|
 The Sinhalese arrived
in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern
India. Buddhism was introduced beginning in about the mid-3rd century
B.C. and a great civilization developed at such cities as Anuradhapura
(kingdom from c. 200 B.C. to c. 1000 A.D.) and Polonnaruwa (c.
1070 to 1200). In the 14th century, a south Indian dynasty seized
power in the north and established a Tamil kingdom. Occupied by
the Portuguese in the 16th century and by the Dutch in the 17th
century, the island was ceded to the British in 1796 and became
a crown colony in 1802. As Ceylon it became independent in 1948;
its name was changed in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority
and Tamil separatists erupted in violence in the mid-1980s. Tens
of thousands have died in an ethnic war that continues to fester. |
Location:
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Southern Asia, island in the Indian
Ocean, south of India
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Climate:
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Tropical
monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon
(June to October)
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Borders:
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None
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