| Hoofdstad | name: Colombo (commercial capital); Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (legislative capital) geographic coordinates: 6 55 N, 79 50 E time difference: UTC+5.5 (10.5 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) etymology: Colombo may derive from the Sinhala "kolon thota," meaning "port on the river" (referring to the Kelani River that empties into the Indian Ocean at Colombo); alternatively, the name may derive from the Sinhala "kola amba thota" meaning "harbor with mango trees"; it is also possible that the Portuguese named the city after Christopher COLUMBUS, who lived in Portugal for many years (as Cristovao COLOMBO) before discovering the Americas for the Spanish crown in 1492 - not long before the Portuguese made their way to Sri Lanka in 1505; Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte translates as "Resplendent City of Growing Victory" in Sinhala |
| Onafhankelijkheid dag | 4 Februari 1948 (from the UK) |
| Nationale feestdag | Independence Day (National Day), 4 Februari (1948) |
| Grondwet | history: several previous; latest adopted 16 Augustus 1978, certified 31 Augustus 1978 amendments: proposed by Parliament; passage requires at least two-thirds majority vote of its total membership, certification by the president of the republic or the Parliament speaker, and in some cases approval in a referendum by absolute majority of valid votes; amended many times, last in 2015; note - deliberations by a constitutional assembly tasked with revising the constitution in Maart 2016 stalled after the prime minister tabled an experts’ report on proposals for a new constitution in Januari 2019 (2019) |
| Stemmen | 18 jaar; universal |
| uitvoerende macht | chief of state: President Gotabaya RAJAPAKSA (since 18 November 2019); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government; Prime Minister Mahinda RAJAPAKSA (since 21 November 2019) head of government: Gotabaya RAJAPAKSA (elected 16 November, sworn in 18 November 2019) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister elections/appointments: president directly elected by preferential majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 16 November 2019 (next to by held in 2024); prime minister appointed by the president from among members of Parliament for a 5-year term) election results: Gotabaya RAJAPAKSA elected president; percent of vote - Gotabaya RAJAPAKSA (SLPP) 52.2%, Sajith PREMADASA (UNP) 42%, other 5.8% |
Referenties: CIA World Factbook - Tenzij anders vermeld, voor informatie op deze pagina correct is met ingang van 31 december 2019
