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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(70%), and the Tamils (who are mostly based in India) are the main ethnic minority. Muslims comprise a smaller minority, at about 10%. About 8% of Sri Lankans are Christian, most of whom are [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]]. The remaining roughly 13% are [[Hinduism|Hindu]]. For many years until their defeat in 2009 the Tamils led a civil war demanding independence. The Muslims comprise a smaller minority.
==Population==