ABSTRACT
Sri Lanka is an island lying between 6 and 8 degrees north latitude, about 30 km south-east of southern India across the Palk Strait. It receives rainfall from two monsoons, each blowing for about half the year: the north-east monsoon from about October to March; and the south-west monsoon from about April to September. Due to a south-central massif rising to over 2500 m, the south-west quadrant of the island receives more than 2500 mm of rainfall from each monsoon and is known as the wet zone. The dry zone receives less than 1900 mm of rainfall annually, mainly from the north-east monsoon, while an intermediate zone receives between 1900 and 2500 mm of rain each year (Figure 5.1). An outline map of the island of Sri Lanka showing climatic zones and ancient kingdoms https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-p.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315066226/02d7818f-f807-413c-8b0c-8a1c66309917/content/fig5_1_B.jpg" xmlns:xlink="https://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"/>
