Text 3. Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is considered to be one of the most beautiful countries in the world. It is just smaller in area than Scotland. Lying off the south-east coast of India, the island of Sri Lanka is separated from the mainland by the Palk Strait. People who leave there sometimes call it by an old name which means “Golden Island” and, in legend, Sindbad the Sailor is said to have visited it and called it “Serendip” meaning “Lucky Find”.

As the island lies not very far north of the equator, the climate of Sri Lanka is said to be tropical. It is hot all year round and there is very little difference between summer and winter. Moreover, heavy rains fall during the monsoon season, causing the climate to be not and humid. Consequently, vegetation grows dense and thick, and the jungle is so impenetrable in parts of the island that it is difficult to proceed without cutting a path with a machete.

Although the main centres of population are in the flat, fertile coastal regions, many people live in the mountainous inland. This area contains mountain peaks, two of which – Adam’s Peak and Mount Pedro – are twice as high as any mountain in Britain. But, in spite of the mountains and rough terrain, the communications are good and it is easy to travel around the island by road and rail. There four airports, the main one being Bandaranaike, situated 34 km (21 miles) north of Colombo, the capital of Sri Lanka.

With its rich natural resources, Sri Lanka has an agricultural economy. Rice is grown for local consumption, whereas rubber, produced in the tropical forests, and tea, harvested on the slopes of inland hills, are the island’s most important exports. Coconuts grow in abundance and the sea is rich with fish, which the people catch in small boats with large, three-cornered sails.

Deep in the forests wild animals abound: elephants, leopards, crocodiles, monkeys, snakes and a strange animal called a Giant Monitor, a kind of lizard over two metres (6 feet) long which has strong claws and can climb trees. There are also many rare birds which are hardly seen anywhere else on earth. It is with some justification that Sindbad the Sailor referred to Sri Lanka as his “paradise on earth”.