Sri Lanka

Island nation in the Indian Ocean, east of the southern tip of India. The island was formerly known in English as Ceylon. In the past it was also called Serendib by Muslim traders -- this is the source of the word "serendipity" in English.

The majority language on the island is Sinhalese; most people who speak Sinhalese are Buddhist.

There's an armed independence movement (LiberationTigersOfTamilEelam) in the north and east that until recently was trying to create a separate country, TamilEelam? (the largest minority language on the island is Tamil). Most of those who speak Tamil are Hindu; a significant minority are Muslim. As of 2002, peace talks are imminent to negotiate a one-country solution with sufficient rights and autonomy.

Not surprisingly, the situation is complicated. See LankaLinks for news and background links. Also WikiPedia:Sri_Lanka

I lived there most of the time for three years and shared NonviolentCommunication, from 2002-2005.

History/overview of Lanka's Strategic importance (Hindustan Times)

The CountryCode is .lk

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