Sri Lanka Flags

The flag of Sri Lanka has four colors, a lion holding a sword, and four leaves. The hoist side has two vertical stripes in green and orange surrounded by a yellow border. Next to the two stripes is a lion holding a sword in a square with Bo leaves on each corner. A yellow border separates both the two vertical stripes and the square. The flag was officially adopted on May 2, 1972. The Sri Lankan flag is also known Sinha flag or Lion Flag.

The two stripes of green and orange on the host side represent Muslims and Hindus in Sri Lanka respectively. The red color represents the Sinhalese people. The yellow color of the border stands for the majority religion of Buddhism. The sword represents the bravery of the nation while the four leaves (Bo leaves) stand for the four Buddhist values of happiness (Muditha), kindness (Mettha), equanimity (peksha), and compassion (Karuna). The sword represents the bravery of the nation. The beard and the nose of lion symbolize purity of words and intelligence. The golden lion represents the Sinhalese ethnic group. The handle of the sword stands for the elements that make up the country and they are fire, air, water, and the earth.

An advisory committee designed the current flag of Sri Lanka. The committee was given the directive to design the flag by the first Prime Minister D.S. Senanayake. After the designing of the flag, it was first hoisted on March 3, 1950. The flag’s design was based on the first flag.

Before the current flag, the first flag of Sri Lanka was created by the first King Vijaya. It comprised of a lion. The flag was used over the years by different regimes that come after King Vijaya. It was abolished when Britain colonized the kingdom. The flag was replaced with the union jack flag, which was used until Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Colombo
Languages	Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (official and national language) 18%, other 8%
Ethnic Groups	Sinhalese 74.9%, Sri Lankan Tamil 11.2%, Sri Lankan Moors 9.2%, Indian Tamil 4.2%, other 0.5% (2012 est.)
Religion	Buddhist (official) 70.2%, Hindu 12.6%, Muslim 9.7%, Roman Catholic 6.1%, other Christian 1.3%, other 0.05% (2012 est.)
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	4 February 1948 (from the UK)
Area	65,610.00 km²
Water Area	980.00 km²
Land Area	64,630.00 km²
Population	21,203,000.00 The population is primarily concentrated within a broad wet zone in the southwest, urban centers along the eastern coast, and on the Jaffna Peninsula in the north
Location	Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
GDP(PPP)	$237,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$11,200.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are the United States, the United Kingdom, and India.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are textiles and apparel, tea and spices, and rubber manufactures.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are India, Japan, and the United Arab Emirates.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include petroleum, textiles, machinery, and building materials.
Climate	Hot and dry; arid desert; rainy season varies by region (April to November)
Terrain	Mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Learn More	Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka Flags

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