Sri Lanka

American  

[sree lahng-kuh, lang-kuh, shree] / ˌsri ˈlɑŋ kə, ˈlæŋ kə, ˌʃri /

noun

1. an island republic in the Indian Ocean, south of India: a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. 25,332 sq. mi. (65,610 sq. km). Colombo.

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Sri Lanka British  

/ ˌsriː ˈlæŋkə /

noun

1. Official name (since 1978): Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka.  Former name (until 1972): Ceylon.  a republic in S Asia, occupying the island of Ceylon: settled by the Sinhalese from S India in about 550 _bc ; became a British colony 1802; gained independence in 1948, becoming a republic within the Commonwealth in 1972. Exports include tea, cocoa, cinnamon, and copra. Official languages: Sinhalese and Tamil; English is also widely spoken. Religion: Hinayana Buddhist majority. Currency: Sri Lanka rupee. Capital: Colombo (administrative), Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative). Parts of the coast suffered badly in the Indian Ocean tsunami of December 2004. Pop: 21 675 648 (2013 est). Area: 65 610 sq km (25 332 sq miles)

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Sri Lanka Cultural  

1. Formerly Ceylon, now an island republic in the Indian Ocean just southeast of India.

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Marked by hostility between its Buddhist Sinhalese majority and Hindu Tamil minority (see Buddhism and Hinduism).

A British colony since 1796, the island became independent in 1948.

Other Word Forms

• Sri Lankan adjective

Example Sentences

Spencer played two first-class matches for Sussex, against Warwickshire and the touring Sri Lanka team.

From BBC

Indonesia is just one part of Asia which has been hit with torrential rain and storms in recent days, with Thailand, Malaysia, and Sri Lanka all also reporting deaths.

From BBC

Sri Lanka and Indonesia deployed military personnel on Monday to help victims of devastating flooding that has killed nearly 1,000 people across four countries in Asia in recent days.

From Barron's

And in Sri Lanka, at least 193 people died from floods and mudslides as the country grappled with one of its worst weather disasters in years.

From BBC

The cyclone has become Sri Lanka's deadliest natural disaster since 2017, when flooding and landslides claimed more than 200 lives and displaced hundreds of thousands.

From Barron's