Geography of Sri Lanka

Location Of Sri Lanka:

Sri Lanka is a beautiful island in the Indian Ocean off the Southeast tip of India. It shares its border with Bay of Bengal from south-east side and the Arabian Sea from south-west side. Sri Lanka is very close to India and is separated from India by the narrow Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait. Its geographical location varies between 6 - 10 of North Latitude and between 80 - 82 of East Longitude.

Topography Of Sri Lanka:

The total land area of Sri Lanka is estimated to be 65,610 sq km. This entire land area of the country is divided into three distinct geographical areas-the plains, the coastal belts and the central highlands. Most of the surface f Sri Lanka consists of plains between 30 and 200 meters above sea level. In the southwest, ridges and valleys rise gradually to merge with the Central Highlands, giving a dissected appearance to the plain. Due to this the Central highlands and some part of southern Sri Lanka is hilly whereas coastal area is made of flat and rolling plains. Sri Lanka is also dotted with some lofty mountain peaks such as Mt. Pedro (2,524 m), Adam’s Peak or Sripada (2000 m). Monsoon winds that collides with these peaks of Sri Lanka favours lush vegetation on the southern half of the island while the northern half remains dry.