Question

Give details of the etnic compostion of Sri Lanka

Answer 1

Answer:

The major social groups of Sri Lanka are:

• The Sinhala speakers (74 per cent) and the Tamil

speakers (18 per cent).

• Among Tamils there are two sub-groups: Tamil natives of the country are called ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ and the rest, whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during colonial period are called ‘Indian Tamils’.

• Sri Lankan Tamils are concentrated in the north and east of the country.

• Most of the Sinhala-speaking people are Buddhists, while most of the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims. There are about 7 per cent Christians who are both Tamils and Sinhalese.