Sri Lanka...naturally!

GEOGRAPHIC CONTEXT & OVERVIEW

Located in Southern Asia, to the southeast of India, Sri Lanka lies in a strategic location near the major Indian Ocean sea lanes. With a total area of 65,610 km² of which 64,740 km² is land and 870 km² is water, it has a coastline of 1,340 kms.

AN OVERVIEW:

LAND:

• Sri Lanka has a terrain of mostly low, flat to rolling plains and mountains in the south-central interior.
• Arable land: 13.96%
• Permanent crops: 15.24%
• Other: 70.8% (2005)
• Irrigated land: 5,700 km² (2003)

RAINFALL and WATER:

The typical climate of Sri Lanka includes tropical monsoons: the Northeast Monson (Dec-March) and Southwest Monsoon (June-Dec).

·         Total renewable water resources: 52.8 cubic km

OTHER NATURAL RESOURCES

The other core natural resources of Sri Lanka include:

• limestone
• graphite
• mineral sands
• gems
• phosphates
• clay
• hydropower

Natural hazards: occasional hurricanes and tornadoes.

Environmental issues: deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution specially in Colombo.

NATURAL RESOURCES:

• Land
• Water
• Climatic influences
• Flora
• Fauna
• Precious stones
• Waterfalls
• Bibliography & references

LAND

The plate tectonics theory suggests that the rocks of Sri Lanka and most of South India were a part of a single southern landmass called Gondwanaland. Beginning 200 million years ago, forces within the Earth's mantle began separating the lands of the Southern hemisphere and a crustal plate supporting both India and Sri Lanka moved towards the north east colliding million years later with the Asian landmass resulting in the rise of the Himalayas in North India, advancing slowly to the present time. The northwest coast is part of the deep Kaveri River Basin of southeast India, which has been collecting limestone sediments from the highlands since the breakup of the Gondwanaland.

The current metamorphic rocky surface of Sri Lanka was created by all the transformation under heat and pressure during this mountain building process.

Landscape:

Sri Lanka is endowed with industrial mineral resources that include apatite, calcite, clay, dolomite, feldspar, graphite, ilmenite, kaolin, mica, quartz, rutile, silica sand, and zircon. Graphite and mineral sands (mostly monazite) are mainly exported.

Graphite - Sri Lanka

Mineral sands - Sri Lanka

The coastline of Sri Lanka is approximately 1,600 km long and hosts a number of interrelated coastal ecosystems, including bays, beaches, dunes, estuaries, lagoons and tidal flats.

Found within in these are a range of habitats such as mangroves, coral reefs. These coastal areas support a range of nationally important economic activities including tourism, fisheries and port developments.

Sri Lankan Coral Reef

Sri Lanka - Mangrove

Granite:

Granite, found in abundance in Sri Lanka, tell a story of gigantic pressures, the searing heat of the earth's core, and its violent birth in the volcanic eruptions of bygone millennia, bringing grace to the gardens, homes, palaces and temples of Sri Lanka's ancient royalty and add to them a timeless and lasting beauty that has survived for centuries.

Sri Lanka has four major types of granite deposits (granite proper, gneissose granite, regmatite and graphic granite) in substantial amounts, suitable for processing into cut and polished stones. The colour, grain structure, hardness and strength of Sri Lankan granite is suitable for the international market.

TOPOGRAPHY

There are three topographical zones of Sri Lanka:

        1.       The coastal belt

        2.       the plains

        3.       The Central Highlands

The Central Highlands are the heart of the country. The core of this area is a high plateau, approximately 65kilometers, the highest mountains, Pidurutalagala at 2524m. With an abrupt transition between the Central Highlands and mountains, the plain is flat, dissected by long, narrow ridges of granite running from the Central Highlands.

WATER : Rivers of Sri Lanka

The rivers of Sri Lanka rise in the Central Highlands and flow towards the sea in a radial pattern. There are 16 principal rivers longer than 100kms in length, the longest being Mahaweli Ganga (335km) and Aruvi Aru (170km) in the highlands, with 12 of them carrying about 75% of the mean river discharge of the entire country.

Discontinuities in terrain, frequently break river courses where we encounter escarpments, waterfalls and rapids eroding a passage from where they enter the plains. Once there, the flow of rivers slow down and the water meanders across plains and deltas. While upper reaches of rivers are wild and usually not navigable, lower reaches are prone to seasonal flooding.

Harnessing the hydro-power to generate electricity, for irrigation and transportation, has altered the natural flow patterns of these rivers to feed various artificial lakes and reservoirs to suffice during the dry seasons.

CLIMATIC INFLUENCES

Temperature:

With a hot, tropical, climate, the weather of Sri Lanka is moderated by ocean winds and considerable moisture. The temperature ranges from 16 °C (60.8 °F) to 32 °C (89.6 °F) with an average yearly temperature of the country as a whole ranging from 28 to 30 °C (82.4 to 86.0 °F). January is the coolest month, especially in the highlands, where overnight temperatures may fall to 5 °C (41 °F). May, the hottest period, precedes the summer monsoon rains.

Rainfall:

Influenced by monsoon winds of the Indian Ocean and Bay of Bengal, the rainfall patterns of Sri Lanka are marked by four seasons.

1.       Mid-May to October

Winds originate in the southwest, bringing moisture from the Indian Ocean. When these winds encounter the slopes of the Central Highlands, they unload heavy rains on the mountain slopes and the southwestern sector of the island. Some of the windward slopes receive up to 2,500 mm (98.4 in) of rain per month, but the leeward slopes in the east and northeast receive little rain.

2.       October-November: the inter-monsoonal months

During this season, periodic squalls occur and sometimes tropical cyclones bring overcast skies and rains to the southwest, northeast, and eastern parts of the island.

3.       December-March

Monsoon winds come from the northeast, bringing moisture from the Bay of Bengal. The northeastern slopes of the mountains may be inundated with up to 1,250 mm (49.2 in) of rain during these months.

4.       March-mid-May: inter-monsoonal period with light, variable winds and evening thundershowers.

Other climatic patterns:

Humidity is typically higher in the southwest and mountainous areas and depends on the seasonal patterns of rainfall.

Zonal divisions on basis of rainfall:

Wet zone comprise of the mountains and the southwestern part of the country with ample rainfall (an annual average of 2500 millimeters).

Dry zone comprise of most of the southeast, east, and northern parts of the country with between 1200 and 1900 mm of rain annually.

The arid northwest and southeast coasts receive the least amount of rain—600 to 1200 mm per year—concentrated within the short period of the winter monsoon.

FLORA

In the dry zone:

The natural vegetation of the dry zone has adapted to the annual change from flood to drought. The typical ground cover is scrub forest, interspersed with tough bushes and cactuses in the driest areas. Among trees of the dry-land forests are some valuable species like satinwood, ebony, ironwood and mahogany.

To conserve water trees have:

·         thick bark

·         tiny leaves

·         the topmost branches of the tallest trees often interlace forming a canopy against the hot sun and a barrier to the dry wind

A unique location in the dry zone, the untapped genetic potential of Sinharaja flora is enormous. Of the 211 woody trees and lianas within the reserve, 139 (66%) are endemic. The total vegetation density, including trees, shrubs, herbs and seedlings, has been estimated at 240,000 individuals per hectare.

In the wet zone:

The southwestern interior contains the only large remnants of the original forests of the wet zone. The dominant vegetation of the lowlands is a tropical evergreen forest with characteristics like:

·         tall trees

·         broad foliage

·         a dense undergrowth of vines and creepers.

FAUNA

Lying within the Indomalaya ecozone, Sri Lanka is one of 25 biodiversity hotspots in the world. Although the country is relatively small in size, it has the highest biodiversity density in Asia. A remarkably high proportion of the species among its flora and fauna, 27% of the 3,210 flowering plants and 22% of the mammals are endemic. Sri Lanka has declared 24 wildlife reserves, which are home to a wide range of native species such as Asian elephants, leopards, sloth bears, the unique small loris, a variety of deer, the purple-faced langur, the endangered wild boar, porcupines and Indian pangolins. The Sri Lankan elephant is one of three recognised subspecies of the Asian elephant.

Along with that, many species of fish, shrimps and crabs spend a part of their life in the shelter of mangroves and sea-grass beds supporting a multimillion fisheries industry in the lagoon and along the coast. Both the marsh and lagoons house numerous plant and animal species, of which many are rare or endemic.

Sri Lanka - Fishermen

The protected estuarine crocodile reproduces here, large numbers of migratory birds come here for resting and feeding, and the area is known for its beautiful butterflies, of which the caterpillars feed on the abundant (mostly medicinal) plants. The Sri Lankan leopard (Panthera pardus kotiya) is an endangered subspecies of leopard native to Sri Lanka.

Estuarine crocodile

Sri Lankan Leopard

National parks and reserves:

Yala National Park in the southeast protects herds of elephant, deer, and peacocks. 

Yala National Park

The Wilpattu National Park in the northwest, the largest national park, preserves the habitats of many water birds such as storks, pelicans, ibis, and spoonbills. 

The island has four biosphere reserves: Bundala, Hurulu Forest Reserve, the Kanneliya-Dediyagala-Nakiyadeniya, and Sinharaja. Of these, Sinharaja forest reserve is home to 26 endemic birds and 20 rainforest species, including the elusive red-faced malkoha, the green-billed coucal and the Sri Lanka blue magpie. Sri Lanka is home to over 250 types of resident birds. It has declared several bird sanctuaries including Kumana.

PRECIOUS STONES

In Sri Lanka as in most other countries, the value of stone has been recognised and there is evidence of stone work which dates back to centuries ago. The seemingly endless supply of gemstones have given Sri Lanka the name: “Jewel Box of the Indian Ocean”

Four million tons of heavy mineral sands (grades of over 60% heavy mineral) are available in Pulmoddai. This deposit rates among the best known in the world, especially due to its heavy mineral contents of between 60% to 70%.

Other precious elements include:

    
• Gold near Kabitigollawa/Ranbewa,
• Copper near Tamankaduwa east of the Mahaweli Ganga,
• precious Gemstone near Elahera/Angamedilla,
• Silver near Ridi Vihara,
• Pearls in the Kalpity Bay (usual white pearls along with the rarer silver-gray, obsidian, green and even black pearls)
• large bright Blue Gems like flax flowers near Vavunikulam.
• Sapphires: in all hues of blue, as well as yellow, violet, green, pink, and the remarkable pinkish-orange “padparadsha.” 
• Topaz in bright yellow with a reddish tinge; brownish yellow to cinnamon-colored grossular; orange-yellow spessartine; blood-red pyrope; red to brownish red almandine;
• The finest zircon in the world in a broad spectrum including brown, yellow, orange, green, and colorless (known locally as ‘Matara diamond’– a misnomer); 
• The unique white translucent variety of microcline with a blue sheen known as moonstone
• And many more unusual stones from Ratanapura and surrounding areas including sillimanite, andalusite, scapolite, enstatite, kornerupine, diopside, and sinhalite.

Ratanapura

Ratanapura

WATERFALLS

Due to the geological formation of Sri Lanka, the central highlands are surrounded by peneplains, plateaus and valleys. Rainfall sends a large volume of water hurtling down the precipitous edges of the highland mass. The up thrust millions of years ago has caused several peneplains to form, the highest being well over 6000 ft. It is in this area that the water is collected when there are showers and flows down along tributaries down the mountain slopes.

What I found most interesting while researching the topic were the stories revolving around these and would love to end with some of these.

The waterfall Duvili Ella is a sight because unlike other waterfalls what you see is a misty cascade of droplets in a sheer veil of shimmering light. That is why it is called Duvili Ella - dust-like waterfall.

Duvili Ella - 'dust-like' waterfall

Ravana Ella is connected with Ravana mythology and Sita is said to have bathed here while she was held prisoner by Ravana. The water cascades down in three stages for 9 metres and then meanders along.

Ravana falls

The Dunhinda Falls are connected with the romantic episode of a Princess Manik Bandara who fled with her commoner lover. They leapt from the top of this waterfall pledging their eternal love. The Dunhinda cascades down in a beautiful stream of water which vaporises as it falls, hence its name.

Dunhinda ella

And on that note, I move on to the next post: The Natural Resources and more about Iraq.

Bibliography and references:

·         Wikipedia

·        Google

·        Times, 1997

·        'Pearling' in the Gulf of Mannar - Derrick Schokman

·        'Pearl - Queen of Gems' - Vimukthi Fernando

·        Virtual Library Sri Lanka