Sri Lanka Genealogy

Asia Sri_Lanka

Guide to Sri Lanka ancestry, family history and genealogy parish registers, transcripts, census records, birth records, marriage records, and death records.

Sri Lanka (/sriːˈlɑːŋkə, -ˈlæŋkə/ or Listeni/ʃriː-/;[6][7] śrī laṃkāva, ilaṅkai), known officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island in the northern Indian Ocean off the coast of South East India in South Asia. Until 1972 the country was known as Ceylon (/sɨˈlɒnˌ seɪ-ˌ siː-/), Sri Lanka has maritime borders with India to the northwest and the Maldives to the southwest.

Because of its geographic location and deep harbors Sri Lanka has been of strategic importance from the time of the ancient Silk Road through to World War II. It's soldiers fought as part of the Indian regiments for the western Cause in that great war.

Sri Lanka is an extremely diverse country, home to many religions, ethnicities and languages. Due to its geographical location and as a trade center, it is the home to Sinhalese, Sri Lankan Tamils, Moors, Indian Tamils, Burghers, Malays, Kaffirs and the aboriginal Vedda.

Sri Lanka is a republic and is governed by a presidential system. The capital, Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, is a suburb of the largest city, Colombo. The legal system is patterned largely on Colonial British Law.

Sri Lanka has been from ancient times an important producer of tea, coffee, gemstones, coconuts, rubber, and the native cinnamon. The island contains tropical forests and diverse landscapes with a high amount of biodiversity. It is also becoming, since the end of the civil war, an important location for beach vacations and diving.

Research Tools
Sri Lanka does have a government department for vital statistics and records. This follows: http://www.statistics.gov.lk/

There are a number of good reference sites for Sri Lankan genealogy. Among these are:

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~lkawgw/.

http://en.geneanet.org/pays/research-genealogy-ancestry-Sri%20Lanka-LKA.

http://www.coraweb.com.au/india.htm.

Sri Lanka, Colombo District Dutch Reformed Church Records (FamilySearch Historical Records)

Featured Content
If you are are seeking a birth, marriage and death certificate from Sri Lanka, information will be given on their site.

Jurisdictions
Sri Lanka is divided into 8 provinces.

Note: In October 2006, the Sri Lankan Supreme Court rule voided a presidential directive merging the North and Eastern Provinces. Many have defended the merger as a prerequisite for a negotiated settlement to the ethnic conflict. A parliamentary decision on the issue is pending.

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