Transcription
Ah, the Pearl of the Indian Ocean, the Teardrop of India, the Isle of Dharma, Salon, Taprobana, Serendip, and Mumudi Chola Mandalaman. To the Tamils, it's Illankai. To the Sinhalese, it's the one you probably heard: Sri Lanka. This place has had so many names, and today it goes by the next country up here on Geography Now! It's time to learn Geography Now!
Hey everybody, I'm your host, Barb. Get a Geography Now mug and Geography Now shirt at geographynow.com. It's not selling out if it's my brand. Few countries on Earth have such a small size with a massive ancient backstory that predates the invention of paper. And as you guys know, I love having people from the countries in the country episodes. Today's guest star is going to be Janil. Oh, hop in, Sri Lanka. First of all, what is this you got going on?
This is actually, so if I would wear this shirt in white and wear my white sarong, that would have been considered the national outfit for Sri Lanka. But I had to spice it up, man. You know, clearly, we imagine we're matching. All right, Janil, very quickly, what are some things you think the whole world should know about Sri Lanka?
We have the most prettiest girls on Earth. Check. And you know, uh, prettiest guys too. You see this? You see this hospitality? It's at like 308. Yes. And eight. Lastly, we are not Indian. You are not India. You are not Indians. Nothing wrong with India, though. Hey, I love India. I'm just letting y'all know. With that, let's jump into this country that is definitely not India.
[Music]
So, Sri Lanka has quite a bit going on in the way their land operates and holds together. Oh, and the best part, y'all know, man, we got a city called Kandy. Kandy, welcome to the candy shop!
First of all, the country is an island nation located in South Asia, situated in the Indian Ocean, south of the Bay of Bengal, just off the southeast coast of India's Tamil Nadu state. The interesting thing is the country is almost connected to India via the Ram Setu bridge, sometimes called Adam's Bridge. An incredibly shallow, partially submerged series of sandbanks, shoals, and islands, only about a hundred meters wide, that straddles between India's Pamban Island and Sri Lanka's Mannar Island. The space between Pamban and Mannar, known as the Palk Strait, is only about 25 kilometers wide. And due to the shallow depth, reaching at a maximum of 10 meters deep, this hinders all large-scale cargo ships from passing through from the Gulf of Mannar in the south to the Palk Bay in the north. At one point, this shallow channel was reportedly passable on foot until a cyclone in 1480 destroyed what little land was above water. Today, any maritime trade must either go completely around Sri Lanka, otherwise, land or air transport is the only way around.
In any case, the capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, a neighborhood within the largest metropolitan city of Colombo. Colombo is often mistaken or just default called the capital because it's easier to say, but nope. To be fair, it's Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. The country is divided into nine provinces, each with their own little flag, and the nine provinces are further divided into 25 districts. The country has five international airports, and of course, the biggest and busiest one is in Colombo, Bandaranaike International Airport. In addition, though, the country has 20 water aerodromes or airports for seaplanes throughout the coasts and interior of the country. They are all operated by Sri Lanka Airlines' domestic branch called Sri Lankan Air Taxi, with its hub at Colombo's Kelani River, Peliyagoda water aerodrome. From there, the Port of Colombo is not only the largest port of the country but also the largest transshipment hub in South Asia.
The country has a very extensive rail network that reaches almost every part of the country, except the sparsely populated southeast, which also has the Yala National Park that no roads or towns can be built on. The rails have three main lines: the Colombo operating region lines in the southwest, the Anuradhapura operating region lines in the north and northeast, and the Nawalapitiya operating region lines in the central highlands. Here, you can reach the highest destinations of the country, like the famous city of Kandy, the literal candy kingdom. And that's for the Westerners. But I must say, like Kandy is called Nuwara, so we say. And also, you know, I heard something about the word "hotel." It means something different in Sri Lanka. Explain about that.
It's so funny that you caught that. So, "hotel," it could be, it could be, it could be your sandwich shop, man. You'll be like, "Oh yeah, there's a hotel over there." So if I go to Sri Lanka and I ask for a hotel, you could point me to a cafe? Depends on what you're looking for and whom you ask. You have to be specific. Yeah.
Now, in Sri Lanka, you're gonna see a lot of past and present. For example, of course, you have the metropolitan layout of skyscrapers and towers in Colombo or Negombo. But then right in the middle of the city, you'll find statue after statue of Buddha and centuries-old traditional dagobas. I think that's what I heard. What are they called?
It's called a "bodhi." You know, you're talking about the half-dome, right? Yes. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's, that's the brain thing. Thank you for correcting me. Oh, and all over, you'll see tanks, or "wewas," I think they're called. They were built by man. Y'all, he's trying. He said "wavers." It's called a "wewa."
Now, explain what is a "wewa."
So that's a man-made, pretty much a lake. And they're all over Sri Lanka, man. Depending on the kingdom, you know, each and every single king. Parakrama, I think that's what I have written down. Yep. Yep. And he built the largest one, uh, the Parakrama. Oh, yeah. And fun fact, under that king, uh, Sri Lanka actually, for short periods of time, actually kind of took over parts of South India and what is now Myanmar. But it was, it wasn't exactly colonizing. It was kind of more like this: "We are best friends. Yeah. I am the new king, and I'm gonna tax the out of my own people and kill trading envoys from Sri Lanka." Yeah, we can't have that. So, "Okay, so your old king is dead, and we've been managing you guys for a while, but now we're gonna elect a new king." "This is the new king." "Hey, Sri Lanka, the Chola Empire is like, really attacking us hard. A little help?" "Well, we defeated the enemy, but your king is dead. I guess we'll manage things here until we can find a new king for you." "Okay, I found you a new king." Yeah.
Isn't that interesting? It's kind of like they could have colonized Myanmar and South India, but were like, "Eh, it's easier to reach if we just like, raise up a king that would be compliant with our side." In any case, Sri Lanka has so many projects going on. Colombo has the International Financial City, and in the south, you have the controversial Hambantota, the second largest port in the country, which is leased out to China for 99 years. We've discussed this before, but in case you missed it, basically, often my Indian subscribers kind of describe the scenario like this: "Oh, hey, Pakistan. Hey, India. What do you have there?" "Oh, I'm building a port on Gwadar." "Oh, cool. It's pretty big." "Yeah, it's being funded by the Chinese." "Oh, what have you got there, Myanmar?" "I am building a port and an oil line in Kyaukpyu." "Cool. Oh, and it's also being financed by the Chinese for the Belt and Road Initiative." "Oh, geez. What about you, Bangladesh?" "Wait, don't tell me." "Oh, oh, you mean Sonadia?" "No, I scrapped that plan with China a long time ago. Oh, instead, I'm going for Matarbari Port." "Oh, because it's funded by the Japanese." "Ah, because Chittagong was already taken by the Chinese." "What? By the way, guys, this is my buddy Diogo visiting from Brazil." "Hi, guys." "So, yeah, when Sri Lanka is also in that game, India is kind of like, 'Yeah.'"
But moving on, Sri Lanka is a land full of mystic sites. They have eight UNESCO Heritage Sites, right? Six man-made and two natural. Tourism is a huge part of our country, baby. Apart from the, you know, UNESCO sites, here's Antoinette explaining a few more extra sites that you could check out in Sri Lanka.
Hi guys, I'm Antoinette, coming to you from Quebec, Canada. All right, there are so many temples and ruins. Some of the most notable ones being the Temple of the Tooth Relic in Kandy, Seema Malaka Temple in Beira Lake, Hindu temples in Jaffna and Trincomalee, like the Nalaiyadi Kanda Swamy Kovil Temple, and the Ritigala Buddhist Monastery ruins. You have other places such as the Commonwealth War Cemetery in Kandy, the National Museum of Colombo, the Ella tea plantations, the Lotus Tower in Colombo, St. Lucia's Cathedral, the Nine Arch Bridge, the beaches in Hikkaduwa and Tangalle, the Jaya Sri Maha Bodhi, the oldest known Bodhi tree in the world, Adam's Peak, which has a footprint or the sacred footprint. Thank you so much, and I hope you get the chance to visit Sri Lanka one day.
And of course, it is said Sri Lanka has the highest waterfall density in the world. Baker's Falls, Patala, Ravana, just to name a few. And that brings us to the next segment, the...
So, as the 25th largest island on Earth, baby, in a tropical climate, Sri Lanka can hold its ground in maintaining a unique biosphere. Yes. And one thing you'll notice, though, is that the element of water is a constant theme for almost everything in Sri Lanka. For one, being situated in the center of the Indian Plate gives them the lucky advantage of not dealing with any earthquakes or volcanoes. And also, the country has somewhere around 60 main offshore islands, the largest being Mannar Island, which connects to the Ram Setu bridge. The islands go all the way off to Kachchativu Island, the westernmost point of the country.
From there, the country has a unique topographical layout. There are 40 low-lying lagoons and mangrove systems covering much of the coasts at about 7,000 hectares in area. This is known as the coastal belt, aka the lowest parts of the country. The largest system is in the north on the Jaffna Peninsula, with the Jaffna Lagoon that extends into the Palk Bay. Now, as mentioned, many of the inland bodies of water are man-made, and the largest being the dual complex Kala Wewa Reservoir, found near the center of the country. It was actually built by King Datusena in the 5th century AD.
From there, inland, you reach the plains, which make up the majority of the country's surface area, ranging from about 30 to 200 meters above sea level. This is where the majority of the nation's agriculture and forests are situated and are fed by 103 rivers. The longest one being the Mahaweli, which flows over 200 miles or 335 kilometers from the highest region of the country, the Central Highlands, all the way down to Koddiyar Bay near the city of Trincomalee. The Central Highlands, found in the south-central part of the country, which are also in themselves a protected World Heritage Site, is also where you can find the tallest peak, Pidurutalagala, at over 2,500 meters above sea level.
And finally, due to the topographic layout of Sri Lanka, the country has two climate zones. The plains and valleys of the north, northwest, and southeast are known as the dry zones, classified as tropical savannas with shrub forests, bushes, and even cacti in some of the driest areas. Yet, in the highlands and valleys of the southwest, you have the wet zones that receive nearly twice as much rainfall annually, usually in the monsoon season from October to January.
Speaking of water, though, Sri Lanka is heavily powered by water. As in, over one-fifth of the country is powered by dams and hydropower. Economically speaking, Sri Lanka has always been a major trading hub, once being the crown jewel of the spice trade. And with the highest literacy rate in South Asia at somewhere around 95%, yeah, they have top-notch labor. Yo, that's why we are hard workers.
Textiles usually come to mind when discussing resources and production. Sri Lanka is currently the fourth largest tea producer and largest exporter in the world, beating out Kenya. And their most famous domestic brand is Dilmah. I got Dilmah at the house. I had Dilmah before I came. That kind of, that kind of came out. And the country has about 900 apparel factories, exporting mainly to Europe and the USA for companies like Victoria's Secret, Liz Claiborne, and even Tommy Hilfiger. In addition, their mining sector is world-renowned. They even have the world's largest blue sapphire, the Star of Adam. So many colors within this country. And one thing that's even more colorful is the wildlife. And with that, here is Gary Harlow with wildlife.
Blimey, look at this puppy right here. The breed is bird. Now, it's no surprise that a tropical island like Sri Lanka, nearly a fifth of all flora and fauna are endemic, like the national tree, Ceylon Ironwood. The country has over 25 national parks, many with their own specialty. Like Delft Island is one of the only few places in the world with wild ponies. Don't ride the ponies. The largest parks, though, are Wilpattu and Yala. In these parks lie some of the most fascinating mammal species like the Purple-faced Langur, the Sri Lankan Sloth Bear, the Grizzled Giant Squirrel, and the two animals that are sometimes considered national animals: the Sri Lankan Elephant and the Leopard. In fact, Sri Lanka has the largest elephant density in South Asia and has the largest elephant orphanage in the world at Pinnawala. Birds are very prevalent here, too. Some consider the Sri Lankan Junglefowl the national bird. And finally, the south coast of Sri Lanka is famous for being the best spot to not only see blue whales but if you're daring enough, you can actually swim with them. And speaking of swimming with whales, I gotta catch a wave and surf on out of here. This is how you surf in Sri Lanka. Thank you, Gary. Yes, whales. The ocean, once again, the element of water. You've probably seen those images of stilt fishermen from National Geographic, right? Yep, that's Sri Lanka. Oh, and, uh, speaking of seafood.
Hey guys, thanks so much for having me on. I am so excited to be here to talk about one of my favorite topics: Sri Lankan food. So, seafood plays a huge role in our cuisine. In addition, did you know that cinnamon actually originated in Sri Lanka? And no shocker, we are the number one export of cinnamon around the world. There's about 10 different varieties, and all of them slightly different in profile, but so, so good. So, I want to get to the list of foods, starting with jaggery and lump rice, and hoppers, and string hoppers, and vada, and puttu, and coconut milk rice, more affectionately known as kiribath, with some spicy sambal and some hot milk tea in the mornings is the perfect breakfast item. Egg kottu, or vegetable kottu, and my personal favorite, mutton kottu. So, so good. We have the cashew curry, we have the breadfruit curry, we have Jaffna style "nunda" curry, also known as crab curry. Sri Lanka is also known for the famous king coconut, but what it's really used to make is a popular coconut liquor. So excited to be on, so excited to be sharing such an amazing topic with you all. Um, and thanks so much for having me. Have a good one.
Oh, Sri Lankan crab curry. You know, now you guys know me, I love jackfruit. You guys in Bangladesh do it really well. Oh, yeah, man. Well, clearly, Sri Lankans are definitely great cooks, and there's a lot of other great things too that Sri Lankans are known for, which brings us to the next part, the...
So, I asked you guys, what does it mean to be Sri Lankan? And here's some things you guys, the Sri Lankan Geograpeeps, have said. Sri Lankans are very, very hardworking people. We, we face many, many bad situations in, in this country. Also, we do not hesitate to help each other when there is a bad situation in our country. Being Sri Lankan is a blessing. You know, we come from such a small country, full of, you know, diversity and many ethnic groups. And, you know, being Sri Lankan, more myself, we've been here for so many years, so many centuries. You know, I hope people learn from the spirit that she makes the best place in the world. I think that the real beauty of Sri Lanka lies within our multicultural, our multi-religious, and our multi-ethnic communities. That's what makes Sri Lanka a special country. Being a Sri Lankan Tamil descent, it means being proud and grateful to my mother, my father, my grandparents, and my aunts and uncles for protecting me and my cousins from the horrors of the civil war that raged on for decades. You know, due to their perseverance, and that's something that I will carry for the rest of my life.
So, uh, Janil, in your opinion, what does it mean to be Sri Lankan?
It is to be able to uphold all the values and everything that my parents have taught me. So, there's tiny little nuances, like we would actually go down on our knees and touch, uh, the feet of my parents, and we would like, you know, bow them. Depends on where you grew up. The culture gives you an identity, right? Because there's a lot of different types of Sri Lankans. Absolutely. Yeah, absolutely.
Yo, you could be Sri Lankan. Who knows if you're Sri Lankan? Can he be Sri Lankan? I'll just put this on. Yo, I used to wear this. And we eat with our hands too. We don't use... Oh, no. Yeah, that's the best way. You got to feel the food. Hey, hey. See, I told you he could be Sri Lankan.
Anyway, with that, let's go to the graph. First of all, the country has a population of about 22 million people, and they are the oldest democracy in Asia since 1948. The country is primarily made up of the Sinhalese, at somewhere around 75%, whereas the majority of the rest of the population is made up primarily of Tamils, divided into three groups: Sri Lankan Tamils, at a little over 11%; the Moors, at about 9%; and the Indian Tamils, at about 4%. From there, the small remaining populace is made up of various people groups like the Burghers, the Malays, the Veddas, Chinese, and so on. Burghers? Yeah, we'll talk about the Burghers later.
They use the Sri Lankan Rupee as their currency. They use the Type D, G, and M plug outlets, and they drive on the left side of the road. Former, now. Of course, due to the demographic structure, Sinhala, an Indo-Aryan language, and Tamil, a Dravidian language, two completely unintelligible languages are co-official in Sri Lanka. However, the prevalence of each one is concentrated in their respective regions: Tamil mostly in the north and northeast, and Sinhala in the center, southeast, and west coast, baby. Nonetheless, official documents must be available in both languages. Yes. And wow, they both have incredibly good-looking scripts. Just look at those curves and diacritic vowel indicators. Gotta love me some good Abugida. Yeah, that was weird. But the point is, yes, the scripts look pretty cool.
English is also a nationally recognized language. Now, not everybody can still speak fluent English, but I tell you a few things that they know for sure, though. They know Bob Marley, right? They know 50 Cent. They know Coca-Cola. That's, that's all they need. That's all they need. I mean, what's crazy is, like, I've been to houses where, you know, they don't speak a word of English, but they memorize the whole rap. But they know the raps. I'm like, "You're really spitting, but you can't even speak a word in English." But, like, they know Peter Andre, "Mysterious Girl." Yo, they know all of it. I'm like, "How do you give a kid a song? They're just gonna absorb it." I, I suppose my people just soak, like, you know, they're like a sponge.
I mean, in any case, prior to the British, the Portuguese, Dutch, and almost French all took a jab at trying to control Sri Lanka. This is also partially why you see so many Sri Lankans with Western names and last names, especially with Portuguese. In fact, the three most common last names in Sri Lanka are Pereira, Fernando, and De Silva. Yeah, man, that's so funny because as I was growing up, I'd read books and that was Fernando's and Pereira's and Silva's. I'm like, "But you look like me." Yeah. What's this now?
Faith-wise, the majority of Sri Lankans, almost exclusively to the Sinhalese group, are Buddhists, belonging to the Theravada branch. In fact, today's Sri Lankan Sinhalese are the only non-racially East Asian Buddhist majority ethnic group in the modern world, basically a country of brown Buddhism. It was actually brought in over 2,000 years ago by the missionary Mahinda from the Ashoka Empire and mentioned in the Tripitaka. Sri Lanka has the longest continuous history of Buddhism out of any predominantly Buddhist nation on Earth. But how did you grow up? What are you?
So, I was born and raised a Catholic. And at some point in time, I... But you're, you're Sinhalese, right? Yes. I'm 100% Sinhalese, but I have tons of Buddhist friends, tons of Tamil friends, tons of Muslims, right? Nobody was trying to impose their will on me. You guys are just Sri Lankans. That's, that's exactly how I see it too.
And by the way, Buddhism, they take it seriously in the country. It's not a gimmick. What's the one worst thing you can do while visiting Sri Lanka?
Oh, hello, young tourist. How are you enjoying Sri Lanka? I just love the Buddha. You know, I took all these pictures in front of Buddha, and I want to buy a Buddha for my living room. Best thing, I have this little Buddha tattoo, and I love it. He's so jolly.
I'm calling the police. If you have a tattoo of Buddha, either get a laser removal or never show it. If visiting Sri Lanka, it's considered incredibly offensive and can literally get you in trouble.
Hinduism, though, actually predates Buddhism in Sri Lanka, and the Hindu community is almost exclusively tied to the Tamil group, specifically Shaivism, which is the branch that predominantly worships Shiva and venerates Shiva devotees like Ravana. That's kind of the story of Ravana is like a big deal in Sri Lanka, apparently. Yes, it is.
Apart from the Hindus and the Buddhists, there's also the Muslim minority, 90% of whom are Tamil-speaking people called Moors. Although, if you ask them, some may or may not actually identify as being ethnically Tamil. It's confusing. But yet, there is also a noticeable Christian community. Some sociologists speculate that Christianity may actually have predated colonialism. It's an interesting theory.
Then, about 40,000 people, you have the Burghers. They are the people that are essentially the Euro-Asian descendants, a mix between Europeans and Sri Lankans. They developed a unique fusion culture that mixes Europe with South Asia. And finally, you have the indigenous Veddas, only numbering today at about 6,000 people. They are considered the original inhabitants of Sri Lanka, predating anyone. Now, traditionally, they followed a form of animism, and only about 300 people speak the Vedda language today.
In Sri Lanka, the one thing you'll notice with Sri Lankans, we have really long names. For example, one of the most famous athletes, Waruna. The reason we have really long names, the king used to give a title, the occupation of your ancestors, where you are coming from, which part in Sri Lanka. So, so with names, you can clearly tell that Sri Lanka has a lot of backstory.
Part of that backstory involves the obvious dichotomy between the Sinhalese and the Tamil people groups. This is probably the biggest elephant in the room that cannot be avoided. Yes, there was a civil war between the two. It dates back to 1983. So, to make a long story short, it goes that the Tamils wanted a place of origin. So, essentially, it basically boiled down to the government versus the Tamil Tigers. There was a move for a separate land for the Tamil minority. Over 100,000 people died or disappeared, and over 300,000 people were in camps or internally displaced peoples. Now, when you ask like, "Who started it?" or "What?" It all depends on who you ask, and there's no, it's always going to be a biased answer when it comes to that. You know, there's nobody right.
And you were there during the whole Christmas? I was, I was. And it's so crazy, man. My, my mom was pregnant with my brother. One time, just to give you some contrast, and it was only a month after she stopped using the train that was a bomb. Oh, that was such a small incident. These bombs were going off everywhere. I'm just glad it's over.
So, post-war, how would you say, is there generally kind of like a, "Let's move forward" feeling in Sri Lanka? Right?
Oh, yeah, absolutely. It's flooded with foreigners, and we obviously need the international revenue coming in, right? We come from a place where they have a 2,000-year-old written history. You can't hide that. That's true.
Well, that was quite a discussion. So much has happened, and they just want to move forward as best they can. And one way they move forward is with sports. And with that, here's Art with the sports part.
Whoa, this is a cricket ball. And guess what? We're gonna talk about it now. Most textbook sources will tell you that the national sport is volleyball, and yes, technically it is. However, cricket is often considered the most celebrated and practiced sport. There have been a lot of records in cricket, and they even have the highest team score in Test Cricket at 952. I'm gonna pretend like I actually know what that means. They won the World Cricket Cup in 1996, making it the only Sri Lankan sport that has ever been crowned a world champion. They even have their own version of March Madness, in which parades and performances dedicated to the opening cricket matches of college cricket season, their Sri Lankan style tailgating, after-parties, drunken fights between fans, and dancing. It's that crazy. So, you don't see that kind of treatment with volleyball in Sri Lanka.
Otherwise, of course, cricket isn't the only thing going on in Sri Lanka. We have rugby, netball, and Australian Rules Football, which are all growing in a lot of popularity. Their women's netball team has won the Asian Netball Championship four times. Four times! For Art, everyone in the country knows this lady known as the Asian Black Mare, who won the only Olympic medal for the country. Technically, there was another medal when they were under British Sri Lanka.
They have two native styles of martial arts: Kalaripayattu, which is like Kung Fu but more focused on grappling, and Angampora, which is both a body combat and weaponry style that uses things like knives, swords, and whip blades. And finally, this is not so much a sport but rather a recreational activity. Sri Lankans are really good at the tabletop game Carrom. Strangely enough, there's literally a World Cup for this game, and Sri Lanka usually dominates and consistently holds a world champion title in both men's and women's divisions. They even hold the dog division as well. All right, me and Target to go play some cricket. Thank you, Art.
We have this, uh, pillow fight, which is like pillow fights. Pillow fight. So, it's, you're sitting on a log, and, you know, you just knock each other out until one of them falls off. And, yeah, there's so much other stuff going on with Sri Lanka's culture. Here to explain a little bit more is Hannah.
It's good to be back. Sri Lanka's origins are documented in the Mahavamsa, the Great Chronicle, and Culavamsa, the Lesser Chronicle, with the first king in the 5th century BC to the British occupation in 1825. Within that time, it's also speculated that Sri Lanka might have the world's first hospital. And of course, with religion comes religious festivals and celebrations. Sri Lanka is actually the country with the second most public holidays after Cambodia. Every full moon, or Poya, is considered a holiday. Each full moon represents a different story for Buddha. For the Hindu community, there are tons of distinct festivals and celebrations, too. The most notable one probably being the Kavadi, or Burden Dance. Viewer discretion advised. This is a ceremonial sacrifice and offering practiced by Hindu devotees of Lord Murugan, the god of war, and the goddess Kali, the destroyer. Worshippers honor the deities by enduring pain in a variety of ways, and for the extreme, some may receive body piercings and suspensions by hooks penetrating the skin on the back.
If you're into art, you'll be pleased to find tons of Kandy and Anuradhapura murals dating back to the 15th century. And just because it's kind of my thing, here's a bit of cinematic backstory. Dating back to the first Sinhalese film in 1947, Sri Lanka has seen its moments in the entertainment industry. Sri Lanka was also the setting for many Hollywood blockbusters like "The Bridge on the River Kwai" and "Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom." But if you guys want to learn more about film and culture and history through film of Sri Lanka, go follow Filmography Now on YouTube.
And in these films, there's a lot of historical music. And with that is Keith. Even here. I really hope he's not...
[Music]
Music of Sri Lanka. One thing is for sure, Sri Lanka loves drums. Everything from the Udekki drum to the Demon drum. The country is known for having three unique dance styles: the Low Country Dance, the Devil Dance, and the Kandy style. There was a period in time when African slaves came over and played a major role in creating Baila. Baila. It's okay, Keith. Just keep going. This is probably the most popular music style in Sri Lanka, and it's played at everything from special occasions, weddings. This dude is probably the most well-known guy who helped create Baila. From there, Sri Lanka evolved its music industry into the 20th century. And the 21st century, Sri Lankan artists and bands arose through the times. From radio, there will be a list right here. Presenteth list. Yes, even English female rapper MIA is for Sri Lankan. Yes. If you're Sri Lankan, let us know in the comment section down below what you think should be included and what we should know about Sri Lankan music. By the way, Hannah's new YouTube channel, Filmography Now, it's kind of cool. You should probably go check it out, even though I hate Hannah. Thank you, Keith. This is my Tupac of Sri Lanka. That's Clarence Wijewardena. He is considered the king of Sri Lankan pop music. And then you've got the Amaradeva, Nanda Malini. I'm telling y'all, man, we still haven't even tapped into one percent of the total potential of our music.
As you can see, Sri Lanka has a lot to show the world with their culture and tradition. And with that, let's see how the rest of the world responds to Sri Lanka's colors in our final segment.
Much of Sri Lanka's history was already intertwined with international interaction. You don't get the nickname "Pearl of the Indian Ocean" by accident. For one, Sri Lanka has stated multiple times that it takes specific non-aligned foreign policies and does not take sides with major world powers and pursues friendship with all. On that note, much of the government might say China is close due to the many loans and investments that have been given to them. However, like many other small developing nations, Sri Lankans are keeping a close eye on these acts. Many Sri Lankans move to Australia for studies and work, especially in Melbourne, which has the largest Sri Lankan community out of any city in Australia. Indonesia and Singapore offer visa-free visits to Sri Lankans, and many of the Tamil Sri Lankans have family with the Tamil community in Singapore.
Now, you would think that as their closest neighbor, relations with India would be super close, but it's a little complicated. It's more like a love-hate relationship that they've had for thousands of years. Yes, in a sense, both the Sinhalese and Tamils have roots in India, and yes, they owe the introduction of Buddhism to India via the Ashoka Empire, and yes, India tried to help sort out the civil war, even though Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by the Tamil Tigers in the process. Nonetheless, much of the diplomacy is rooted in aid that India provides, and of course, Sri Lankans love things like Bollywood films and Indian cultural imports. They just, you know, really hate the Indian cricket team.
Pakistan has always been a closer ally, as Sri Lanka kind of acted like a transit point between West and East Pakistan, which is now Bangladesh, during the Indo-Pak wars of the '60s and '70s, as Indian airspace was closed to them. Pakistan, in return, has supplied much of Sri Lanka's armed forces with military equipment and has helped them during civil war times.
In the end, though, interestingly enough, one country that seems to pop out in many Sri Lankans' minds when asked which country is closest to them would be the Maldives. As island nations in the Indian Ocean, heavily dependent on maritime trade and culture, the two instantly click on almost any diplomatic level. The heads of state have visited each other to discuss bilateral relations and interests. The Maldivian Defense Force is trained by Sri Lanka's military. Over half of Maldives' exports go to Sri Lanka. Many Maldivian tour operators are located in Sri Lanka with travel packages including both countries, and they even share an underwater fiber optic cable for joint telecommunications service. Overall, these two countries work together very well and understand each other probably better than anyone else.
All right, and in conclusion, obviously, Janil, I think you should take this. I'm out.
So, something that I want y'all to know, man, a bounce-back game is super strong. People try to take over the country thousands of years ago, and then we had civil war going on. The tsunami hit. We bounced back from that too, and it's depicted in so many areas of who we are. We never stood down. We always rose.
Well said. You know, I love that. All right. And with that, what's the next country? You know, we're gonna talk about Sudan, baby. Next one coming up. Get ready. Stay tuned.
[Music]
[Music]