Geography

View Larger Map

The island resembles in shape a triangle with two equal sides, whose upper point is aimed at the Indian subcontinent. Its coasts are washed by the Indian Ocean between the bay of Bengal in the north – east and the Gulf of Manaar in the west. It is separated from india by the Palk Strait.

The maximum length of the country is 434 km and maximum width 225 km. its coast is quite regular, in the south and in the west it is low, while in the north and the east its profile is higher and there are many reefs.

The country has three distinct natural regions. In the north are limestone hills with a number of deep valleys, the central park is characterized by small plaints and hillocks, while there are mountains in the south central part.

Sri Lanka has many rivers, the longest being the Mahaweli river with 334 km, second is Aruvi Aru with 164 km, third is Kala Oya with 156 km and next being Yan Oya with 151 km.

The island’s hights peak is pidhuruthalagala and its height is 2351 meters. next highest peak is  Kirigalpoththa and it is 2390 meters.

The cycle of rainfall is very important for Sri Lanka. The distribution of rain is not uniform throughout the island. Its central and south western parts get more of it than the rest. The monsoon rains come in two seasons. The south western monsoon blows from May to October, while the north eastern monsoon covers the period from December to March. The farmer brings more rain since it crosses a vast stretch of the ocean, while the latter merely passes across the Bay of Bengal.