#Sri lanka map series

The Portuguese gave the island the name Sri Lanka. Invasions from neighboring South Asian nations marked the 3rd century BC, including overthrows of the government by the Chola, Pandya, Chera, Pallava, and Kalinga people.Įuropean explorers arrived with the Portuguese in 1505, soon followed by the establishment of a fort in Colombo in 1517. A later wave of migration around 300 BC brought the Tamils from India’s Tamil region. The migration from India also brought Buddhism, drastically transforming the culture of Sri Lanka. The 5th century BC brought migrants who traveled from India and settled on Sri Lanka, and the Sinhalese soon dominated the population of the island.

#Sri lanka map series

Sri Lanka was ruled by a series of dynasties beginning around 543 BC. The early people of the island were likely the Vedda indigenous people who continue to inhabit Sri Lanka to this day. Human history of Sri Lanka goes as far back as 500,000 years with Paleolithic populations. Sri Lanka is an island nation in the Indian Ocean, just off the southern coast of India, with a very long history stretching back into prehistory. Unitary semi-presidential constitutional republic It is bordered by the Indian Ocean, Palk Strait and Gulf of Mannar. 4.Sri Lanka, an Island, is in neighborhood of India and the Maldives. While they usually number around 200 in total, some reports state that up to 700 have been counted in Minneriya! Watching them congregate together in such numbers is an unforgettable experience that will leave any lucky visitor with fond memories of all the elephants they have seen up close and in their natural habitat. During the dry season, the park’s grasslands are an attractive and abundant food source for the Sri Lankan elephants that live in the surrounding areas and consequently droves of them flock to the reservoir’s edge and frolic in its waters. With a number of diverse ecosystems such as forests and shrublands on show, the impressive landscape changes before your eyes as you make your way through the park.Īlthough the stunning scenery and wildlife is beautiful to behold, one event stands alone and is undoubtedly the crown jewel of what the park has to offer: The Gathering.

Just like the aforementioned Kaudulla National Park, Minneriya National Park also owes its existence to King Mahasen’s actions all those centuries ago! Once again the site of a former irrigation tank, Minneriya’s reservoir and wetlands are now a biodiversity hotspot with a whole range of different animals and birds calling the area their home. As you can see, history abounds everywhere in this beautiful country. The abundance in fauna and flora which attracts the birds to the area is due to King Mahasen who set aside the park’s area as a water source for his people all the way back in the 3rd Century AD! When the irrigation tanks were finally abandoned sixty years ago, wildlife quickly sprung up around the water source and the area was thankfully turned into a national park in 2002. Lucky tourists may spot, elephants, sloth bears, Sri Lankan leopards, deer and wild boar roaming around the forests as adorable lorises swing from the branches on either side. One of the most important areas in Sri Lanka for birdlife, this national park is obviously very popular with birdwatchers who flock to its boundaries to gaze in awe at the multicoloured show before their eyes.Īlthough visitors primarily head to the park to marvel at the birds that swirl above their heads in the bright blue sky, Kaudulla is also home to a number of large mammals.