In any guidebook you can find a lot of interesting facts about any country in the world. But local people sometimes consider some things about their country as more important and striking. Today’s article is devoted to the most interesting facts about Sri Lanka.Sri Lanka is a small island, best known for its wonderful beaches, tea plantations and the temple of the Tooth of the Buddha.
However, the Sri Lankans would be pleased if foreigners also know the following facts about their country:
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- In the past, Sri Lanka was called Ceylon;
- Ceylon tea, which Sri Lanka is proud of, was brought to this island by the British;
- in Sri Lanka, not only Saturdays and Sundays are considered as days off, but also full moon days, when it is customary to meditate;
- Lankans learn meditation from childhood;
- At the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries, the civil war continued for 30 years in the northern part of the country, but it did not affect the southern part at all;
- Lankans are the most literate people in South Asia: only 5% of the population is illiterate;
- For lunch, the Sri Lankans prefer to eat rice, for breakfast or dinner they can serve bread, curry, fish or so called kottu roti that is an analogue of Shawarma, and the festive dish is milk rice called by locals kiribath;
- For the holidays it is customary to serve milk rice;
- Sir Arthur Charles Clarke, a scientist who predicted a number of space research programs, and worked with Stanley Kubrick on the 2001 Space Odyssey, was an honorary citizen of Sri Lanka;
- On the western coast of Sri Lanka, gravity is less than anywhere on Earth;
- The most popular sport in Sri Lanka is cricket, and in 1996 the Sri Lankan team won the World Cricket Championship.