Sri Lanka (IPA-ensri?l???k?, IPAsri?l�?k?, or IPA?ri?l???k?; IPA-all??ri??la?ka?local; lang-si????? ????, lang-ta??????), officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka and known as Ceylon (IPA-ens??l?n) before 1972, is an island country in South Asia, located about convert31kmmi1 off the southern coast of India, a nation with which it shares common culture, language and religion.

As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia.Citation neededdate=June 2009 It has also been a center of the Buddhist (Buddhism) religion and culture from ancient times and is one of the few remaining abodes of Buddhism in South Asia, including Ladakh, Bhutan and the Chittagong Hill Tracts, as well as being a bastion of Hinduism. The Sinhalese (Sinhalese people) community forms the majority of the population; Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority (minority group). Other communities include Moors (Sri Lankan Moors), Burghers (Burgher people), Kaffirs (Sri Lanka Kaffir people), Malays (Malays (ethnic group)) and the indigenous Vedda people.

The country is famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, coconuts, rubber and cinnamon - which is native to the country. The natural beauty of Sri Lankas tropical forests, beaches and landscape, as well as its rich cultural heritage, make it a world famous tourist (tourism) destination.Citation neededdate=June 2009 The island also boasts the first female Prime Minister in the modern world, Sirimavo Bandaranaike.

After over two thousand years of rule by local kingdoms, parts of Sri Lanka were colonized by Portugal and the Netherlands beginning in the 16th century, before control of the entire country was ceded to the British Empire in 1815.Citation neededdate=June 2009 During World War II, Sri Lanka served as an important base for Allied forces (Allies of World War II) in the fight against the Japanese Empire (Empire of Japan). A nationalist political movement (Sri Lankan independence movement) arose in the country in the early 20th century with the aim of obtaining political independence, which was eventually granted by the British after peaceful negotiations in 1948.