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The '''Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka''' (formerly '''Ceylon''') is a pear-shaped island off of the southern coast of [[India]], which obtained its independence from Great Britain in 1948. Sri Lanka has a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] majority, and the Tamils are the main ethnic minority, and they have been fighting for independence. The Muslims comprise a smaller minority.

The '''Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka''' (formerly '''Ceylon''') is a pear-shaped island off of the southern coast of [[India]], which obtained its independence from Great Britain in 1948. Sri Lanka has a [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] majority, and the Tamils (who are mostly based in India) are the main ethnic minority. For many years until their defeat in 2009 the Tamils led a civil war demanding independence. The Muslims comprise a smaller minority.

==Population==

==Population==

'''Tamils'''  who practice the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] religion and dominate the northern part of the island; they have been fighting for their own independence.<ref>http://www.conservapedia.com/World_History_Lecture_Thirteen</ref> When the British set up plantations after 1829 they brought over half a million laborers from nearby south India. From the 1820s through the 1880s these Tamils worked as seasonal harvesters on the coffee plantations. After 1880 tea was subsequently introduced which required year-round tending and could absorb family labor. The Indian plantation workers lived in isolated villages on hilltops, spoke a different language (Tamil), and practiced Hinduism, a religion different from the Buddhism of the native Sinhalese.  

 

'''Tamils'''  who immigrated from nearby parts of India and practice the [[Hinduism|Hindu]] religion, dominate the northern part of the island; they demanded their own independence. When the British set up plantations after 1829 they brought over half a million laborers from nearby south India. From the 1820s through the 1880s these Tamils worked as seasonal harvesters on the coffee plantations. After 1880 tea was subsequently introduced which required year-round tending and could absorb family labor. The Indian plantation workers lived in isolated villages on hilltops, spoke a different language (Tamil), and practiced Hinduism, a religion different from the Buddhism of the native Sinhalese.  

'''Veddas''' are the aborigines of '''Sri Lanka''', some still live in a wild state, they are extant between [[Kandy]] and the East coast.<ref>{{Nuttall|Veddas}}</ref>

'''Veddas''' are the aborigines of '''Sri Lanka''', some still live in a wild state, they are extant between [[Kandy]] and the East coast.<ref>{{Nuttall|Veddas}}</ref>

==History==

==History==