Description

White sand beaches, dotted with palm trees, stretching along the blue sea: for many people, the island of Sri Lanka is the epitome of a tropical paradise. But while it boasts a coastline some 1,330 kilometers long, and a thin strip of sand beach runs around almost the entire is-land, this is only one facet of the island's legion idyllic natural landscapes.

Closer to the equator than to India, Sri Lanka lies only 30 kilometers southeast of its larger neighbor. It is a compact is-land state, some 65,610 square kilo-meters in area, which resembles a gigantic gem in the form of a teardrop. It is somewhat smaller than the Republic of Ireland, or the combined areas of the Netherlands and Belgium. Some 430 ki-lometers separate its northern tip from its southernmost point, while it measures 225 kilometers from east to west. The equator is located 650 kilometers further south, across the Indian Ocean; after that, there is nothing but endless sea between here and the Antarctic.

Two winds determine the annual sea-sons in Sri Lanka: the southwest mon-soon, and six months later its pendant the northeast monsoon. The Bay of Bengal lies to the northeast of the island and the vast Indian Ocean extends to the south and southwest. Thus the strong winds can blast unchecked across the sea, picking up moisture in the process.

As a result, between May and Septem-ber the surf crashes with particular in-tensity against the south and west coasts, and from November to May the east coast is similarly punished.

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