Download geography - Sri Lanka

GEOGRAPHY
Location
Sri Lanka is located in the Indian Ocean, just south of India. It is
separated from India by the Palk Strait, which is a 30 mile stretch of water.
The land
The island has a land area of approximately 25,332 square miles. Its
extreme height from north to south (from Point Pedro, which is the northern-most
point, to Devundara, which is the southern-most point) is 271 miles and its
extreme width from east to west is 140 miles.
The country is divided into two main portions based on elevation: The Low
Country and the Hill Country. The Hill Country occupies about one-fifth of the
entire land area
Geology
A large part of Sri Lanka consists of crystalline rock, known as 'gneiss'.
Coral beds and sand dunes are found around the edges of the island. Also
present are bands of white crystalline limestone.
The crystalline rocks often contain an abundance of minerals. Some of these
minerals are given below:
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Gem stones: These are considered to be the most important crystalline
minerals. They are found chiefly in Ratnapura and the area surrounding it.
The following is a list of some of the most common gems found in Sri
Lanka, categorized according to colour:
o Colourless: White sapphire, garnet, quartz, spinel, topaz,
tourmaline, zircon
o Yellow/orange: Yellow sapphire, garnet, quartz, spinel, topaz,
tourmaline, zircon
o Brown: Garnet, tourmaline, zircon
o Red/pink: Ruby and pink sapphire, garnet, quartz, spinel,
tourmaline, zircon
o Blue: Blue sapphire, aquamarine, spinel, topaz, tourmaline, zircon
o Purple/violet: Amethyst, violet sapphire, spinel, tourmaline
o Green: Aquamarine, green sapphire, garnet, topaz, tourmaline
o Black: Tourmaline, spinel
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Graphite: Graphite is found in veins and holes. Chief graphite mines are
found in the Western and Southern provinces. It is used for the
manufacture of lead pencils and in the iron industry.
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Felspar: This is found in nearly all the crystalline rocks in varying
amounts. Under certain conditions it forms a pure white clay called kaolin
which is used for making porcelain
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Mica: This is found in veins and occurs in three forms - black, white and
yellow.
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Iron ore
Rivers and waterfalls
Sri Lanka has a large number of rivers. Some of these are listed below:
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Mahaweli Ganga
Aruvi Aru
Kala Oya
Kelani Ganga
Deduru Oya
Maha Oya
Menik Ganga
Kalu Ganga
Gal Oya
The island also has quite a few waterfalls in the hill country. Here are the names
of some of the chief waterfalls in Sri Lanka:
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Victoria Falls
Laxapana Falls
Devon Falls
Kotmale Falls
Dunhinda Falls
Diyaluma Falls
Aberdeen Falls
Ramboda Falls
St. Clair Falls
Climate
Sri Lanka does not have four seasons. Its weather is centred around two
monsoons, one from May to August (the south-west monsoon) and the other
from November to February (the north east monsoon).