012 was listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange. In 2019, for the third consecutive year, the company was named amongst the ten "Best Corporate Citizens in the Country" by the Ceylon Chamber of Commerce. Currently, the company is constructing the largest condominium in Sri Lanka with 1,068 units. Following the news that the Cabinet of Sri Lanka has granted the LKR 9.34 billion housing project in Elliot Road, Borella, the company's share price rose by five-fold.
Overseas Realty (Ceylon) PLC is the largest listed real estate company in Sri Lanka. The company is the developer and the proprietor of World Trade Center Colombo and Havelock City. The company was incorporated in 1980 and was listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange in 1982. The company is ranked amongst the LMD 100, moving 17 positions up to number 76 for the fiscal year 2019/20.
Cinnamon Bentota Beach, formerly known as Bentota Beach Hotel, is a luxury five-star hotel in Bentota, Sri Lanka. The hotel was built in 1967 and designed by Geoffrey Bawa. After refurbishment, the hotel reopened in 2019. The hotel is owned and operated by a subsidiary of John Keells Holdings under its luxury hotel chain, Cinnamon Hotels & Resorts. Cinnamon Bentota Beach is known for its architecture and decor.
