Sri Lanka

Seasonal calendar — from climate data and curated definitions.

UNESCO World Heritage sites in this country.

• Sacred City of Kandy

  1988Cultural

  ©

  Kandy is a major city located in the Central Province of Sri Lanka. It was the last capital of the Sinhalese monarchy from 1469 to 1818, under the Kingdom of Kandy. The city is situated in the midst of hills in the Kandy plateau. Kandy is the administrative capital of the Central Province, and considered as the cultural capital of Sri Lanka, due to its architectural heritage. Kandy is the home of the Temple of the Tooth Relic, one of the most important places of the Buddhist world. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1988. Historically the local Buddhist rulers resisted Portuguese, Dutch, and British colonial expansion and occupation.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Sacred City of Anuradhapura

  1982Cultural

  ©

  Anuradhapura is a major city located in the north central plain of Sri Lanka. It is the capital city of North Central Province and the capital of Anuradhapura District. The city lies 205 kilometres (127 mi) north of the current capital of Colombo in the North Central Province, on the banks of the historic Malwathu Oya. The city is now a World Heritage Site famous for its well-preserved ruins of the ancient Sinhalese civilisation.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Ancient City of Sigiriya

  1982Cultural

  

  Sigiriya or Sinhagiri is an ancient rock fortress located in the northern Matale District near the town of Dambulla in the Central Province, Sri Lanka. It is a site of historical and archaeological significance that is dominated by a massive column of granite approximately 180 m (590 ft) high.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Ancient City of Polonnaruwa

  1982Cultural

  ©

  Poḷonnaruwa, also referred as Pulathisipura and Vijayarajapura in ancient times, is the main town of Polonnaruwa District in North Central Province, Sri Lanka. The modern town of Polonnaruwa is also known as New Town, and the other part of Polonnaruwa remains as the royal ancient city of the Kingdom of Polonnaruwa.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Sinharaja Forest Reserve

  1988Natural

  ©

  Sinharaja Forest Reserve is the last virgin Rainforest left in Sri Lanka. Home to many rare endemic flora and fauna, it has been designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Rangiri Dambulla Cave Temple

  1991Cultural

  ©

  Dambulla cave temple, also known as the Golden Temple of Dambulla, is a World Heritage Site (1991) in Sri Lanka, situated in the central part of the country. This site is situated 148 kilometres (92 mi) east of Colombo, 72 kilometres (45 mi) north of Kandy and 43 kilometres (27 mi) north of Matale.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Central Highlands of Sri Lanka

  2010Natural

  ©

  Central Highlands of Sri Lanka is a recognised World Heritage Site in Sri Lanka. The site comprises the Peak Wilderness Protected Area, the Horton Plains National Park and the Knuckles Conservation Forest. These are rain forests and montane cloud forests where the elevation reaches 2,500 metres (8,200 ft) above sea level. The region harbors a variety of mammal species including the bear monkey, Trachypithecus vetulus monticola, and the critically endangered [possibly extinct] Horton Plains slender loris, Loris tardigradus nycticeboides,.

  Text: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA)
• Old Town of Galle and its Fortifications

  1988Cultural

  ©