Frankfinn Travel Assignment
Frankfinn Travel Assignment
Frankfinn Travel Assignment
Activities
Pamplona
Sri Lanka
Geography
An island in the Indian Ocean off the southeast tip of India, Sri Lanka is about half the size of Alabama.
Most of the land is flat and rolling; mountains in the south-central region rise to over 8,000 ft (2,438 m).
Government
Republic.
History
Indo-Aryan emigration from India in the 5th century B.C. came to form the largest ethnic group on Sri
Lanka today, the Sinhalese. Tamils, the second-largest ethnic group on the island, were originally from
the Tamil region of India and emigrated between the 3rd century B.C. and A.D. 1200. Until colonial powers
controlled Ceylon (the country's name until 1972), Sinhalese and Tamil rulers fought for dominance over
the island. The Tamils, primarily Hindus, claimed the northern section of the island and the Sinhalese,
who are predominantly Buddhist, controlled the south. In 1505 the Portuguese took possession of Ceylon
until the Dutch India Company usurped control (1658–1796). The British took over in 1796, and Ceylon
became an English Crown colony in 1802. The British developed coffee, tea, and rubber plantations. On
Feb. 4, 1948, after pressure from Ceylonese nationalist leaders (which briefly unified the Tamil and
Sinhalese), Ceylon became a self-governing dominion of the Commonwealth of Nations.
S.W.R.D. Bandaranaike became prime minister in 1956 and championed Sinhalese nationalism, making
Sinhala the country's only official language and including state support of Buddhism, further marginalizing
the Tamil minority. He was assassinated in 1959 by a Buddhist monk. His widow, Sirimavo Bandaranaike,
became the world's first female prime minister in 1960. The name Ceylon was changed to Sri Lanka
(“resplendent island”) on May 22, 1972.
The Tamil minority's mounting resentment toward the Sinhalese majority's monopoly on political and
economic power, exacerbated by cultural and religious differences, erupted in bloody violence in 1983.
Tamil rebel groups, the strongest of which were the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, or Tamil Tigers,
began a civil war to fight for separate nation.
President Ranasinghe Premadasa was assassinated at a May Day political rally in 1993, when a Tamil
rebel detonated explosives strapped to himself. Tamil extremists have frequently resorted to terrorist
attacks against civilians. The next president, Chandrika Kumaratunga, vowed to restore peace to the
country. In Dec. 1999, she was herself wounded in a terrorist attack. By early 2000, 18 years of war had
claimed the lives of more than 64,000, mostly civilians.
Land area: 24,996 sq mi (64,740 sq km); total area: 25,332 sq mi (65,610 sq km)
Population (2010 est.): 21,513,990 (growth rate: 0.9%); birth rate: 15.8/1000; infant mortality rate:
18.1/1000; life expectancy: 75.3; density per sq mi: 809
Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Colombo, 2,436,000 (metro. area), 656,100 (city proper).
Legislative and judicial capital: Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, 118,300
Other large cities: Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia 214,300; Moratuwa, 181,000; Kandy, 112,400
Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2009 est.): $96.43 billion; per capita $4,500. Real growth rate: 3.5%.
Inflation: 3.4%. Unemployment: 5.9%. Arable land: 14%. Agriculture: rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses,
oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef; fish. Labor force: 8.08 million; services
45%, agriculture 38%, industry 17% (1998 est.). Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, tobacco
and other agricultural commodities; telecommunications, insurance, banking; clothing, textiles; cement,
petroleum refining. Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay,
hydropower. Exports: $7 billion (2009 est.): textiles and apparel, tea and spices; diamonds, emeralds,
rubies; coconut products, rubber manufactures, fish. Imports: $9.6 billion (2009 est.): textile fabrics,
mineral products, petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and transportation equipment. Major trading
partners: U.S., UK, India, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong, China, Iran, Japan, Malaysia (2004).
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 494,509 (1998); mobile cellular: 228,604 (1999).
Radio broadcast stations: AM 26, FM 45, shortwave 1 (1998). Radios: 3.85 million (1997). Television
broadcast stations: 21 (1997). Televisions: 1.53 million (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5
(2000). Internet users: 121,500 (2001).
Transportation: Railways: total: 1,508 km (2002). Highways: total: 96,695 km; paved: 91,860 km;
unpaved: 4,835 km (1999). Waterways: 430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft. Ports and harbors:
Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee. Airports: 15 (2002).
Sri Lanka is a republic and a unitary state which is governed by a semi-presidential system with its official
seat of government in Sri Jayawardenapura-Kotte, the capital.
As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West
Asia and South East Asia.[12] It has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient
times and is one of the few remaining abodes of Buddhism in South Asia along with Ladakh, Bhutan and
the Chittagong hill tracts[13] The Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population; Tamils, who
are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority. Other communities
include Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the aboriginal Vedda people.
The country is famous for the production and export of tea, coffee, coconuts, rubber and cinnamon, the
latter which is native to the country. [14] The natural beauty Sri Lanka has led to the title The Pearl of the
Indian Ocean, it is full of lush tropical forests, white beaches and diverse landscape throughout along with
a rich biodiversity. The country lays claim to a long and colorful history of over three thousand years,
having one of the longest documented histories in the world. Sri Lanka's rich culture can be attributed to
the many different communities in the island. Sri Lanka is a founding member state of SAARC and a
member United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations, G77 and Non-Aligned Movement.
Tourism is one of the main industries in Sri Lanka. Major tourist attractions are focused around the
islands famous beaches located in the southern and eastern parts of the country, ancient heritage sites
located in the interior of the country and lush green resorts located in the mountainous regions of the
country.[1][2] A large majority of tourists come from the United States, the United Kingdom[3], Canada,
Australia, the People's Republic of China, and India
Sri Lanka is home to seven world heritage sites: Galle, Kandy, Sigiriya, Anuradhapura, Polonnaruva,
Dambulla cave temple and Lion King Singahraja tropical rain forest[4].
Furthermore three prime ecological sites in the central highlands [5] of Sri Lanka were submitted by
Secretary, Ministry and Natural Resources of Sri Lanka to UNESCO on 20 March 2006. As at present
these sites appear on the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites:Peak Wilderness Sanctuary
(19,207 ha),Horton Plains[6] (3 109 ha) and Knuckles Range (1 7,825 ha).
In addition to above mixed (culture and nature) sites the ancient cultural site of Seruwila Mangala Raja
Maha Vihar at the village of Toppur, Koddiyar Pattu of Trincomalee District of Eastern Province of Sri
Lanka was submitted to [7] UNESCO by the government of Sri Lanka on 30 October 2006.
Sri Lanka's many beaches are often visited by tourists. The historical city of Colombo is considered as the
"Commercial capitol of Sri Lanka" which attracts many tourists from Asian region to visit for businesses.
National parks in Sri Lanka are also popular visitor attractions. Tourists are also attracted to Sri Lanka by
its natural beauty.
Polonnaruwa
[edit] Elephants
The precious stones such as rubies and sapphires frequently found in Ratnapura and 90% of the rocks of
the island are of Precambrian age, 560 million to 2,400 million years ago. The gems form in sedimentary
residual gem deposits, eluvial deposits, metamorphic deposits, skarn and calcium-rich rocks. Other gems
are of magmatic origin[8].
The blue sapphires from Sri Lanka are known as Ceylon Sapphire. Ceylon Sapphires are reportedly
unique in colour, clarity and lustre compared to the blue sapphires from other countries, also Marco Polo
wrote that the island had the best sapphires, topazes, amethysts, and other gems in the world [9].
The tourists are interested in precious stones also can visit Adam's Peak, Sinharaja Forest Reserve,
Udawalawe National Park and Kitulgala (place of "The Bridge on the River Kwai" was filmed).
The International media reports published about the improvements in industry of January 2008 by
0.6%[12], March 2008 by 8.6%[13] when comparing to last year's (2007) figures
Negombo lagoon
Main article: Negombo Lagoon
The fishermen of the Negombo lagoon live in abject poverty in small, thatch palm villages on the water's
edge. They rely on traditional knowledge of the seasons for their livelihood, using outrigger canoes carved
out of tree trunks and nylon nets to bring in modest catches from September through till April.
Fishing boats in Negombo
Their boats are made in two distinct forms, oruvas (a type of sailing canoe) and paruvas (a large, man-
powered catamaran fitted with kurlon dividers), and are said to have originated in the islands off the
Mozambican coast; they were brought to Sri Lanka by Portuguese traders in the 17th century.
For generations the lagoon has provided the fishermen with a plentiful supply of crabs, shrimp and many
of the native species of fish, but with the onset of global warming these sources of food have dwindled.
The men are regularly forced to head out to the ocean to fish, often losing money in the chartering
process. In recent years, the villagers have supplemented the income earned from fishing by collecting
toddy, or palm sap, which is used to brew arrack.[1]
History
While Vijayabahu's victory and shifting of Kingdoms to the more strategic Polonnaruwa is considered
significant, the real Polonnaruwa Hero of the history books is actually his grandson, Parakramabahu I. It
was his reign that is considered the Golden Age of Polonnaruwa, when trade and agriculture flourished
under the patronage of the King, who was adamant that no drop of water falling from the heavens was to
be wasted, and each be used toward the development of the land; hence, irrigation systems far superior
to those of the Anuradhapura Age were constructed during Parakramabahu's reign, systems which to this
day supply the water necessary for paddy cultivation during the scorching dry season in the east of the
country. The greatest of these systems, of course is the Parakrama Samudraya or the Sea of Parakrama,
a tank so vast that it is often mistaken for the ocean. It is of such a width that it is impossible to stand
upon one shore and view the other side, and it encircles the main city like a ribbon, being both a
defensive border against intruders and the lifeline of the people in times of peace. The Kingdom of
Polonnaruwa was completely self-sufficient during King Parakramabahu's reign.
However, with the exception of his immediate successor, Nissankamalla I, all other monarchs of
Polonnaruwa, were slightly weak-willed and rather prone to picking fights within their own court. They also
went on to form more intimiate matrimonial alliances with stronger South Indian Kingdoms, until these
matrimonial links superseded the local royal lineage and gave rise to the Kalinga invasion by King Kalinga
Magha in 1214 and the eventual passing of power into the hands of a Pandyan King following the Arya
Chakrawarthi invasion of Sri Lanka in 1284. The capital was then shifted to Dambadeniya.
The city Polonnaruwa was also called as Jananathamangalam during the short Chola reign.
Near the ancient city, there is a small town with several hotels (especially for tourists) and some glossy
shops, and places to fulfill day to day needs. There are government institutions in a newly built area called
“new town,” about 6 km away from the town and the main road. The largest school in the district,
Polonnaruwa Royal Central College is situated at new town.
Polonnaruwa is the 2nd largest city in north central province. But it is known as one of the cleaner and
more beautiful cities in the country. The green environment, amazing ancient constructions, Parakrama
Samudraya (a huge lake built in 1200 A.C.), attractive tourist hotels and most importantly nice people with
hospitality, always attracted local and foreign tourists. One recent scientific observation is that of its
climate changes. Historically Polonnaruwa had a tropical climate most of the year, although it was
occasionally chilly in December and January. But in recent years the rain and chillyness has been
increased noticeably. Although this is surprising to some people, it is more enjoyable for tourists. But
sometimes paddy field farmers suffers when there is too much rain.
Pinnawela Elephant Orphanage is an orphanage and breeding ground for wild elephants which is
situated northwest of the town of Kegalle, Sri Lanka. It was established in 1975 by the Department of
Wildlife Conservation on a 25-acre (10 ha) coconut plantation on the Maha Oya river. The orphanage was
originally founded in order to afford care and protection to the many orphaned elephants found in the
jungle. As of 2008, there were 84 elephants.
The aim of the orphanage is to simulate the natural world. However, there are some exceptions: the
elephants are taken to the river twice daily for a bath, and all the babies under three years of age are still
bottle fed by the mahouts and volunteers. Each animal is also given around 76 kilograms (170 lb) of
green manure a day and around 2 kg (4.4 lb) from a food bag containing rice bran and maize. They get
access to water twice a day, from the river.
This elephant orphanage is also a breeding place for elephants. More than twenty-three elephants have
been born since 1984, and the orphanage has the largest herd of captive elephants in the world. While
most of the elephants are healthy, one is blind, and one, named Sama, has lost her front right leg to a
land mine.
History
Pinnewela was first established by the Sri Lankan Department of Wildlife Conservation in 1975 on a 25-
acre (10 ha) preserve for feeding and providing care and sanctuary to orphaned baby elephants that were
found in the wild. In 1978, the orphanage was taken over by the Department of National Zoological
Gardens, and in 1982 an elephant breeding program was launched.
[edit] Tourism
The orphanage is very popular among local and foreign tourists. The main attraction is the opportunity to
observe the bathing elephants from the broad river bank as the herd interacts socially, bathing and
playing.
The orphanage is open to the public daily, and all admission fees are used to look after the elephants.
Visitors to the park can view many different aspects of the care and daily routine of the elephants, such as
bottle feeding of elephant calves, feeding of all other elephants, and bathing. Cost (2010) for foreign
adults: 2,000 LKR
[edit] Gallery
Tourists attraction on
Pinnawala Elephant Elephants (Elepahs maximus An elephant at elephants bathing
Orphanage maximus) bathing in Maha Oya Pinnawala
river
Maligawila, or Maligavila is a village in Sri Lanka, approximately 15 kilometers (9 mi) south from
Moneragala and 9 kilometers (6 mi) from Okkampitiya in the Moneragala District. It is the site of several
important archaeological pieces, including a free-standing 11 meters (36 ft 1.1 in) or 12 meters (39 ft
4.4 in) tall limestone statue of Buddha, claimed in some quarters to be the tallest free-standing statue of
Buddha in the world, though the Avukana Buddha Statue is also said to be taller.[1][2] This Buddha draws
many tourists to the region.[3] It also boasts the Avalokitesvara statue, a 10 meters (32 ft 9.7 in)
limestone portrait. These statues, which were discovered in the 1950s and restored between 1989 and
1991, are believed to have been commissioned by the 7th century prince Agghabodhi.[4] There is
additionally a 10th century historical pillar placed in the 10th year of the rule of Mahinda IV (956-972
AD).
Trek or trekking means a long journey to be undertaken on foot in areas where common means of
transport is generally not available. Trekking always refers to walking on trails[citation needed]; it does not entail
cross-country hiking or climbing over rough terrain. Trekking is not mountaineering; it is days of walking,
along with adventure.
Contents
[hide]
1 Etymology
2 Trekking in the Himalayas
3 See also
4 References
[edit] Etymology
The term derived from South African Dutch word trek (noun), trekken (verb), (literally meaning to "pull,
travel"), became a word in English language in mid 19th century, and means a long arduous journey,
typically on foot.[1]