CORE —
EXTRACTED
EXTRACTED
THICKNESS ∝ EVENTS
← THE SECTION CUT · ASIA
Sri Lanka
7.0N 81.0E · 27 EVENTS · 9 DOMAINS
INDEPENDENCE FROM BRITAIN · 4 FEB 1948
▼ PULL DOWN TO EXTRACT THE CORE
1948 – present · Republic, Civil War and the Modern Nation
11 EVENTS · READ THE BED →
1956 · The Sinhala Only Act 2 REFS
1972 · Ceylon becomes the Republic of Sri Lanka 2 REFS
1815 – 1948 · British Ceylon and the Road to Independence
5 EVENTS · READ THE BED →
1931 · Universal suffrage and reform 2 REFS
4 Feb 1948 · Independence of the Dominion of Ceylon 3 REFS
1505 – 1815 · European Coasts and the Kandyan Kingdom
4 EVENTS · READ THE BED →
1640–1658 · Dutch supplant the Portuguese 2 REFS
2 Mar 1815 · Kandyan Convention unifies the island under Britain 2 REFS
11th – 18th centuries · Polonnaruwa and the Move South
3 EVENTS · READ THE BED →
c. 1017 · Polonnaruwa becomes the capital 2 REFS
1153–1186 · Golden age under Parakramabahu I 1 REF
c. 5th century BCE – 11th century CE · Anuradhapura and the Coming of Buddhism
4 EVENTS · READ THE BED →
c. 5th century BCE · Sinhalese settlement and the founding of Anuradhapura 2 REFS
c. 3rd century BCE · Buddhism introduced under Devanampiya Tissa 2 REFS
Read the chronicle
EVERY ERA, EVENT AND REFERENCE ON ONE PAGE
↓
Quick facts · atlas reference
- Capital
- Colombo
- Population
- 22 m
- Area
- 65,610 km²
- Region
- Southern Asia
- Languages
- Sinhala, Tamil
- Currency
- Sri Lankan rupee (Rs රු)
- Demonym
- Sri Lankan
- UN member
- Yes
Dossier · press a specimen — it turns over
Specimen bench
PRESS A SPECIMEN — IT TURNS OVER
Economy
GDP
$109 B’25 WB-WDI
GDP per capita
$5,002’25 WB-WDI
GDP growth
5.0%’25 WB-WDI
Inflation
-4.8%’25 WB-WDI
Trade openness
41.8%’25 WB-WDI
Society
Population
22 m’25 WB-WDI
Life expectancy
77.7 yrs’24 WB-WDI
Urban population
20.5%’25 WB-WDI
Fertility rate
2.0’24 WB-WDI
Literacy rate
92.7%’24 WB-WDI
Governance
Voice & accountability
54.6’24 WB-WGI
Political stability
59.9’24 WB-WGI
Government effectiveness
46.0’24 WB-WGI
Regulatory quality
50.1’24 WB-WGI
Rule of law
52.5’24 WB-WGI
Control of corruption
40.1’24 WB-WGI
Health
Health spending
3.7%’23 WB-WHO
Physicians
1.14’23 WB-WHO
Under-5 mortality
5.9’24 WB-UNICEF-WHO
Measles immunisation
99.0%’24 WB-UNICEF-WHO
Safe drinking water
46.9%’24 WB-WHO
Education
Adult literacy
92.7%’24 WB-UNESCO
Education spending
1.8%’23 WB-UNESCO
Primary enrolment
91.5%’23 WB-UNESCO
Secondary enrolment
88.0%’23 WB-UNESCO
Tertiary enrolment
20.7%’23 WB-UNESCO
Technology
R&D spending
0.1%’22 WB-UNESCO
Researchers (per million)
94’22 WB-UNESCO
Internet users
54.6%’24 WB-ITU
Mobile subscriptions
133’24 WB-ITU
High-tech exports
1.5%’24 WB-WDI
Geography
Land area
61,860 km²’23 WB-WDI
Forest area
34.0%’23 WB-WDI
Agricultural land
48.6%’23 WB-WDI
CO₂ per capita (t)
1.1’24 WB-WDI
Renewable energy
48.8%’21 WB-WDI
Resources
Resource rents
0.1%’21 WB-WDI
Oil rents
0.0%’21 WB-WDI
Mineral rents
0.0%’21 WB-WDI
Forest rents
0.1%’21 WB-WDI
Electricity access
100.0%’24 WB-WDI
Military
Military burden
1.4%’24 WB-SIPRI
Defense spending
$1.3 B’24 WB-SIPRI
Armed forces
317,000’20 WB-SIPRI
A hatched gap has no underside — there is nothing to turn over. Absence is stated, never zeroed.
The record · what changed here
- GDP — 2025 observation published ($109 B), superseding 2024 ($99 B) → THE SPECIMENLEDGER № 0001 · 2026-08-14
- GDP per capita — 2025 observation published ($5,002), superseding 2024 ($4,516) → THE SPECIMENLEDGER № 0001 · 2026-08-14
- GDP growth — 2025 observation published (5.0%), superseding 2024 (5.0%) → THE SPECIMENLEDGER № 0001 · 2026-08-14
- Inflation — 2025 observation published (-4.8%), superseding 2024 (-0.4%) → THE SPECIMENLEDGER № 0001 · 2026-08-14
- Trade openness — 2025 observation published (41.8%), superseding 2024 (42.4%) → THE SPECIMENLEDGER № 0001 · 2026-08-14
- Electricity access — 2024 observation published (100.0%), superseding 2023 (100.0%) → THE SPECIMENLEDGER № 0001 · 2026-08-14
- Population — 2025 observation published (22 m), superseding 2024 (22 m) → THE SPECIMENLEDGER № 0001 · 2026-08-14
- Urban population — 2025 observation published (20.5%), superseding 2024 (20.3%) → THE SPECIMENLEDGER № 0001 · 2026-08-14