The Sri Lanka is a Island state located in the Indian Ocean, in the south-east of the India. The island is connected to the Indian sub-continent by the Pont of Adam, a chain of shallow waters of Calcaire which, according to the Hindu Mythologie , was built by Râma. It would seem that it was formerly about a Isthme destroys by a Cyclone in the neighborhoods of the year 1480.

Relief

Many the Faille S geological combined with the important erosion makes of Sri Lanka a country to the very varied relief. One coarsely distinguishes three areas, according to altitude: the mountainous center, the plains which surround it and the coastal belt.

Most of the island is formed of Plaine S between 30 and 200 meters above the sea level. To south-west, peaks and valleys go up gradually to the top central plate, giving an aspect very cut out to the landscape. The important erosion of the area drained the slopes, whose downstream accumulated ground makes the plain fertile and favourable with the Agriculture. In south-east, blocks of naked rock emergent punctually of the lateritic ground . The transition between the plain and the heights is abrupt. In the east and north, the plain is punt, stopped by narrow Arête S of Granite.

A coastal belt surrounds the island with approximately 30 meters of altitude. Most of the east coast made up of sand beaches.

Geology

More than 85% of the surface of Sri Lanka is located on a layer dating from the Précambrien, of which a part is old of more than 2 billion years. The metamorphic Roche on the surface results from compression at high temperature of Sédiment S.

The island is relatively low in sedimentary layers. Put besides some deposits recent at the bottom of the valleys, one finds only two fragments of the Jurassic (140 to 190 me of years) in the province of Puttalam and, along the north-eastern coast, a limestone belt a little more important, dating from the Miocène (5 to 20 me of years), partially covered by layers of the Pléistocène (1 me of years).

Climate

Climate of Sri Lanka tropical east wet. The average temperatures go from 16° C to Nuwara Eliya, where it can freeze during several days in winter, to 32° C to Trincomalee on the north-eastern coast. The annual average on the worldwide is of 28 30°. January is the coldest month; the May, hottest, precedes the Mousson by summer.

Precipitations depend largely on monsoon and are divided into four seasons. The first rainy season extends from mid-May to October. The winds are established then in south-west and are gorged with moisture above the Indian Ocean. When they meet the southern slopes of the mountainous chains, they generate strong rains on the south-west of the island, sometimes up to 2500 mm per month. The Intermousson, from October at November, is crossed specific storms and sometimes of tropical Cyclone S. The hard monsoon of winter from December to March, during which the winds of the North-East bring the moisture of the Bay of Bengal on the sides north of the island. A second intermousson lasts from March to mid-May.

The mountainous regions of south-west are wettest of the country. With Colombo, the relative humidity is higher than 70% all the year and can reach 90% in June. With Anuradhapura, it is of 60% during the intermousson of March, but goes up to 80% during the rains of November and December.

Environment

Exploitation of the ground:

  • arable lands: 14%
  • permanent crops: 15%
  • permanent pastures: 7%
  • forests: 32%
  • irrigated grounds: 5 ' 500

; Environmental problems: Deforestation, erosion, wild species threatened by the Poaching and the Urbanization, degradation of the coasts by the mining activity and the pollution which results from this, soft pollution of water reserves, air pollution with Colombo. ; Natural disasters: cyclones, tropical tornadoes and Tsunami S. International treaties

See too

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