Sri Lanka trivia: 46 questions and answers

Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Parliament has met in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital on the eastern edge of Colombo, since 1982. Colombo is the executive and judicial capital.

Ceylon. The country was called Ceylon until 1972, when it became a republic named Sri Lanka. Siam is the old name of Thailand, Burma of Myanmar and Formosa of Taiwan.

Sinhala and Tamil. Sinhala and Tamil are the official languages, and the constitution names English as the link language.

Pidurutalagala. Pidurutalagala, 2,524 m, near Nuwara Eliya, is the highest. Adam's Peak, 2,243 m, is lower but far more famous, and Sigiriya is a rock about 180 m high.

False. False. Sri Lanka is an island with no land borders. India lies across the narrow Palk Strait.

True. True. Sri Lanka drives on the left, like India and the United Kingdom.

True. True. She was sworn in on 21 July 1960 and later served two more terms.

Portugal. Portugal came first, in 1505. The Dutch took over the coasts in the 1650s and the British from 1796.

Kandy. The Kingdom of Kandy was the last. The British entered Kandy in February 1815, and the Kandyan Convention handed it to the British Crown.

1983 to 2009. The civil war lasted from 1983 to 2009, 26 years in all, and ended with the defeat of the LTTE in May 2009.

True. True. The 1931 constitution introduced universal adult suffrage; before it only about 4 percent of the population could vote.

Coconut milk. Kiribath is rice cooked in coconut milk, then flattened and cut into diamond shapes. The name means 'milk rice'.

Kottu roti. Kottu roti is chopped with two metal blades on a griddle; its name comes from the Tamil word for 'chopped'.

The Dutch Burghers. Lamprais comes from the Dutch Burghers; the name comes from the Dutch lomprijst, roughly 'a lump of rice'.

True. True. It is spiced with cardamom and nutmeg, and it is the traditional Eid dessert of Sri Lankan Muslims.

The Sinhala and Tamil New Year. Kavum and kokis are essential treats for the Sinhala and Tamil New Year in mid-April.

True. True. Poya is a Buddhist holiday every full moon; many shops close, and alcohol and meat are not sold.

Tea without milk. Plain tea means tea without milk. It is usually still sweet, so ask for 'adu sīni' if you want less sugar.

False. False. People eat, and pass food and money, with the right hand.

Nuwara Eliya. Nuwara Eliya, at about 1,868 m, was a British hill retreat and was nicknamed 'Little England'.

Negombo. Negombo, about 38 km north of Colombo, has a large Catholic population and many churches, hence 'Little Rome'.

Kashyapa. King Kashyapa, who reigned in the late 5th century, built his palace on the rock and a gateway in the shape of a giant lion.

Kandy. The Temple of the Tooth is in the old royal palace complex of Kandy, and the Esala Perahera procession honours the relic every summer.

False. False. The Portuguese first built it in 1588, and the Dutch greatly strengthened it from 1649.

The Buddha. For Buddhists it is the footprint of the Buddha. Hindus see it as Shiva's, and some Muslims and Christians as Adam's.

False. False. The railway bridge, completed in 1919, is very famous but is not on the World Heritage List.

A sheer cliff. World's End is a sheer cliff with a drop of about 870 m. Baker's Falls, a waterfall, is on the same walking loop.

Serendip. Serendip, from the Persian and Arabic Sarandib, gave English the word serendipity. Taprobane was the ancient Greek name.

Cinnamon. True cinnamon is native to Sri Lanka; its old scientific name, Cinnamomum zeylanicum, refers to Ceylon.

True. True. Sri Lanka beat Australia in the final in Lahore.

Volleyball. Volleyball is the official national sport, even though cricket is by far the most popular.

True. True. Each of the four religions has its own story about the footprint near the summit.

8. Sri Lanka has 8 World Heritage Sites: six cultural, such as Sigiriya and Galle, and two natural, Sinharaja and the Central Highlands.

May you live long. Āyubōwan literally means 'may you live long'. It is used for both hello and goodbye.

Coconut. Pol means coconut, so pol sambol is a coconut relish. Rice is bath, chilli is miris and fish is mālu.

False. False. Heta means tomorrow; yesterday is īye and today is ada.

King coconut. Thæmbili is the king coconut, an orange drinking coconut that is cut open in front of you.

Sthūthiyi. Sthūthiyi means thank you. Āyubōwan is hello, samāvenna is excuse me and kohomada? is how are you?

Særa aduwata. Særa aduwata means 'less strong', so the cook makes it less spicy. Adu sīni means less sugar.

True. True. Vanakkam is the Tamil hello, used especially in the north and east; thank you in Tamil is nandri.

Less sugar. Adu sīni means less sugar. Tea in Sri Lanka is usually served very sweet.

An ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization). Most visitors need an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization), applied for on the official site eta.gov.lk.

False. False. Posing with your back to a Buddha statue is seen as disrespectful, and disrespecting Buddhist images is a serious offence.

December to March. December to March is the dry season on the west and south coasts. The southwest monsoon brings rain there from about May to September, and October and November are often unsettled.

False. False. Drink sealed bottled water, or try a fresh king coconut.

Take off your shoes and hat. Take off your shoes and hat, and cover your shoulders and legs.