Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka—officially, the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka—is an island country in South Asia with an estimated population of 21.2 million (according to a 2016 census). While many religions such as Hinduism, Islam, and Christianity thrive in Sri Lanka, Buddhism is the most practiced religion in the country. English, Sinhala, and Tamil are the official languages of Sri Lanka. [Page 1666]Media have shaped the political and cultural economy of the country and have often been used as an ideological tool since the British colonization of the country in 1796. This entry details the development of media in Sri Lanka during the colonial and postcolonial eras.