Is India a friend of Sri Lanka?

Rainfall pattern is influenced by monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal. The "wet zone" and some of the windward slopes of the central highlands receive up to 2,500 millimetres (98.4 in) of rain each month, but the leeward slopes in the east and northeast receive little rain. Most of the east, southeast, and northern parts of the country comprise the "dry zone", which receives between 1,200 mm (47 in) and 1,900 mm (75 in) of rain annually.

145 The arid northwest and southeast coasts receive the least amount of rain at 800 mm (31 in) to 1,200 mm (47 in) per year. Periodic squalls occur and sometimes tropical cyclones bring overcast skies and rains to the southwest, northeast, and eastern parts of the island. Humidity is typically higher in the southwest and mountainous areas and depends on the seasonal patterns of rainfall.

The longest of the 103 rivers in the country is Mahaweli River, covering 335 kilometres (208 mi). 147 These waterways give rise to 51 natural waterfalls of 10 meters or more. The highest is Bambarakanda Falls, with a height of 263 metres (863 ft).

148 Sri Lanka's coastline is 1,585 km long. 149 It claims an Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) extending 200 nautical miles, approximately 6.7 times the country's land area. The coastline and adjacent waters support highly productive marine ecosystems such as fringing coral reefs, shallow beds of coastal and estuarine seagrasses.

150 Sri Lanka inherits 45 estuaries and 40 lagoons too. 149 Country's mangrove ecosystem which spans over 7,000 hectares, played a vital role in buffering the force in the waves of 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. 151 The island is rich with minerals such as Ilmenite, Feldspar, Graphite, Silica, Kaolin, Mica and Thorium.

152153 Existence of Petroleum in the Gulf of Mannar has also been confirmed and extraction attempts are underway. Lying within the Indomalaya ecozone, Sri Lanka is one of 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. 156 Although the country is relatively small in size, it has the highest biodiversity density in Asia.

157 Remarkably high proportion of the species among its flora and fauna, 27% of the 3,210 flowering plants and 22% of the mammals (see List), are endemic. 158 Sri Lanka has declared 24 wildlife reserves, which are home to a wide range of native species such as Asian elephants, leopards, sloth bears, the unique small loris, a variety of deer, the purple-faced langur, the endangered wild boar, porcupines and anteaters. Flowering acacias flourish on the arid Jaffna Peninsula.

Among the trees of the dry-land forests are valuable species such as satinwood, ebony, ironwood, mahogany and teak. The wet zone is a tropical evergreen forest with tall trees, broad foliage, and a dense undergrowth of vines and creepers. Subtropical evergreen forests resembling those of temperate climates flourish in the higher altitudes.

The Yala National Park in the southeast protects herds of elephant, deer, and peacocks. The Wilpattu National Park, the largest, in the northwest preserves the habitats of many water birds, such as storks, pelicans, ibis, and spoonbills. The island has four biosphere reserves: Bundala, Hurulu Forest Reserve, the Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya, and Sinharaja.

161 Out of these, Sinharaja forest reserve is home to 26 endemic birds and 20 rainforest species, including the elusive Red-faced Malkoha, Green-billed Coucal and Sri Lanka Blue Magpie. The untapped genetic potential of Sinharaja flora is enormous. Of the 211 woody trees and lianas within the reserve, 139 (66%) are endemic.

The Total vegetation density, including trees, shrubs, herbs and seedlings, has been estimated at 240,000 individuals per hectare. Sri Lanka is home to over 250 types of resident birds (see List). It has declared several bird sanctuaries including Kumana.

162 During the Mahaweli Program of the 1970s and 1980s in northern Sri Lanka, the government set aside four areas of land totalling 1,900 km2 (730 sq mi) as national parks. However the country's forest cover, which was around 49% in 1920, had been fallen to approximately 24% by 2009. Sri Lanka is the oldest democracy in South Asia.

165 The Donoughmore Constitution, drafted by the Donoughmore Commission in 1931 enabled general elections with adult universal suffrage (universal adult franchise) in the country. 166 It was the first time a non-white country within the empires of Western Europe was given one man, one vote and the power to control domestic affairs. The first election under the universal adult franchise, held in June 1931, was for the Ceylon State Council.

Citation needed Sir D. Jayatilaka was elected as the Leader of the House. 167 In 1944, the Soulbury Commission was appointed to draft a new constitution.

During this time, struggle for Independence was fought on "constitutionalist" lines under the leadership of D. 168 The draft constitution was enacted in the same year and Senanayake was appointed as the Prime Minister from the parliamentary election in 1947. The Soulbury constitution ushered in Dominion status and Independence to Sri Lanka in 1948.

Current politics in Sri Lanka is a contest between two rival coalitions led by the centre-leftist and progressivist United People's Freedom Alliance (UPFA), an offspring of Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), and the comparatively right-wing and pro-capitalist United National Party (UNP). 169 Sri Lanka is essentially a multi-party democracy with many smaller Buddhist, socialist and Tamil nationalist political parties. As of July 2011, the number of registered political parties in the country is 67.

170 Out of these, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), established in 1935 is the oldest. 171 UNP, established by D. Senanayake in 1946, was considered to be the largest single political party until recently.

172 It is the only political group which had a representation in all parliaments since the independence. 172 SLFP was founded by S. Bandaranaike, who was the Cabinet minister of Local Administration, before he left the UNP in 11.2.7.

173 SLFP registered its first victory in 1956, defeating the ruling UNP in 1956 Parliamentary election. 173 Following the parliamentary election in 11.2.8, Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the prime minister and the world's first elected female head of state. Ponnambalam, the Tamil nationalist counterpart of S.

Bandaranaike,175 founded the All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC) in 1944. As an objection to Ponnambalam's cooperation with D. Senanayake, a dissident group led by S.J.V. Chelvanayakam broke away in 1949 and formed the Illankai Tamil Arasu Kachchi (ITAK) aka Federal Party.

It was the main Tamil political party in Sri Lanka for next 2 decades. 176 Federal party advocated a more aggressive stance vis-à-vis the Sinhalese. 177 With the constitutional reforms of 1972, these parties created a common front, the Tamil United Front (later Tamil United Liberation Front).

Tamil National Alliance, formed in 11.2.9 is the current successor of these Tamil political parties which had undergone much turbulences as Tamil militants' rise to power in late 1970s. 177178 Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna, a Marxist-Leninist political party, founded by Rohana Wijeweera in 1965, serves as the 3rd force in the current political context. 179 It endorses radical leftist policies, with respect to the traditionalist leftist politics of LSSP and Communist Party.

177 Founded in 1981, Sri Lanka Muslim Congress is the largest Muslim political party in Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is a democratic republic and a unitary state which is governed by a semi-presidential system, with a mixture of a presidential system and a parliamentary system. 183 It constitutes a parliamentary system governed under the constitution.

Most provisions of the constitution can be amended by a two-thirds majority in parliament. However, the amendment of certain basic features such as the clauses on language, religion, and reference to Sri Lanka as a unitary state require both a two-thirds majority and approval at a nation-wide referendum. Executive: The President of Sri Lanka is the head of state, the commander in chief of the armed forces, as well as head of government, and is popularly elected for a six-year term.

184 In the exercise of duties, the President is responsible to the parliament. The President appoints and heads a cabinet of ministers composed of elected members of parliament. 185 President is immune from legal proceedings while in office in respect of any acts done or omitted to be done by him either in his official or private capacity.

186 With the 18th amendment to the constitution in 2010, the President has no term limit, which previously stood at 2. Legislative: The Parliament of Sri Lanka, is a unicameral 225-member legislature with 196 members elected in multi-seat constituencies and 29 by proportional representation. 188 Members are elected by universal (adult) suffrage based on a modified proportional representation system by district to a six-year term.

The president may summon, suspend, or end a legislative session and dissolve Parliament any time after it has served for one year. The parliament reserves the power to make all laws. 189 President's deputy, the Prime Minister, leads the ruling party in parliament and shares many executive responsibilities, mainly in domestic affairs.

Judicial: Sri Lanka's judiciary consists of a Supreme Court – the highest and final superior court of record,189 a Court of Appeal, High Courts and a number of subordinate courts. Its highly complex legal system reflects diverse cultural influences. 190 The Criminal law is almost entirely based on British law.

Basic Civil law relates to the Roman law and Dutch law. Laws pertaining to marriage, divorce, and inheritance are communal.