Veronica Brown, age 16, of Utica, N.Y., for her question:
HOW OLD IS SRI LANKA?
Sri Lanka is an island country in the Indian Ocean that is located about 20 miles off the southeastern coast of India. Formerly called Ceylon, the almost 300 mile long island has a history that goes back to about 500 B.C. Sri Lanka, however, has only been a republic since 1972.
The Vanddahs, a wandering people, were the first inhabitants. Then about 500 B.C., a prince from northern India named Vijaya invaded the island and founded the Sinhalese dynasty.
European control of the island began in the 1500s. The Portuguese landed in Colombo, the capital, in 1505 and ruled most of the island until the Dutch took control in 1656.
British forces captured the country in 1796 and made it a crown colony in 1802. The British planted the first rubber trees and developed rubber plantations. The country gained self government gradually during the 1900s and became an independent dominion in the Commonwealth of Nations on Feb. 4, 1948.
Sri Lanka has six distinct groups of people: Sinhalese, Tamils, Moors, Burghers, Malays and Veddahs. The Sinhalese make about three fourths of the population. Their language is called Sinhala and most of them are Buddhists. They descended from northern Indian people.
About a fifth of the population are Tamils, descendants of people who came from southern India. The Tamils are Hindus and speak Tamil, a southern Indian language.
Trouble arose between the Tamils and Sinhalese during the 1950s. There was a proposal to make Sinhala the official language. Tamils demanded that Tamil also be an official language. The government made Sinhala the official language in 1956. Rioting broke out in 1958. Compromises later made Tamil official in many areas.
There was political trouble during the late 1960s and early 19708. Army and police forces put down a revolt in 1972, the country adopted a new constitution and became the Republic of Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka is a land of rich tropical plant life. It has been famous for its spices and precious stones for more than 2,000 years. It ranks second only to India in tea production and is one of the world's leading rubber producers.
Most Sri Lankans live in villages and work on farms or plantations. They live in homes that have mud walls and thatched roofs.
Most of the women wear saris, which are straight pieces of cloth draped around the body as long dresses, or camboys. Camboys are sarong type skirts and blouses. Most of the men wear sarongs, which are garments wrapped around the waist to form long skirts, and long collarless shirts. Some men in the cities wear European style clothing.
Tea accounts for about two thirds of the country's exports and rubber for about a sixth. Coconut palms and rice grow well in the coastal plains. But Sri Lanka has to import large quantities of rice to meet its food requirements.
In 1960, Sirimavo Bandaranaike became the world's first woman prime minister.