Sri Lanka

Tapered Stone Bollards

Short, wide stone bollards can indicate Sri Lanka. They have a tapered shape with a black base and a white top.

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Plates Front and Back

License plates are present on both the front and back of the vehicle.

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Shared Regional Signposts

Such signposts are also found in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, and Malaysia within South and Southeast Asia.

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Striped Signposts

Sri Lanka commonly uses black and white striped signposts.

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Sinhala and Tamil Signs

Bilingual Sinhala and Tamil signs are not uncommon even outside Tamil-predominant areas. Tamil-only signage can strongly indicate a Tamil-majority area.

Scripts in Sri Lanka

In Sri Lanka, two scripts appear on signs: Sinhala and Tamil. English also sometimes appears in Latin script.

Tamil Script Pattern

Tamil script is strongly correlated with the distribution of Hinduism in Sri Lanka. Not all Tamils are Hindu, and Hinduism is not limited to Tamils.

Small Roads

Most small roads have no road lines.

Road Line Colors

Outside road lines are yellow, and inside road lines are white.

Roof-Rack Coverage Car

A car with this front and a roof rack is a clue for Sri Lanka. Similar coverage in Ghana can show a similar front, but without this roof rack detail it is less specific.

Tiled House Roofs

Houses often have orange or red tiled roofs. With wear and tear, these tiles can take on an almost brown tint.

Religions by Region

Sri Lanka has four main religions. Their regional distribution can help with region-guessing when a house of worship or another religion-associated symbol is visible.

Bulky Tuk-Tuks

A common tuk-tuk style in Sri Lanka has a bulky shape and a black roof. These tuk-tuks are usually green, yellow, or red, though other colours also appear.

Tea Plantation Areas

Tea plantations are found in the central and southwestern parts of Sri Lanka. They are most common in the area just west of Nuwara Eliya.

Dry-Zone Vegetation

In the drier parts of Sri Lanka, vegetation is often lower and more open. The landscape usually shows a mix of brown and green tones.

Not Truly Arid

Sri Lanka’s landscape never truly gets downright arid. Seasonal conditions, local forest cover, and coverage type can affect how dry the vegetation appears.

Wet Southwestern Vegetation

Southwestern Sri Lanka has a wetter climate with lush, dense vegetation. Deep green tones dominate the landscape there.

Common Palm Trees

Palm trees are very common in Sri Lanka.

Lush Green Vegetation

Sri Lanka has very lush, green vegetation. Many parts are covered in a patchwork of agricultural fields.

Garden Street Suffix

The street suffix “Gardens” appears as “Garden.”

Mawatha Suffix

"Mawatha" appears as a street suffix.

Street Suffix

The street suffix “Place” appears as “Place.”

Open Highland Grassland

Horton Plains National Park has hilly plains covered in long grass. Forests are visible in the distance, while many roads pass through a wide open landscape.

Tea Shrubs

Tea plants appear as small, compact shrubs with bright green leaves. They are usually planted in organised rows or clusters on hillsides.

Hindu Areas

Hinduism is predominantly found in the north and parts of the east. It is also found around Nuwara Eliya in the central mountains.

Central-Southern Highlands

Hills and mountains are strongly concentrated in the central-southern part of Sri Lanka.

Concrete Utility Poles

Sri Lanka typically uses concrete utility poles. Two pole types are common and distinctive.

Buddhist Religious Signs

Sri Lanka is majority Buddhist, with 70% of the population practising this religion. Across the country, signs of Buddhism include temples, Buddha statues, stupas, and the Buddhist flag.

French-Flag Car Blur

In much of the Generation 3 coverage, the front of the Google car can be partially visible through the blur. It appears as blue, white, and red patches, with the red patch usually standing out most clearly.

Drives on the Left

Sri Lanka drives on the left side of the road.

Country Domain

Sri Lanka uses the country domain .ලංකා.

Sri Lankan Tamils

Native Sri Lankan Tamils predominantly live in the north and the east.

Indian Tamils

Indian Tamils mostly live in and around the central Nuwara Eliya district in Sri Lanka.

Buddhism Distribution

Buddhism is found in most of Sri Lanka. It is mostly absent from the north and some parts of the east coast.

Islam on the East Coast

Islam is strongest on Sri Lanka’s east coast, but it is not a majority in any district.

Christianity in the Northwest

In Sri Lanka, Christianity is mostly confined to the northwest. It is strongest around Mannar.

10-Digit Phone Numbers

Sri Lankan telephone numbers have 10 digits.

Landline Area Codes

For landline numbers, the first three digits are the area code. The area code always starts with 0, and the other two digits are shown on the map.

Mobile Number Prefix

Mobile phone numbers start with 07. They are not associated with any particular region.

Ari Camera Coverage

Sri Lanka may appear with a low-quality Ari camera. It is associated with a wide circular car blur and often somewhat brownish colours.

Religious Minorities

Sri Lanka has substantial religious minorities: Hinduism 13%, Islam 10%, and Christianity 7%. These religions also show strong regional distribution patterns.

Reddish Soil

Many parts of Sri Lanka have reddish soil.

White Sandy Soil

Less commonly, white sandy soil may be encountered in Sri Lanka.

Rural Road Markings

Rural roads often have outside lines but no middle lines. In the absence of other clues, this can sometimes help decide a tough 50-50.

Sri Lankan Waystones

Tall white concrete waystones with an indented section near the bottom that contains a yellow road number are unique to Sri Lanka.

Square Poles

Square poles may have small pinholes in the sides, limited to the top part of the pole.

Holey Utility Poles

Look for poles with large see-through holes in the lower half. These “holey poles” are unique to Sri Lanka.

Square Pole Pinholes

Square poles with small pinholes can appear very similar to those in Thailand. In Thailand, the pinholes extend all the way to the bottom of the pole.

Sinhala Script

Sinhala is the most common language and can be found throughout the country. Its script has a very curvy, rounded look.

Tamil Script Note

Tamil is more regionally limited. It has straighter lines.

Sinhala and Tamil

Sinhala is unique to Sri Lanka. Tamil is also found in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.

Normal Height Camera

Sri Lanka’s Generation 3 coverage uses a normal-height camera.

Vehicle Plate Colors

Vehicles in Sri Lanka have long white front plates and short yellow rear plates.

LK Domain

Sri Lanka uses the country domain .lk.

Country Domain

Sri Lanka uses the country domain .இலங்கை.