Sri Lanka's documented history spans 3.000 years, with
evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at least 125.000
years. It has a rich cultural heritage and the first known Buddhist writings of
Sri Lanka, the Pāli Canon, date back to the Fourth Buddhist council in 29 BC. Its
geographic location and deep harbours made it of great strategic importance
from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to the modern Maritime Silk
Road.
Sri Lanka was known from the beginning of British
colonial rule as Ceylon. A nationalist political movement arose in the country
in the early 20th century to obtain political independence, which was granted
in 1948; the country became a republic and adopted its current name in 1972.
Sri Lanka's recent history has been marred by a 26-year civil war, which ended
decisively when the Sri Lanka Armed Forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in 2009.
The current constitution stipulates the political
system as a republic and a unitary state governed by a semi-presidential
system. It has had a long history of international engagement, as a founding
member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), and a
member of the United Nations, the Commonwealth of Nations, the G77, and the
Non-Aligned Movement. Along with the Maldives, Sri Lanka is one of only two
South Asian countries rated "high" on the Human Development Index (HDI),
with its HDI rating and per capita income the highest among South Asian
nations. The Sri Lankan constitution accords Buddhism the "foremost
place", although it does not identify it as a state religion. Buddhism is
given special privileges in the Sri Lankan constitution.
The island is home to many cultures, languages and
ethnicities. The majority of the population are from the Sinhalese ethnicity,
while a large minority of Tamils have also played an influential role in the
island's history. Moors, Burghers, Malays, Chinese, and the indigenous Vedda
are also established groups on the island.
For this envelope I bought a series of stamps online.
It was from 2016 featuring animals from Kumana National Park. I used three out
of six that made up the tariff of 75 rupees. It arrived back in only 27 days
with a nice postmark from the Headquarters P.O. in Colombo.
Date sent: 31 May 2017
Date postmark: 12 June 2017
Date received: 27 June 2017
Number of days: 27
Envelope in collection: 199
No comments:
Post a Comment