CEYLON (Sanskrit simhala, from simha, lion; Latin Taprobane, and Hindu Silan), an island possession and Crown colony of Great Britain, in the Indian Ocean, about 60 miles southeast of the southern ex tremity of Hindustan, from which it is sep arated by the Gulf of Manar and Palk Strait. It lies between lat. 5° 55' and 9° 50' N., and between long. 79° 41' and 81° 54' E., having the shape of a pear, with the broad end south. Length, about 266 miles; average breadth, 100 miles; area, 25,364 square miles. The northern and northwestern coasts are flat and monoto nous, those on the south and east bold and rocky, presenting a highly picturesque appearince, which is further heightened by the exuberant vegetation, the noble palm forests, the luxuriant corn fields and the verdant slopes of the moun tains enameled with bright flowers, herbs and creeping plants, whose delicious perfume spreads far and wide. Many parts of the coast, at its southern and northern extremities, are studded with small, rocky and verdant islands, some of them overgrown with palms, and pre senting a singularly beautiful appearance. At Trincomalee, on the northeastern coast, there is one of the finest natural harbors in the world; at Galle on the southern coast there is also a harbor; while the harbor at Colombo, the capital, is capable of admitting the largest ves sels, and is now the regular calling-station for mail steamers to and from Calcutta, China and Australia. Between the island of Manar on the northwestern coast of Ceylon and the island of Ramiscram on the coast of India is a ridge of sandbanks called Adam's Bridge, which nearly connects Ceylon with the continent, being inter sected only by three narrow shallow passages, the remainder being covered with two or three feet of water at full tide. These channels ad mit only very small vessels, but ships of some size can get through between Ramiseram and the mainland.
Mountains.— The mountainous regions of Ceylon are confined to the centre of the south ern and broader part of the island. They grad wally diminish to hills of moderate elevation as they recede from the central mass, and are suc ceeded on the western side by a flat tract ex tending to the coast. Their average elevation is somewheie about 2,000 feet, but there are several summits upward of 7,000 and 8,000 feet high. The highest summit is Pedrotallagalla
(8,280 feet), but Adam's Peak, reaching 7,420 feet, is the most remarkable from its conical form, the distance from which it is visible from the sea and from the sacred associations with which it is connected, the summit being the point from which Buddha, according to his fol lowers, ascended to heaven, a gigantic footprint bearing testimony to the fact. Other summits are Tolapella (7,720 feet) and Kirrigalpota (7,810 feet). The forms of the mountains of Ceylon are singularly varied. They most fre quently occur connected in chains, and terminate in round or peaked summits. Their sides are always steep and occasionally precipitous and rocky. There is no proportional correspondence between the heights of the mountains and the depths of the adjoining valleys, and often the valleys are extremely narrow. The deepest are in the heart of the mountains. Some are be tween 3,000 and 4,000 feet deep, and not over half a mile wide.
Rivers and Lakes.— The rivers of Ceylon, though numerous, especially on the southern and southwestern tides, are small, being merely mountain streams, navigable only by canoes, and that but for a short distance from their mouths. The Mahavela-ganga, which rises near Adam's Peak, and falls into the sea by a number of branches near Trincomalee, is by far the most important. It has a course of 134 miles and drains upward of 4,000 square miles. The tim ber growing on its banks in great abundance, consisting of halmalille, ebony, satin-wood, etc., is floated down to the harbor during the freshets. Of the remaining rivers the ganga, the Kala-ganga and the Maha Oya reach the sea on the western coast ; and the Gintota ganga at Galle. All the rivers are liable to be surcharged with rain during the monsoon, and to inundate the level country. Subsequently the heat of the sun drying the country produces malaria. There are numerous extensive lagoons or back-waters round the coast, but no lakes in the island worth noticing, the largest being only four miles broad. There are rills and stream lets rushing along in every direction among the mountains, so overhung with superabundant vegetation as to be frequently invisible.