Sri Lanka is an island country in the Indian Ocean. There are also a number of smaller islands around Sri Lanka, most abundantly in the north and eastern parts of the islands. The most prominent islets are west of the Jaffna Peninsula in the Northern Province. Many of these islands were given Dutch names during the Dutch colonial period, only a few of these names are still in use today.[1]
Sri Lanka has a total area of 65,610 km2, with 64,740 km2 of land and 870 km2 of water, and a coastline that is 1,340 km long. The main island of Sri Lanka has an area of 65,268 km2 and is the 25th largest island in the world by area.[2] Dozens of offshore islands account for the remaining 342 km2 of area.