For Bookings: www.asiatravel.com For More Video: book.asiatravel.com Sri Lanka (from the Sanskrit Venerable Island[citation needed]), officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (pronounced /??ri??l???k??/, Sinhala: , Tamil: ??????; known as Ceylon (/s??l?n/) before 1972 and as Taprobane (/t??pr?b?ni?/) in ancient times), is an island country in South Asia, located about 31 kilometres (19.3 mi) off the southern coast of India. It is home to around twenty million people. 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 needed] It has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times as well as being a bastion of Hinduism.[8] The Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population; Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the indigenous Wanniyala-Aetto people. The country is famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, coconuts, rubber and cinnamon – which is native to the country.[9] The natural beauty of Sri Lanka’s tropical forests, beaches and landscape, as well as its rich cultural heritage, make it a world famous tourist destination.[citation needed] The island also boasts the first female Prime Minister in the world, Sirimavo Bandaranaike.[10] After over two thousand years of rule by local …

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