How to Distinguish
- Country-code top-level domain is .lk
- Signage features Sinhala (සිංහල) and Tamil (தமிழ்)
- Rear license plates are yellow
- Many signposts use poles painted with black-and-white stripes
- White-and-black curb blocks line waterways and intersections (by plonk it )
- Some coverage shows a blue-white-red Google car (by Geotips )
- Utility poles often have rectangular cut-outs and oversized coils
Sinhala (සිංහල) and Tamil (தமிழ்) appear together as official languages. Poles with black-and-white striping are also common.
Look for black-and-white curb blocks near canals and intersections. (by plonk it ) Bollards like the one on the left of the photo show up frequently.
Eng.M.Bandara - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, Link
Utility poles may have large openings or square shapes similar to those in Thailand. (Image Source) Oversized electrical coils stand out as well. (by Geotips )
By Ji-Elle - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Sinhala and Tamil are both widely used.
| language-name | writing |
|---|---|
| Japanese | 日本料理レストラン |
| Sinhala | ජපන් අවන්හල |
| Assamese | জাপানীজ ৰেষ্টুৰেণ্ট |
| Kannada | ಜಪಾನೀಸ್ ರೆಸ್ಟೋರೆಂಟ್ |
| Gujarati | જાપાનીઝ રેસ્ટોરન્ટ |
| Tamil | ஜப்பானிய உணவகம் |
| Telugu | జపనీస్ రెస్టారెంట్ |
| Bengali | জাপানি রেস্তোরা |
| Hindi | जापानी रेस्टोरेंट |
| Khmer | ភោជនីយដ្ឋានជប៉ុន |
| Lao | ຮ້ານອາຫານຍີ່ປຸ່ນ |
| Thai | ร้านอาหารญี่ปุ่น |
Look for poles with huge coils. (by Geotips )
Some poles have openings, others are square. Do not assume you are in Thailand just because you see square poles.
Narrow down state/region
- The balance between Sinhala and Tamil can indicate which region you are in.
- Agricultural production is uneven across the island.
- Paddy fields are less common in the southwest (参考文献 USDA)
- Coconut plantations are concentrated in the central-west around Kurunegala, with additional areas along the western coast (参考文献 Distribution of coconut cultivation by districts in Sri Lanka.)
- Tea and rubber thrive along the southwest coast (参考文献 the planter's association of Ceylon)
When shops or official notices display only Sinhala or only Tamil near contact information, it can hint at the local language community. ① Northern tip (Tamil) / ② Southern tip (Sinhala). On the map below, red and brown indicate Tamil-speaking areas, while purple shows Sinhala-speaking regions.
| Japanese | 日本料理レストラン |
| Tamil | ஜப்பானிய உணவகம் |
| Sinhala | ජපන් අවන්හල |
Paddy fields appear more frequently toward the northeast, but they can still be found in many regions, so treat this as supplementary information.
Coconut trees are scattered nationwide, but commercial plantations cluster in the central-west. Apologies for the rough hand-drawn map.
Tea estates are concentrated in the southwest, as noted by plonkit and supporting references. Rubber follows a similar pattern.