The tropical island of Sri Lanka, which lies just off the southern tip of India, has long been a travelers' paradise. Only 25,000 square miles, about the size of West Virginia, its diverse landscapes encompass lush tea plantations, jungles, arid bushlands and palm-fringed beaches. Its cities and countryside are full of ancient Buddhist temples and historic monuments.
But this beautiful island, until 1972 known as Ceylon and described some 700 years ago by Silk Road explorer Marco Polo as one of the best of its size in the world, has seen its share of troubles. Civil war broke out in the 1980s after the Tamil Tigers, the rebels fighting for autonomy for the Tamil minority, pressed for self-rule. Most of the fighting was restricted to the north, and visitors who avoid well-publicized trouble spots on the island's northern tip will enjoy a pleasant and hassle-free stay. But tragically, when I visited in June, the scars from the tsunami that hit the island's entire southern coastline a year ago on Dec. 26 were poignantly visible.
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