Sri Lan·ka [ shree lángkə ]island country in South Asia, off the tip of southeastern India in the Indian Ocean. It became an independent member of the British Commonwealth in 1948. Languages: Sinhalese. Currency: Sri Lankan rupee. Capital: Colombo.Sri Jayawardenepura Population: 21,324,791 (2009 estimate).
Area: 65,610 sq km (25,332 sq mi) Official name Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Former name Ceylon until 1972
