Ethnic groups of Sri Lanka

The people of Sri Lanka are divided into ethnic groups whose conflicts have dominated public life since the nineteenth century. The two main characteristics that mark a person's ethnic heritage are language and religion, which intersect to create four major ethnic groups -

• the Sinhalese



• the Tamils



• the Muslims, and



• the Burghers
  

Ethnic divisions are not based on race or physical appearance; some Sri Lankans claim to determine the ethnicity of a person by his facial characteristics or colour, but in reality such premises are not provable. There is nothing in the language or religious systems in Sri Lanka that officially promotes the social segregation of their adherents, but historical circumstances have favoured one or more of the groups at different times, leading to hostility and competition for political and economic power.

The term Burgher was applied during the period of Dutch rule to European nationals living in Sri Lanka. By extension it came to signify any permanent resident of the country who could trace ancestry back to Europe. Eventually it included both Dutch Burghers and Portuguese Burghers. Always proud of their racial origins, the Burghers further distanced themselves from the mass of Sri Lankan citizens by immersing themselves in European culture, speaking the language of the current European colonial government, and dominating the best colonial educational and administrative positions. They have generally remained Christians and live in urban locations. Since independence, however, the Burgher community has lost influence and in turn has been shrinking in size because of emigration. In 1981 the Burghers made up .3 percent (39,374 people) of the population.


(this was taken from: >> http://countrystudies.us/sri-lanka/38.htm )