By Ravinatha P. Aryasinha
Ambassador of Sri Lanka to the EU,
Belgium and Luxembourg
 

Sri Lanka is an island state in the Indian Ocean located off the southern tip of India, in the pathway of international sea lines that connect the East and the West. Sri Lanka is a democracy and has a multiethnic, multi-religious population of 20 million people who have enjoyed Universal Adult Franchise since 1931. At the last comprehensive island-wide census taken in 1981, the population stood at 74% Sinhalese, 13% Sri Lankan Tamil, 7% Moor/Muslim and 5% Tamils of Indian descent and 1% other communities. A large majority of the Sri Lankan Tamil population (approximately 54%) live outside the Northern and Eastern provinces, while a further 1 million now live abroad.