General Info - Sri Lanka

Geography of Ceylon

Location

1. On the South East Indian Coastal line just 24 km at the closets point
2. 880 km North of the equator
3. Northern Hemisphere 
4. Lies between the;
•  latitudes  5° & 10° N
• longitudes 79° & 82°E     

Measurement & Size 

1. Maximum length 435 km (268 miles)
North - Point Pedro (9°50' N) & South - Point Dondra (5°55'N)
2. Maximum width 240km (139 miles)
 East - Sangamankanda (81°53 E) & West - Kachchativu (79°31')
3. Size including inland waters is 65,525 km² (25,332 square miles)
4. Size of waters is 1,525 km²
5. National boundary 67,095 km²
6. Length of coastal line is 1,700 km (1,056 miles)

Surface Configuration  

1. Comprises highland massif situated in the south centre
• Surrounded by intermediate zone of upland ridges & valleys at lower elevation
• These 2 sets of topographical features are in many places separated by well marked scarps
(this is why there more than 50 waterfalls when steams descend one to other)
• The intermediate zone surrounded by an outer lower zone of lowlands
• And then coastal fringe consisting of sandbars lagoons and Islands skirts the main Island
• There are 113 islands


2. Highest (elevation) peak is Pidurutalagala at 2,524.13m
• on the highest  @ Southern central midland
3. Second highest peak  Kirigalpotta 2,395m
• 0n South of central highland  
4. Third highest is Totapola Kanda at Haputale 2,357m
• On East of central highlands
5. Fourth highest peak Samanala Kanda 2,243m
• On South West of Central Highlands
6. The core of Central midland plateau is long about 65 km from South to North which consist of Pidurutalagala.
7. North end highest mountain is Knuckles which is 1800m in height
8. Central plateaus southern end mountain range stretch 50 km East West, from the East end Namunukula (2036m) from the West end Adams' Peak (2243m)

Structure Formation & Periods

1. Plate tectonic theory = small fragment of an ancient supper continent
• Broke up about 135 million years ago in to North America, Eurasia and Gondwanaland.
• Which broke up further about 100 million years ago
• Fragments formed a series of blocks;
• Major plates
• Platelets
• They started drifting away from the site of then super continent
• Antarctica to south
• Australia to east
• Madagascar Africa to west
• India Sri Lanka mini plate to north (separated by Palk Strait)
• Continental shelf or Platform
• Not extend beyond 19 km from the present coastal line
• Maximum depth at deepest is 70 meters
• Beyond this there is abrupt drop to more than 900 meters with in 3 km 
2.  85% of the surface lies on Precambrian Strata  which is highly crystalline and non fossiliferous
1. Precambrian age =  4650 million to 700 million years before, where the earth first begun and formation.
2. Jurassic = 206 millions to 144 millions ago, where dinosaurs flourished and bird mammals first appeared
3. Miocene = 24 million to 5 million years ago, where modern ocean currents were established and Antarctica become frozen
4. Quaternary = current to 1.6 millions ago, human domination and characterized the appearance.
3. The rest, North Western region belongs to
1. Jurassic - Thabbowa, Andigama, Pallama
2. Miocene - Jaffna limestone
3. Quaternary - Beach and sand deposits

Highest Mountains of Sri Lanka 

	Name	Height (M)
1	Pidurutalagala	2524
2	Kirigalapotta	2395
3	Totapolakanda	2357
4	Kudahagala	2320
5	Adam's Peak	2243
6	Kikilimana	2240
7	Great Western	2216
8	Hakgala	2170
9	Conical Hill	2166
10	One tree hill	2100
11	Mahakudugala	2100
12	Waterfall point	2074
13	Namunukula	2036
14	Gonmilikanda	2034

Waterfalls of  Sri Lanka

	Name	Height (M)
1	Bambarakanda	263
2	Diyaluma	220
3	Kurunduoya	206
4	Handapa	200
5	Olu	200
6	Mapanana	148
7	Laxpana	129
8	Mahakandura	120
9	Kirindi	110
10	Ramboda	109
11	Ratna	109
12	Galdola	100
13	Nekkavita	100
14	Garandi	100
15	Pundalu oya	100
16	Aberdeen	98
17	Devon	97
18	St' Clair's	80
19	Dunhinda	63
20	Alupola	60

Major Rivers of Sri Lanka

	Name	Length in km
1	Mahaweli Ganga	335
2	Aruvi Aru	164
3	Kala Oya	148
4	Kelani ganga	145
5	Yan Oya	142
6	Dedura Oya	142
7	Walawe ganga	138
8	Maduru Oya	135
9	Maha Oya	134
10	Kalu Ganga	129
11	Kirindi Oya	117
12	Kumbukkan Oya	116
13	Menik ganga	114
14	Gin Ganga	113
15	Mi Oya	109
16	Gal Oya	108

The Great Soil Groups of Sri Lanka 

Soil is formed by the result of sun's heat and the rain, known as weathering. It is says that these soil formation in warm tropical countries are relatively faster than in cool temperature. So the soil are secondary production of solid rocks.
The process of soil formation is indeed very slow and takes few hundred thousand years to arrangement of particular group of soil horizons. It governed by  the climate, kind of parent rock, relief of the land and vegetation in combination with living organism.


Names
Soils are named after when they recognized with their particulars in horizons. Their main characteristics  together with their physical and chemical properties fitted in to the other main soil groups recognized by the scientists all over the world. When the soil does not fit in to the any other soil group founded  then a new soil group is named after it.
Ex: Reddish brown earths of Sri Lanka.


1. There are 14 Great Soil Groups in Sri Lanka

14 Great Soils

	Great Soil	Characteristics	Spread zones
1	Reddish Brown Earth	Most widespread great soil group in the country. No other part of the world found A Horizon - Characteristic Reddish Brown B Horizon - a prominent Quartz Gravel layer of  varying thickness	Mostly in Dry Zone
2	Low Humic Gley Soil	Characterized by wetness and gleying bellow the surface A Horizon - Dark Grayish brown B horizon - Yellowish brown	Dry Zone / Semi Dry intermediate zone
3	Non Calcic Brown Soil	Characteristic by the weathered product of acid rocks A Horizon - Dark Brown to Dark Grayish brown B Horizon - yellowish red to yellowish brown	Dry Zone (Batticaloa & Ampara Districts / Monaragala, Maho & Kurunagala Districts)
4	Red - Yellow Latosols	Both red & yellow latosols are Calcic sub group Red Latosls confined to Jaffna peninsula, striking characteristic is its' great depth over 10m and uniformity down the profile. A horizon - Dark Reddish Brown B Horizon - Dark Red	Distinctively position in coastal regions of north-western, northern & north eastern.
5	Alluvial Soil	Have deposited on flood plains Great variation in texture and drainage	Dry zone - namely those on the broader floodplain of larger rivers.
6	Soils on Old Alluvium	Old Alluvium deposits A Horizon - Dark grayish brown Loamy coarse sand B Horizon - Pale brown subsoil	Dry zone - Maduru oya, Daduru oya, old lower course of Mahaweli river
7	Solodized Solonetz	Marine deposits of tidal flats	Dry or Arid regions near coastal areas
8	Regosols (Sandy)	Very recently formed, transported materials found along the coastal line Yellowish brown sand	North, East and Western coastal
9	Grumusols	Very small extent of total soil Only have A Horizon and C Horizon A Horizon is black /Dark grey consist of a heavy clay montmorrillionite When the soil dries out cracks up to 12cm wide are formed	Former slack water deposits such as Parangi Aru, Pali Aru and Tunukkai area (Near Mannar )
10	Rendzinas	Restricted to the locations where crystalline lime stone is present. Formed on soft lime stone or weathered hard limestone. Surface soil dark brownish black and small limestone fragments are found mixed with the soil.	Low country dry zone. Mid country intermediate zone.(sigiriya Dambulla Habarana)
11	Red - Yellow Podzolic Soils	Most dominated & widespread soils of humid tropics of Asia. There are 3 sub groups found in Sri Lanka Strongly mottled subsoil Soft or hard laterite Prominent or semi prominent A1 Horizon A Horizon - Dark brown to yellowish B Horizon - is variable but usually more than 150 cm in profile. Yellowish red to yellowish brown.	Dominated in wet zone. Also the higher elevations in the wet, semi-wet zone and semi dry zones. Strongly mottled subsoil - semi-wet intermediate zone of Kurunagala district Soft or Hard Laterite - slightly elevated higher grounds of the south-western coastal plain. A1 Horizon - wet grassland vegetation in the higher elevation 2000m of the wet zone. And some areas like 300-1000m by fernland & grassland vegetation.
12	Reddish Brown Latosolic Soil	Physical properties are highly rich A Horizon - various from Radish brown to brown. B Horizon - variable ranging from red to dark radish brown. Profile influenced by crystalline limestone the colour is redder.	Higher elevated land & rainfall between 1900-2500mm in wet-zone. Kandy Plateau and surrounded areas.
13	Immature Brown Loams	Formed from Micaceous rocks. A Horizon - Dark brown to dark grey B Horizon - Lighter and brighter in colour than A Horizon.	Mawanella - Dumbara - Matale Semi-wet mid country bellow 2500mm rainfall.
14	Bog and Half Bog Soil (Peat soil/Organic soils/Muck soils)	30 % organic matter Black to Brownish black muck	West and south-west of the country Fields up lagoons Tidal marshes and flood plains Coastal plain low country wet zone

*Ref -Arjuna'sAtlas of Sri Lanka