| Location | Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India |
| Geographic coordinates | 7 00 N, 81 00 E |
| Map references | Asia |
| Area | total: 65,610 sq km land: 64,630 sq km water: 980 sq km |
| Area - comparative | slightly larger than West Virginia |
| Land boundaries | total: 0 km |
| Coastline | 1,340 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| Climate | tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) |
| Terrain | mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m mean elevation: 228 m |
| Natural resources | limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower, arable land |
| Land use | agricultural land: 43.5% (2018 est.) arable land: 20.7% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 15.8% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 7% (2018 est.) forest: 29.4% (2018 est.) other: 27.1% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 5,700 sq km (2012) |
| Total renewable water resources | 52.8 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Natural hazards | occasional cyclones and tornadoes |
| Geography - note | strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes; Adam's Bridge is a chain of limestone shoals between the southeastern coast of India and the northwestern coast of Sri Lanka; geological evidence suggests that this 50-km long Bridge once connected India and Sri Lanka; ancient records seem to indicate that a foot passage was possible between the two land masses until the 15th century when the land bridge broke up in a cyclone |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
