republic · South Asia

Sri Lanka

1972 CE – present · capital Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte

The island republic of the Indian Ocean, which emerged from a 26-year civil war in 2009.

Origins

The constitution of 1972 ended the Dominion of Ceylon and renamed the country Sri Lanka, giving Buddhism a foremost place. In 1978 J. R. Jayewardene introduced an executive presidency, and the administrative capital moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, near Colombo.

Rule and society

Jayewardene's government opened the economy, but anti-Tamil riots in 1983 began a civil war with the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam seeking a Tamil state in the north and east. Indian peacekeepers intervened from 1987 to 1990, and a second JVP insurrection was crushed. Tea, garments and tourism drove the economy. The Sri Lankan army defeated the Tigers in 2009 at great civilian cost.

To the present

The republic continues. A debt crisis in 2022 led to mass protests and the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, and in 2024 Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the left-wing NPP alliance was elected president.

Lineage

Dominion of Ceylon 1948 CE – 1972 CESri Lanka

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Sri Lanka. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sri-lanka
MLA
“Sri Lanka.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sri-lanka. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Sri Lanka.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sri-lanka.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Sri Lanka’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/sri-lanka (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻