Sri Lanka, formerly a British colony called Ceylon, is an island country lying in the Indian Ocean and separated from peninsular India by the Palk Strait. It lies to the south-west of the Bay of Bengal and to the south-east of the Arabian Sea.

The island is roughly triangular with most of the land is flat and rolling. There are mountains in the south-central region.

The island has untouched beaches, timeless ruins, calming temples, welcoming people, oodles of elephants, rolling surf, colonial forts, world-class diving, cheap prices, fun trains, sprawling tea plantations and stunning food.