Sri Lanka, War, and the scope of this blog

I am so sad because I read this article on terrible fighting in Sri Lanka today.

I am also sad because prior to researching for this blog I had no idea Sri Lanka has such strife and conflict. I feel so, so, so.......American!


I have been thinking about this a lot the last few days, I started this blog strictly to learn where countries were and some basic facts about them. I mean, just getting all that information is overwhelming enough without learning all the political issues and other problems around the world.

I feel sort of glib not discussing The civil war in Sri Lanka at greater length. War is nothing to take lightly. I wish and pray and dream for peace for all!



At the same time, I feel there is a time and a place for different kinds of information. There are international news and politics blogs where people get in depth on these issues. I do not feel I have the knowledge to fairly or accurately e-publish on that information.

Any thoughts from the peanut gallery?

More on Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka has a multi ethnic and multi religious population.


The majority of the people in Sri Lanka are Sinhalese. This ethnic group of is said to have originated in the north-east section of India and later settled to Sri Lanka. They speak Sinhala , an Indo-European language and number approximately 15 million people.

Sinhala written characters

The largest ethnic minority in Sri Lanka are the Tamils. Their language is Tamil and it is a Dravidian based language.

Tamil Celebration

English is spoken by around 10% of the population and 8% speak other languages.

About 70% of the population practices Buddhism.


Other major religions include Hinduism, Christianity and Islam.


The government is officially a republic and the capitol is Colombo.


Sadly, Sri Lanka has been going through some terrible times in regards to religious and cultural freedoms since 1983. Civil war has been active and ever increasing up into the present time. I am going to defer to other sources to provide details. In short, the two largest ethnic groups do not like each other and people have been treating each other horribly...in ways that word cannot do justice.

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is an island in the Indian Ocean southeast of the tip of southern India.

Sri Lanka has a dense population. The island is about the size of West Virginia, but 21,128,773 people live there. Only 1,818,470 people live in West Virginia!


The terrain of Sri Lanka is mostly low, flat to rolling plain and there are mountains in south-central interior.

In Sri Lanka, it is monsoon season 3/4 of the year. They also have the occasional cyclones and tornadoes.


Gutsy and tolerant people must live there!

Don't wander off too far because...

Sri Lanka will be next!

Iceland Fun Facts

Iceland is SUNNY in the summer! Due to the tilt of the earth's axis, the sun shines almost directly on the upper part of the planet, causing 20 hours of sunlight in summer.


11% of Iceland is covered by glaciers. Vatnajokull is Iceland's largest glacier.


In Iceland, they use the traditional way of their people to create surnames; they take their father's first name and place 'son' or 'dottir' after the name. Women in Iceland keep their maiden names when they get married.


The most popular sport in Iceland is outdoor swimming in geothermally heated pools - in any weather!




March first is Beer Day every year in Iceland. That's right, a whole day dedicated to the world's favorite beverage. This celebrated event began on March 1st, 1989, when a 75-year-long prohibition of beer was lifted. Pubs, restaurants, and clubs all around Reykjavik are especially wild this night.


Two days before Lent is known as Bolludagur or "Buns Day." Homes, restaurants and particular bakeries, overflow with delicately made cream puffs or "buns." These "buns" come in all different shapes and sizes, filled with cream, jam, and sometimes drizzled in chocolate.


Children especially love Buns Day because they get to wake up early and try to catch their parents still in bed. If they do, they "beat" them out of bed with their individually made Bolluvondur or "Bun Wands," which are colorfully decorated with strips of paper and gleaming ribbon. The parents are then obligated to give their children one cream puff for every "blow" received.

Wow! Makes one think twice about "Spare the rod, spoil the child".

Thanks Iceland, it's been swell!

Next we will move on to learn about Sri Lanka!

Visiting Iceland

As our visiting Icelandic artist pointed out, Iceland also enjoys an economic boost from tourism.

If you decide to go to Reykjavik:

the largest city in Iceland, you can grab a drink at an ice bar. Yes, a bar made of ice.


Actually, I was surprised to learn that the climate in Iceland is simliar to that in my home of Minneapolis, MN. Actually, Minneapolis gets colder in the winter than Iceland!

Minneapolis:

So I guess you will not have to pack for the worst cold ever.

You can plan to:

Whale watch.

and other outdoorsy things like hiking and puffin watching.

Or you can visit some amazing churches with impressive architecture:

The National Church of Iceland is a Christian denomination that most Icelandic people belong to, though there are smatterings of Catholics and other Christian denominations and beyond.

Of course there are arts activities too:

Guess what they already have in Iceland????

Hydrogen Fuel Vehicles!!!!

They were the first country to have a hydrogen fuel station.

I. Am. Jealous.

The entire country is a geothermal playground. The island sits on two major divergent boundaries, the Iceland Hotspot and the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.

There are several active volcanoes in Iceland plus fjords, geysers and hot springs.

Volcano Eldfell in 1973.

Geology is fun! Thanks Layne Kennedy

They use geothermal power in Iceland too: