Sri Lanka: Capital, Flag and Fun Facts

About Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a teardrop-shaped island in the Indian Ocean, just south of India. It has sandy beaches, rainforests and cool, misty hills covered in tea plantations. It is known for its tea, elephants and ancient cities.

About Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte lies just east of Colombo on Sri Lanka's west coast. It was a royal capital in the 1400s and is known for the Parliament building, which stands on an island in Diyawanna Lake.

Fun facts about Sri Lanka

1. Sigiriya is a 5th-century palace fortress on a rock about 180 m high, with giant stone lion paws guarding its stairway.
2. Sri Lanka used to be called Ceylon, and tea from its hills is still sold worldwide as Ceylon tea.
3. Every dry season, hundreds of Asian elephants gather around the reservoir in Minneriya National Park.
4. Blue whales, the largest animals that have ever lived, can be spotted off Sri Lanka's southern coast.
5. Near Galle, some fishermen fish while perched on wooden stilts set in the shallow sea.
6. Sri Lanka's flag shows a golden lion holding a sword.