Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga
President

(pronounced "chan-DREE-ka bon-dar-a-NAH-ee-kee koo-mar-ah-TUNG-ah")

"The fundamental obstacle to increased foreign investment is Sri Lanka's costly and prolonged ethnic conflict."

The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (formerly called Ceylon), is a teardrop-shaped island country in the Indian Ocean, situated off the southeastern coast of India. The Maldive Islands lie to its west. It has an area of about 65,610 sq km (25,332 sq mi). Major cities include Colombo, the capital, Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, Jaffna, and Kandy.

The island had a estimated population of 19.5 million in2002. Official languages are Sinhala and Tamil, but English is also recognized as a national language. Since independence, one of the constant issues bedeviling Sri Lankan life has been ethnic conflict. Almost 74% of the population is Sinhalese. Tamils form about 18%, Muslims about 7%, and smaller groups such as the Burghers (people of Eurasian descent...