Pear-shaped Treasure
Looking a lot like a plump pear, the island country of Sri Lanka dangles
into the Indian Ocean off the southern end of India. At roughly 66,000 sq
km it’s slightly smaller than Ireland, but sustains 4.5 times as many peo-
ple. That’s 22 million in a space stretching 433km from north to south
and only 244km at its widest point – like the entire population of Aus-
tralia taking up residence in Tasmania.
Thrust up out of the encircling coastal plains, the southern cen-
tre of the island – the core of the pear – is dominated by mountains
and tea-plantation-covered hills. The highest point is broad-backed Mt
Pidurutalagala (Mt Pedro; 2524m), rising above the Hill Country cap-
ital city of Nuwara Eliya. However, the pyramid profile of 2243m-high
Adam’s Peak (Sri Pada) is better known and far more spectacular.
Hundreds of waterways channel abundant rain from the south-central
wet-zone uplands – haven of the country’s surviving rainforests – down
through terraced farms, orchards and gardens to the paddy-rich plains
below. The Mahaweli Ganga, Sri Lanka’s longest river, has its source close
to Adam’s Peak and runs 335km to Koddiyar Bay, the deep-sea harbour
of Trincomalee.
North-central Sri Lanka is home to high, rolling hills, including some
fantastically dramatic landscapes, such as the area around the Knuckles
Range. These hills give way to plains that extend to the northern tip of
the island. This region, portions of the southeast and most of the east
comprise the dry zone.
Sri Lanka’s coastline consists of hundreds of mangrove-fringed
lagoons and marshes – some now protected wetlands – interspersed with
fine white-sand beaches, the most picturesque of which are on the south-
west, south and east coasts. A group of low, flat islands lies off the Jaffna
peninsula in the north.Environmental Issues
At first glance Sri Lanka looks like a Garden of Eden. The country positively glows with
greens and is filled with the noise of endlessly chirping, cheeping, buzzing, growling and
trumpeting animals. Add to that the sheer diversity of landscapes and climatic zones
and you get a place that appears to be a natural wonderland – and indeed it is. But it’s
one that is under serious threat thanks to a combination of deforestation, rapid devel-
opment, pollution and human-wildlife conflict.Largest
Surviving
Tracts of
Rainforest
Sri Pada Peak
Wilderness Reserve
(224 sq km)
Knuckles Range
(175 sq km)
Sinharaja Forest
Reserve
(189 sq km)BIOLOGICAL HOTSPOT
Sri Lanka’s superlatives extend to its natural world. Conservation International has iden-
tified Sri Lanka as one of the planet’s 25 biodiversity hotspots, which means the island
is characterised by a very high level of ‘endemism’ (species unique to the area). Sure
enough, Sri Lanka tops the charts, with endemism in 23% of the flowering plants and
16% of the mammals. On the other hand, hotspots are targeted as habitats seriously at
risk and that’s very much the case with Sri Lanka.©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
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