What kind of country is Sri Lanka?

An island country in the Indian Ocean at the southern tip of the South Asian subcontinent, facing the Indian Peninsula across the Palk Strait to the northwest. Close to the equator, it feels like summer all year round, with an average annual temperature of 28°C. The average annual precipitation in various places ranges from 1283 to 3321 mm. The scenery is beautiful and it is known as the "Pearl of the Indian Ocean".

1500 years ago, Aryans from North India immigrated to the island of Ceylon and established the Sinhala dynasty. In 247 BC, King Asoka of the Mauryan Dynasty of India sent his son to the island to promote Buddhism, and was welcomed by the local king. Since then, the Sinhalese people abandoned Brahmanism and converted to Buddhism. Around the 2nd century BC, the Tamils ??from South India also began to migrate and settle on the island of Ceylon. From the 5th century to the 16th century AD, there were constant wars between the Sinhala Kingdom and the Tamil Kingdom on the island. Since the 16th century, it has been ruled by the Portuguese and the Dutch. It became a British colony at the end of the 18th century. It gained independence in February 1948 and named the country Ceylon. On May 22, 1972, it was renamed the Republic of Sri Lanka. On August 16, 1978, the name of the country was changed to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.

Politics

The President is the head of state, head of government and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He has the power to appoint the prime minister and other members of the cabinet. In 2005, Sri Lanka held its fifth presidential election. Mahinda Rajapaksa, the candidate of the ruling Liberal Party and then Prime Minister, won and was sworn in on November 19 for a six-year term. On November 21, President Rajapaksa appointed Ratnasiri Wickramanayaka as Prime Minister of the Government. Wei Tong was sworn in on the same day and became prime minister for the second time.

Customs

Sri Lanka is a country that believes in Buddhism. Many customs are related to Buddhism. Buddhist monks are highly respected in Sri Lanka. When Sri Lankan residents talk to Buddhist monks, regardless of whether Whether standing or sitting, try to keep it slightly lower than the monk's head, and you cannot use your left hand to hand things to Buddhist monks and believers. When visiting a Buddhist temple, you are not allowed to step on, step on, or ride on Buddha statues or other rude actions. Moreover, you must be barefoot when entering a temple, and you are not allowed to wear shoes, socks, or hats.

When Sri Lankan residents meet someone for the first time, they often greet people by shaking hands and putting their hands together. Putting their hands together on the face is the most standardized way. Sri Lankans like red, white, yellow and other colors, and regard crows as mascots. They like to burn lanterns to celebrate openings, foundation laying, religious ceremonies, etc. The wedding customs of Sri Lankans are quite special, represented by the Sinhalese wedding customs. The man and woman are engaged first, and after confirming the wedding date, they exchange rings. On the wedding day, the brother-in-law washes the groom's feet, ties the "heart knot", breaks coconuts, etc. It is a custom, but the real ceremony is when the bride puts the flower cloth given by the groom around her waist and the fish-shaped hairpin given by the groom on her head on the wedding stage. Polyandry still exists in the central mountainous areas of Sri Lanka.

It is worth noting that in Sri Lanka, the meaning of nodding and shaking the head is opposite to that in China. Nodding means no and shaking the head means yes. When Sri Lankans eat, they use the thumb, index finger, and middle finger of their right hand to pick up and eat food. When giving gifts to locals, do not send flowers. When eating and receiving gifts, you must use your right hand.

Constitution

The current constitution came into effect on September 7, 1978. It is the fourth constitution in the history of Sri Lanka, changing the parliamentary system to a presidential system. The constitution was revised several times after 1982, changing the term of the parliament from six years to one that can be extended through a referendum at the end of the term. The constitution stipulates that all Sri Lankan officials, including members of parliament, must swear an oath to oppose separatism and safeguard national unity.

Parliament

The Sri Lankan Parliament is a unicameral parliament consisting of 225 members with a term of 6 years. The current parliament was elected in April 2004. The distribution of seats is as follows: United People's Liberation Alliance 105 seats, United National Front 82 seats, Tamil National Alliance 22 seats, National Sinhala Traditional Party 9 seats, Muslim Conference 5 seats , Highland People's Front 1 seat, Eelam People's Democratic Party 1 seat.

In June 2005, the People's Liberation Front (occupying 39 seats in the parliament) withdrew from the United People's Liberation Alliance, causing the United People's Freedom Alliance led by the ruling Sri Lanka Freedom Party to become a minority in the parliament. The current Speaker, W. J. M. Lokubandara, was sworn in in April 2004.

Cultural Education

The national culture has a long history and is deeply influenced by Buddhism. The government has always attached great importance to education, and has implemented free education from kindergarten to university since 1945. In 2004, the literacy rate of residents reached 92.5. The main universities are the University of Peradeniya and the University of Colombo. There are 30 universities, 107,000 primary and secondary schools in the country, with more than 4.3 million students and 200,000 teachers.