What was the ethnic composition of Sri Lanka?
Answer:
- The major social groups of Sri Lanka are: the Sinhala speakers (74 per cent) and the Tamil
speakers (18 per cent). - Among Tamils there are two sub-groups: Tamil natives of the country are called ‘Sri Lankan Tamils’ and the rest, whose forefathers came from India as plantation workers during colonial period are called ‘Indian Tamils’.
- Sri Lankan Tamils are concentrated in the north and east of the country.
- Most of the Sinhala-speaking people are Buddhists, while most of the Tamils are Hindus or Muslims. There are about 7 per cent Christians who are both Tamils and Sinhalas.