NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4025
through 4028; there is a Sri Lankan Consulate in New York;

US--Ambassador Marion V. CREEKMORE, Jr.; Embassy at 210 Galle Road,
Colombo 3 (mailing address is P. O. Box 106, Colombo); telephone [94] (1)
448007

_#_Flag: yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two
equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is
a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword and there
is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border
that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two panels

_*_Economy
_#_Overview: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing dominate the economy,
employing about 45% of the labor force and accounting for 26% of
GDP. The plantation crops of tea, rubber, and coconuts provide about 35%
of export earnings. The economy has been plagued by high rates of
unemployment since the late 1970s. Economic growth, which has been
depressed by ethnic unrest, accelerated in 1990 as domestic conditions
began to improve.

_#_GDP: $6.6 billion, per capita $380; real growth rate 4.5% (1990
est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 23% (1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: 20% (1990 est.)

_#_Budget: revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion,
including capital expenditures of $0.5 billion (1990)

_#_Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--tea, textiles and garments, petroleum products,
coconut, rubber, agricultural products, gems and jewelry, marine
products;

partners--US 26%, FRG, Japan, UK, Belgium, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China

_#_Imports: $2.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989);

commodities--food and beverages, textiles and textile materials,
petroleum, machinery and equipment;

partners--Japan, Saudi Arabia, US 5.6%, India, Singapore, FRG, UK,
Iran

_#_External debt: $5.6 billion (1989)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 6% (1989 est.); accounts for
18% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 1,300,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced,
240 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other
agricultural commodities; cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco,
clothing

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 26% of GDP and nearly half of labor
force; most important staple crop is paddy rice; other field
crops--sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseeds, roots, spices; cash
crops--tea, rubber, coconuts; animal products--milk, eggs, h