Flag of Sri Lanka

Flag of Sri Lanka

The "Lion Flag" of Sri Lanka was adopted in 1948, but it was used as a symbol of justice for a long time before. Its main motive is yellow lion on a red field holding a sword as a symbol of power. Green and red stripes were added to the left part of the flag after 1815 and these stripes are intended to symbolize Hindu Tamils and Muslim Maurs minorities living on the island beside the Sinhalese majority. Moreover, after renaming in 1972 from Ceylon to Sri Lanka, four yellow leaves were added to the lion´s field. Each leaf should remind one of the Buddhist values - kindness, compassion and desire to be a benefit for the society, joy, peace and well-balanced mind.

Country information

Sovereign State Yes
Country codes LK, LKA (ISO 3166-1)
Official name Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Capital city Colombo
Continent Asia
Member of United Nations, Commonwealth of Nations
Population 21 803 000 (2019)
Total area 65 610 km2
Highest point Pidurutalagala on Sri Lanka (2 524 m, 8 281 ft)
Lowest point Indian Ocean
GDP per capita $ 4 103 (World Bank, 2018)
Currency Sri Lankan rupee (Rs රු, LKR)
Calling code +94
Internet TLD .lk, .இலங்கை, .ලංකා

Flags of neighboring countries

Country location