Sri Lanka is the land of multi-ethnic groups distinctively divided by two main characteristics: language and religion which consequently intersect to create four principal ethnic groups. The first one is the largest minority group of the country-that is Sinhalese people, accounting for 74% of its total population, densely populated in the southwest of the island.

The second largest group is Tamils which is subdivided into two groups: the Ceylon Tamils or Sri Lankan Tamils and the Indian Tamils. Altogether, these two groups of Tamils account for 18% of the country's populace. The Ceylon Tamils concentrate in the northern and eastern parts of the country while the Indian Tamils separate to settle in the south central Sri Lanka. The next group is Moors, the Arab origins, recognized as the Muslims of 7% of total population scattering around the Central Highlands. Actually, among Moors, themselves, comprises of three subdivisions: the Sri Lankan Moors, the Indian Moors, and the Malays. The fourth group is the Burghers who are the descendants of the Portuguese and the Dutch.