different animals in the family.
Squirrels live on all continents except
Australia and Antarctica. Tree squirrels
make their homes in trees. Ground
squirrels live in burrows, or holes, under
prairies, deserts, and fields.
The 10 arms of a reef squid are arranged
in a circle around its mouth.
The Eurasian red squirrel is a common
squirrel of Europe and Asia.
172 Squirrel BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
Squirrels are small. The African pygmy
squirrels are the smallest. They are only
about 4 inches (10 centimeters) long.
The largest are the giant squirrels of
Asia. They can be 36 inches (90 centimeters)
long and weigh 6.5 pounds (3
kilograms). Most squirrels have large
eyes and short fur.
Squirrels are known for their quick
movements. Tree squirrels can make
great leaps between branches. Flying
squirrels can glide through the air by
leaping and then spreading out the flaps
of skin that connect their front and hind
legs. The skin acts like a parachute.
Some flying squirrels can glide almost
1,500 feet (450 meters).
Squirrels have four large front teeth.
These teeth are used for gnawing. They
grow throughout the animal’s life.
Squirrels eat mostly plants, including
berries and tree bark. Most squirrels eat
a lot of seeds and nuts. Tree squirrels
bury nuts in the ground to eat later.
Most tree squirrels are active year-round.
But many ground squirrels spend the
winter in their burrows in a state of
inactivity called hibernation.
Some squirrels are considered pests
because they eat farm crops. Others
carry diseases. Some squirrels are hunted
for their fur. People also eat squirrel
meat.
..More to explore
Chipmunk • Groundhog • Hibernation
• Prairie Dog • Rodent
Sri
Jayewardenepura
Kotte
Population
(2004 estimate)
120,800
Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is one of the
two capitals of Sri Lanka, an island
country in the Indian Ocean. It is where
Sri Lanka’s lawmakers and highest court
meet. It is a suburb of Colombo, Sri
Lanka’s other capital. The offices of the
country’s president and prime minister
are in Colombo.
Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte was originally
named Kotte. The city dates back to the
1300s. The rulers of the Sinhalese
people built their capital at Kotte in
1415. In 1565 the Sinhalese moved their
capital to Colombo.
Colombo later became the capital of Sri
Lanka. In the 1980s the Sri Lankan government
was running out of office space
in Colombo. Officials then began developing
Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte as
another capital. Some of the government
offices were moved there.
..More to explore
Colombo • Sri Lanka
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte 173
Sri Lanka
The country of Sri Lanka occupies a
pear-shaped island in the Indian Ocean.
It was once a British colony known as
Ceylon. Sri Lanka has two capitals,
Colombo and Sri Jayewardenepura
Kotte.
Geography
Sri Lanka lies about 18 miles (29 kilometers)
from the southeastern tip of
India. The waterway separating Sri
Lanka from India is called the Palk
Strait.
Flat or hilly plains make up most of Sri
Lanka’s land. There are high mountains
and deep river valleys in the southcentral
part of the country. The longest
river is the Mahaweli.
Because Sri Lanka is near the equator, it
has warm weather year-round. The
southwest receives heavy rainfall. The
rest of the island is much drier.
Plants and Animals
The wet areas of Sri Lanka have tropical
evergreen forests. Trees that shed their
leaves grow in the drier regions. The
driest areas have thorny shrubs and
other plants that can survive without
much water.
Leopards, bears, wild pigs, elephants,
peacocks, and monkeys live in the forests.
The government has created a number
of national parks to protect the
country’s wildlife.
People
The Sinhalese people make up nearly
three fourths of the population. They
speak the Sinhala language and practice
Buddhism. Tamils form the next-largest
group. They speak Tamil, a language
also spoken in southern India. The
Tamils practice Hinduism, the main
The stilt fishers of Sri Lanka catch fish in
shallow water while clinging to a pole.
174 Sri Lanka BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
religion of India. Muslims, who are also
called Moors, make up Sri Lanka’s third
major group. They follow Islam and
mostly speak Tamil. Many Sri Lankans
also speak English. Most people live in
villages.
Economy
Services—including telecommunications,
insurance, and banking—have
become key parts of Sri Lanka’s
economy. Manufacturing and mining
are also important. Sri Lanka produces
clothing, tea, rubber products, processed
foods, tobacco, and chemicals. The
country mines graphite (which is used to
make pencils) and gems.
Many Sri Lankans grow rice and other
crops to feed their families. Tea, rubber
trees, and coconuts are grown on large
farms called plantations.
History
The first people on the island were the
Vedda. In about the 400s BC they began
to mix with settlers from India. The
island’s people came to be known as the
Sinhalese. They later built an advanced
Buddhist civilization. Beginning in the
AD 900s Tamil invaders from India
pushed the Sinhalese to the southwest.
In the 1300s the Tamils set up a kingdom
in the north.
European Control
