World Guide

Sri Lanka

Country · Asia, Southern Asia

Sri Lanka
Photo: National Aeronautics & Space Administration, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Sri Lanka is a country located in Southern Asia, with capitals Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and Colombo. Covering an area of 65,610 square kilometres, it has a population of about 22 million and offers travellers diverse cultural and natural sights.

Highlights

The site covers 23 sights, including major cities such as Colombo, Jaffna, Kandy, Nuwara Eliya, and Trincomalee. Notable attractions include ancient and historical sites like Sigiriya, the Temple of the Tooth, Dambulla cave temple, Galle Fort, Koneswaram Temple, Polonnaruwa, Jaffna Fort, and Jaffna Public Library. Visitors can also explore natural landscapes and parks such as Adam's Bridge, Yala National Park, Horton Plains National Park, Sinharaja Forest Reserve, Knuckles Mountain Range, and the Nine Arch Bridge. Architectural and cultural landmarks feature the Lotus Tower, Nallur Kandaswamy temple, Gangaramaya Temple, Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage, Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque, and the Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya.

Food and drink

Local dishes to try include appam, puttu, achappam, and kiribath.

When to go

The climate data reflects the weather at the capital, showing daily highs and lows. January and February offer high temperatures of 30 °C to 32 °C with lower monthly rainfall between 76 mm and 89 mm. Rainfall increases significantly from April through June, and reaches extreme monthly totals in October, November, and December.

Practical notes

The currency is the Sri Lankan rupee. Official languages are Sinhala and Tamil. Driving is on the left side of the road. Standard voltage is 230 V using plug types D and G, and the time zone is UTC+05:30.

Cities

Food and drink to try in Sri Lanka

  • Appam
  • Puttu
  • Achappam
  • Kiribath

Top sights in Sri Lanka

  1. SigiriyaUNESCOSigiriyaSigiriya
  2. Adam's BridgeDhanushkodi
  3. Temple of the ToothTemple of the ToothKandy
  4. Dambulla cave templeUNESCODambulla cave templeDambulla
  5. Galle FortGalle Fort
  6. Koneswaram TempleKoneswaram TempleTrincomalee
  7. PolonnaruwaUNESCOPolonnaruwa
  8. Lotus TowerLotus TowerColombo
  9. Yala National ParkYala National Park
  10. Nine Arch BridgeNine Arch BridgeElla
  11. Nallur Kandaswamy templeNallur Kandaswamy templeJaffna
  12. Horton Plains National ParkUNESCOHorton Plains National Park
  1. Sinharaja Forest Reserve · RatnapuraUNESCO
  2. Gangaramaya Temple · Colombo
  3. Pinnawala Elephant Orphanage · Kandy
  4. Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque · Colombo
  5. Royal Botanic Gardens, Peradeniya · Kandy
  6. Knuckles Mountain RangeUNESCO
  7. Jaffna Fort · Jaffna
  8. Jaffna Public Library · Jaffna
  9. Fort Fredrick · Trincomalee
  10. Nuwara Eliya Post Office · Nuwara Eliya
  11. Victoria Park, Nuwara Eliya · Nuwara Eliya

UNESCO sites in Sri Lanka →

Weather by month

Temperatures stay much the same all year, around 27 °C on average. The wettest is October, with about 6,554 mm of rain.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Average high, °C303232313029292929292930
Average low, °C232425252525252524242423
Rainfall, mm89761142403142051231182236,5546,5546,554
Rainy days131218252825222124282722

Temperatures and rainfall: 1981–2010 averages for Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (4 km grid), from CHELSA. Rainy days: 2015–2024, NASA POWER.

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Neighbouring countries and territories