In 2002, the country had an estimated 11,285 km (7,012 mi) of highways, of which 10,721 km (6,662 mi) were paved. Registered motor vehicles numbered 291,000 in 2000, including 153,500 passenger cars and 137,500 commercial vehicles.
In 2002, there were 1,463 km (909 mi) railroad track, state-owned and state operated.
Colombo, one of the great commercial seaports of Asia, formerly was an open roadstead, but the construction of breakwaters has made it one of the world's greatest artificial harbors. In 2002, the merchant fleet consisted of 18 ships with a capacity of 137,321 GRT. Ports of the open roadstead type are Trincomalee, Galle, Batticaloa, Kankesanturai, Kayts, and Jaffna. A car ferry service links Mannar Island with the Indian mainland.
Sri Lanka had 15 airports in 2001, 14 of which had paved runways. The principal international airport is Katunayaka, 39 km (24 mi) north of Colombo. Air Lanka (formerly Air Ceylon), the national airline company, serves international routes only. Upali Travels, a private carrier, provides domestic service. In 2001, 1,718,500 passengers were carried on scheduled domestic and international flights.
Comment about this article, ask questions, or add new information about this topic: