| Basic data | |
| Capital | Colombo |
| Population | 21.56 crores |
| Language | Sinhala and Tamil |
| Religion | Buddhism (70.2%), Hinduism (12.6%), Islam (9.7%), Christianity (6.1%) |
| State system | Democratic Socialist Republic |
| Head of State | Gotabaya Rajapaksa |
| Head of government | Wounded Wickremesinghe |
| Currency name | Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) |
| Travel | |
| Time shift | +4.30 a.m. (in summer +3.30 a.m.) |
| ZÚ contacts | |
| Ambassador | No |
| Economic section | M.Sc. Jakub Jaroš |
| Consular section | M.Sc. Nicole Machova |
| PaulTrade | No |
| Czechinvest | No |
| Economy | 2021 |
| Nominal GDP (billion USD) | 312.4 |
| Economic growth (%) | 3.5 |
| Inflation (%) | 6 |
| Unemployment (%) | 5.6 |
Sri Lanka, formerly known as Ceylon and officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia with a population of 22 million. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea. Sri Lanka shares a maritime border with India and the Maldives. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is its legislative capital and Colombo is its largest city and financial centre.
Sri Lanka’s recent history has been marked by a twenty-six-year civil war that began in 1983 and ended in 2009, when the Sri Lankan armed forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. Today, Sri Lanka is a multi-ethnic state that is home to different cultures, languages and ethnicities. The Sinhalese make up the majority of the nation’s population. The Tamils, who are a large minority group, also played an influential role in the island’s history. Other long-established groups include Moors, Burghers, Malays, Chinese and indigenous Veddas.
Sri Lanka is a democratic republic and unitary state that is governed by a semi-presidential system with a mixture of presidential and parliamentary systems. Sri Lanka is the oldest democracy in Asia. The current political culture in Sri Lanka is a contest between two rival coalitions led by the centre-left and progressive United People’s Freedom Alliance (UPFA), an offshoot of the Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), and the relatively right-wing United National Party (UNP). Sri Lanka is essentially a multi-party democracy with many smaller Buddhist, socialist and Tamil nationalist political parties. As of 2021, the number of registered political parties in the country is 79. Of these, the Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP), founded in 1935, is the oldest.
For administrative purposes, Sri Lanka is divided into nine provinces and twenty-five districts. The largest city is Colombo (561,000 inhabitants), followed by Kaduwela (252,000 inhabitants) and Maharagama (196,000 inhabitants).
The island has a long history of cooperation with modern international groups: it is a founding member of SAARC and a member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the G77 and the Non-Aligned Movement. Sri Lanka is the highest ranked South Asian country in the Human Development Index and has the second highest per capita income in South Asia. However, the ongoing economic crisis has resulted in a collapsing currency, rising inflation and a humanitarian crisis due to severe shortages of essentials. Visit Animalerts for more information about Sri Lanka culture and traditions.
This summary territorial information is processed for the country that is so-called accredited. The information is provided in an abbreviated form.
Culture of business dealings
Subchapters:
- Introduction
- Addressing
- Business Meeting
- Communication
- Recommendations
- Public Holidays
Introduction
The business language is English. Business cards are a must. Courtesy is highly valued in Sri Lanka and personal kindness can play a role in securing business. Although punctuality is not as valued as in the Czech Republic, most appointments and similar obligations are relatively respected.
Addressing
Titles are very important and it is best to address partners directly using their professional title or Mr., Mrs. or Miss, followed by their last name.
Business meeting
Due to the small size of the country and the interconnectedness of trading partners, business interactions take place in the country’s only commercial center, the capital city of Colombo. As in other countries of the region, in Sri Lanka it is recommended to involve a local consultant in business activities. Without the help of a local representative, a foreign entity is hardly able to approach local structures and cooperate with them. Sri Lanka celebrates a large number of religious holidays, which are usually days off. It is also celebrated every full moon, when it is also a holiday. If a holiday falls on a weekend, the day off is usually moved to the first following working day. When planning trips to Sri Lanka, it is good to find out in advance whether there will be a holiday. There are incomparably more holidays in the country than in Europe, and they are all observed.
Formal attire is expected for business meetings. A handshake is common to initiate communication. Business meetings tend to be longer than is customary in the West, i.e. they start with typical conversations about the weather, sports, the businessman’s family, etc.
Communication
Face-to-face meetings are preferred over communication via telephone, letter or e-mail. English is preferred for business negotiations.
Recommendation
Before closing a deal, Czech companies should check the registration and creditworthiness of their Sri Lankan business partners. Information can be obtained especially from chambers of commerce – email addresses listed in chapter We also recommend using the Honorary Consulate of the Czech Republic in Colombo to check business partners or tenders.
Public Holidays
January 14 – Tamil Thai Pongal Day
January 28 – Duruthu Full Moon Poya Day
February 4 – National Day
February 26 – Navam Full Moon Poya Day
March 11 – Mahasivarathri Day
March 28 – Madin Full Moon Poya Day
April 2 – Good Friday
April 12 – Sinhala & Tamil New Year Day
April 13 – Sinhala & Tamil New Year Eve
April 14 – Sinhala & Tamil New Year
April 26 – Bak Full Moon Poya Day
May 1 – May Day
May 14 – Id-ul-Fitr
May 26 – Vesak Full Moon Poya
May 27 – Vesak Full Moon Poya Holiday
June 24 – Poson Full Moon Poya
July 21 – Id-ul-Adha
July 23 – Esala Full Moon Poya
August 22 – Nikini Full Moon Poya
September 20 – Binara Full Moon Poya
October 19 – Milad-Un-Nabi
October 20 – Vap Full Moon Poya
November 4 – Deepavali Festival Day
November 18 – Ill Full Moon Poya
December 18 – Unduvap Full Moon Poya Day
December 25 – Christmas Day
