The Geography of Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is a large island nation located off of Indias southeast coast. Until 1972, it was formally known as Ceylon, but today it is officially called the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The country has a long history filled with instability and conflict between ethnic groups. Recently though, relative stability has been restored and Sri Lankas economy is growing. Fast Facts: Sri Lanka Official Name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri LankaCapital: Colombo (commercial capital); Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital)Population: 22,576,592  (2018)Official Language: SinhalaCurrency: Sri Lankan rupees (LKR)Form of Government: Presidential republicClimate: Tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)Total Area: 25,332 square miles (65,610 square kilometers)Highest Point: Pidurutalagala at 8,281 feet (2,524 meters)Lowest Point: Indian Ocean at 0 feet (0 meters) Sri Lankas History It is believed that the origins of human inhabitation in Sri Lanka began in the sixth century BCE when the Sinhalese migrated to the island from India. Around 300 years later, Buddhism spread to Sri Lanka, which led to highly organized Sinhalese settlements in the northern portion of the island from 200 BCE to 1200 CE. Following this period were invasions from southern India, which caused the Sinhalese to migrate south. In addition to early settlement by the Sinhalese, Sri Lanka was inhabited between the third century BCE and 1200 CE by the Tamils, who are the second-largest ethnic group on the island. The Tamils, who are predominantly Hindu, migrated to Sri Lanka from the Tamil region of India. During the early settlement of the island, Sinhalese and Tamil rulers frequently fought for dominance over the island. This led to the Tamils claiming the northern part of the island and the Sinhalese controlling the south to which they migrated. European inhabitation of Sri Lanka began in 1505 when Portuguese traders landed on the island in search of various spices, took control of the islands coast, and began to spread Catholicism. In 1658, the Dutch took over Sri Lanka but the British took control in 1796. After establishing settlements in Sri Lanka, the British then defeated the king of Kandy to formally take control of the island in 1815 and created the Crown Colony of Ceylon. During British rule, Sri Lankas economy was based mainly on tea, rubber, and coconuts. In 1931, however, the British granted Ceylon limited self-rule, which eventually led to it becoming a self-governing dominion of the Commonwealth of Nations on February 4, 1948. Following Sri Lankas independence in 1948, conflicts again arose between the Sinhalese and the Tamils when the Sinhalese took over majority control of the nation and stripped over 800,000 Tamils of their citizenship. Since then, there has been civil unrest in Sri Lanka and in 1983 a civil war began in which the Tamils demanded an independent northern state. The instability and violence continued through the 1990s and into the 2000s. By the late 2000s, changes in Sri Lankas government, pressure from international human rights organizations, and the murder of the opposition Tamil leader officially ended the years of instability and violence in Sri Lanka. Today, the country is working toward repairing ethnic divisions and unifying the country. Government of Sri Lanka Today, Sri Lankas government is considered a republic with a single legislative body consisting of a unicameral Parliament whose members are elected by popular vote. Sri Lankas executive body is made up of its chief of state and president—both of which are filled by the same person, who is elected by a popular vote for a six-year term. Sri Lankas most recent presidential election took place in January 2010. The judicial branch in Sri Lanka is composed of the Supreme Court and Court of Appeals, and the judges for each are elected by the president. Sri Lanka is officially divided into eight provinces. Sri Lankas Economy Sri Lankas economy today is mainly based on the service and industrial sector; however, agriculture plays an important role as well. The major industries in Sri Lanka include rubber processing, telecommunications, textiles, cement, petroleum refining, and the processing of agricultural products. Sri Lankas main agricultural exports include rice, sugarcane, tea, spices, grain, coconuts, beef, and fish. Tourism and the related services industries are also growing in Sri Lanka. Geography and Climate of Sri Lanka Overall, Sir Lanka has a varied terrain but it mainly consists of flatlands. The south-central portion of the countrys interior features mountain and steep-sided river canyons. The flatter regions are the areas where most of Sri Lankas agriculture takes place, aside from coconut farms along the coast. Sri Lankas climate is tropical and the southwestern part of the island is the wettest. Most of the rain in the southwest falls from April to June and October to November. The northeastern part of Sri Lanka is drier and most of its rain falls from December to February. Sri Lankas average yearly temperature is around 86 degrees to 91 degrees (28 °C to 31 °C). An important geographic note about Sri Lanka is its position in the Indian Ocean, which made it vulnerable to one of the worlds largest natural disasters. On December​ 26, 2004, it was struck by a  large tsunami that hit 12 Asian countries. Around 38,000 people in Sri Lanka were killed during this event and much of Sri Lankas coast was destroyed. More Facts about Sri Lanka †¢ The common ethnic groups in Sri Lanka are Sinhalese (74%), Tamil (9%), and Sri Lankan Moor (7%).†¢ Sri Lankas official languages are Sinhala and Tamil. Sources Central Intelligence Agency. CIA - The World Factbook -- Sri Lanka.Infoplease. Sri Lanka: History, Geography, Government, and Culture - Infoplease.com.United States Department of State. Sri Lanka.

Access to the Dome of the Rock Essay Example

Essays on Access to the Dome of the Rock Essay The paper "Access to the Dome of the Rock" is a wonderful example of an essay on tourism. Jerusalem is home to the world’s greatest sects, Judaism, Islam, and Christianity, for its famous structures including the Dome of the Rock. This paper embarks on discussing the current access to the Dome of the Rock, including its security measures. Initially, the paper will provide a short discussion of the significance of the site to various religious beliefs. Dome of the Rockâ€Å"Qubbat al-Sakhra,† commonly known as the Dome of the Rock or â€Å"Haram al-Sharif (Noble Sanctuary)† by Muslims, is a shrine built in the city of Jerusalem, specifically on a platform at the top of the Holy House or Mount Moriah (Islam and Al-Hamad 109). Although built on top of the most sacred site of Judaism, it is considered as Islam’s third holiest place (Blair 7). Mount Moriah, according to Jewish belief, is the exact location of Abraham’s sacrificial offering of his son Isaac, but according to the Islamic faith, it is where Mohammed ascended to heaven after a journey from Mecca and Jerusalem (â€Å"About Dome of the Rock† 6-7). Current AccessEveryone is allowed to visit, but for non-Muslims, the site is open only from Sundays to Thursdays, from seven to eleven o’clock in the morning and from 1:30 to 2:30 in the afternoon (â€Å"Noble Sanctuary: The Dome of the Rock† 11). Notably, non-Muslims can access only the Temple Mount (ramp to the right of Western Wall), and they are prohibited in the Dome of the Rock. On the other hand, only Muslims are allowed to enter the Dome of the Rock. Jews and Christians are permitted to visit the site as tourists, through the Mugrabi Gate (located above to the left of Western Wall plaza), but they are prohibited from making religious displays, singing and praying, even in silence (Booth and Eglash 10). Security measures are taken in place on the site as the freedom to access is enshrined as law. Visitors are required to wear a modest dress and bring the passport. Backpack or any items brought to the site will undergo ocular inspection by policemen before anyone can enter the Mount.ConclusionThe Dome of the Rock accounts as one of the holiest places on Earth. Only Muslims are granted full access to the site every day while non-Muslims, although allowed to visit as tourists from Sundays to Thursdays, are allowed only in the Temple Mount and banned in the Dome of the Rock. Security measures, such as passport and bag inspections by policemen, are put in place to secure the safety and reduce tension in the area.

Political Ideologies Free Essays

D. Sokolova 28/09/2011 On the topic of â€Å"Political Ideology† (Heywood 2003, p. 5) states: † ‘Ideology’ is consider a particular type of political thought, distinct from, say, political science or political philosophy. We will write a custom essay sample on Political Ideologies or any similar topic only for you Order Now † Ideology is a set of views and ideas that provides the theoretical basis to organize and rule community life, establish values, habits and perspectives. It demands the certain methods to be used for solving different social problems. As (MacKenzie, et al. 1994, p. 1) have noted, ideology † provides both an account of existing social and political relations and blueprint of how these relation ought to be organized. Beyond this general definition, however, the concept of ideology is notoriously difficult to get to grips with. It is loaded with a wide range of possible meanings, many of which are contradictory. † † The word ideology was coined during the French Revolution by Antoine Destutt de Tracy (1754-1836) , and was first used in public in 1796. For de Tracy, ideologue referred to a new ‘science of ideas’, literally an idea-ology. † (Heywood 2003, p. 6) De Tracy tried to find moral, ethic and political phenomena of basic consciousness and offer a logical explanation under one concept. For Marx and Engels ‘ideology’ (MacKenzie, et al. 994, p. 5) † is the role of changing historical conditions that is fundamental to the formation of ideas. † Rather, French philosopher Louis Pierre Althusser (MacKenzie, et al. 1994, p. 16) † insists upon the strict separation of ideology and science. Arguing against the traditional relationship betwe en ideology and truth†¦Ã¢â‚¬  He affirms that † ideology is the ‘cement’ that binds human societies together. † An Australian political theorist Minogue have noticed, that ideologies (MacKenzie,et al. 1994, p. 4) † create the false expectation in people’s minds that a perfect world is ultimately attainable. From this point of view,† ideologies are seen as abstract system of thought, sets on ideas that are destined to simplify and distort social reality because they claim to explain what is, frankly, incomprehensible. † The foremost modern exponent of this view was the British political philosopher Michael Oakeshott (1901-90)† , who has issued guideline, that † Ideology is thus equated with dogmatism : fixed on doctrinaire beliefs, that are divorced from the complexities of the real world. † (Heywood 2003, p. 10) † The birth of political ideologies can be traced back to the processes thought which the mod ern world came into existence. The process of modernization had social, political and cultural dimension. Socially, it was linked to the emergence of increasingly market-orientated and capitalist economies, dominated by new social classes, the middle class and the working class. Politically, it involved the replacement of monarchical absolutism by the advance of constitutional and, in due course, democratic government. Culturally, it took the form of spread of Enlightenment ideas and views, which challenged traditional beliefs in religion, politics and learning in general, based upon a commitment to the principles of reason and progress. The ‘core’ political ideologies, the ones out of which later ideologies emerged or developed in opposition to – liberalism, conservatism and socialism – reflected contrasting responses to the process of modernization. † (Heywood 2003,p. 21- 22) Main features distinguished them from each other are the following: Liberals, particularly during the Cold War period, have viewed ideology as an officially sanctioned belief system that claims a monopoly of truth, often through a spurious claim to be scientific. Ideology is therefore inherently repressive, even totalitarian. Conservatives have traditionally regarded ideology as manifestation of the arrogance of rationalism. Ideologies are elaborate system of thought that are dangerous or unreliable because, being abstracted from reality, they establish principles and goals that lead to repression or are simply unachievable. Socialists, following Marx, have seen ideology as a body of ideas that conceal the contradictions of class society, thereby promoting false consciousness and political passivity amongst subordinate classes†¦ Later Marxist adopted neutral concept of ideology, regarding it as the distinctive ideas of any social class, including the working class. Fascist are often dismissive of ideology as an over-systematic, dry and intellectualized form of political understanding that is based on mere reason rather than passion and the will. The Nazis preferred to portray their own ideas as a Weltanschaung or ‘world view’, not as systematic philosophy. Ecologists have tended to regard al conventional political doctrines as part of super-ideology of industrialism. Ideology is thus tainted by its association with arrogant humanism and growth-orientated economics-liberalism and socialism being its most obvious examples. Religious fundamentalists have treated key religious texts as ideology, on the grounds that, by expressing the revealed world of God, they provide a programme for comprehensive social reconstruction. (Heywood 2003, p. 15) It is recognizable, that the theory of ideology still has many different features. This view has been supported in the (Eccleshall 1984, p. 23) saying that â€Å"Ideology is the realm in which people clarify and justify their actions as they pursue divergent interests. † However, â€Å".. there is no settle or agreed definition of the term, only a collection of rival definitions. As David McLellan (1995) put it, ‘Ideology is the most elusive concept in the whole of social science’. † (Heywood 2003, p. 5) Bibliography 1. Heywood Andrew. Political ideologies: An introduction. 3rd edition. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2003. 2. Eccleshall Robert, Geoghegan Vincent, Jay Richard, Kenny Michael, MacKenzie Iain and Wilford Rick. Political Ideologies: An introduction. 2nd edition. London: Routledge, 1994. 3. Eccleshall Robert, Geoghegan Vincent, Jay Richard and Rick Wilford. Political Ideologies: An Introduction Great Britain: Essex, 1984. How to cite Political Ideologies, Papers