In this episode, I'll be sharing 10 of the biggest misconceptions, stereotypes, and just
straight-up lies about Sri Lanka. Hey guys, welcome back to FTD Facts, Leroy Kenton here. And I'm glad
to be exploring Sri Lanka with you guys once again, but this time, coming from a different
angle. So, we're gonna look at some of the biggest lies, misconceptions, and stereotypes of Sri Lanka,
and then we're gonna clear them all up. Okay, so starting at number 10 - Sri Lankans speak Sri
Lankan. Okay, one important thing to note is that "Sri Lankan" is not a language, it is a nationality.
Sri Lankan people speak various languages most commonly, Sinhala. Or, you'll find people speaking
Tamil, depending on which part of the country that you go to. Sinhala script has those interesting
curves, and swirls, and lines. It looks very interesting. Now, Tamil is a Dravidian language that
came to Sri Lanka from India. English is also very commonly spoken in the country, especially in big
cities, as well as for governmental matters. Number 9 - all food is spicy in Sri Lanka. This is a big
one for Americans especially. They assume that all Sri Lankan food is just so spicy, and that it
should be completely avoided because it's just too hot to handle. Well, Sri Lankan food is similar
to Indian food as you can imagine. There's a lot of spices and curry, roti, etc. But, Sri Lankan food is
not necessarily really known to be super spicy, but rather it's known that the foods are very
flavorful. But you know, of course, some dishes are spicy. And you know since it is an island, Sri
Lankan food has a lot of fish and tropical fruit incorporated into it. And lots of flavorful noodle
and rice dishes can be enjoyed as well. Number 8 - Sri Lankans become doctors or store owners.
Yeah. This is a big misconception about Sri Lankans and just South Asians in general. It's that: if they
go to another country they're going to become doctors or convenience store owners, or maybe,
even work in I.T. But, it's often assumed that if you are going to college or university, it is to
study medicine for the most part. But, you'll find that Sri Lankans study and pursue all sorts of
fields like business, finance, construction, and engineering, and media arts, and entertainment. So,
those stereotypes, they're just not true. Number 7 - Sri Lankans are either very poor
or very rich. South Asia is often depicted in the United States and other English-speaking
countries as being very poor. And the focus of study, especially in geography, it tends to
focus a lot on the poorer and desolated areas of countries in South Asia. South Asia is also
depicted as being very dirty in different parts of the world. Now, there isn't much focus on the
beauty of South Asia or the very large population of the middle class. This misconception that Sri
Lankans are either very poor, and have probably lived a life of hardship and struggle, or on the
flip side, that they're either super rich and live in palaces. Well that continues due to the focus of
study in foreign countries. Number 6, this is a big one. Cricket is the national sport. Yeah. This
one comes as a surprise to pretty much everybody. You might assume that it is a national sport, even
though it's the most popular sport in the country. But, in actuality, the national sport of Sri Lanka
is volleyball. Now, this sport was introduced to the country in the year, 1916. Now, there is the
Sri Lankan Volleyball Federation - that's the main governing body of volleyball in the country, and
it was founded back in the year, 1951. So, yes, Sri Lankans take their volleyball very seriously. Now, we
looked at 5 lies so far. We have 5 more to look at. But, if you haven't seen our video about
facts about Sri Lanka, we go a lot into the history of Sri Lanka, the meaning of the name, as well as
other interesting facts. I'll link to that video down below in the video description section, where
you can enjoy it after this one. I highly recommend it. Go check it out. Link to that video is below in
the video description section. Okay, continuing to number 5 - Sri Lankans are not fluent in English.
So, get this guys. There are people who are born in Sri Lanka who know their native languages.
So, why should they want to converse with somebody in English? And you see, it's often
just easier and more comfortable to not speak English with somebody who speaks Sinhala or
Tamil. That goes with anyone from any country. But, because they speak their native language amongst
themselves, doesn't mean that they're ignorant of the English language and they're not fluent in it.
Number 4. Oh boy! Sri Lanka is owned by India. See, this misconception is in part due to the fact that
Tamil is spoken in both India and Sri Lanka. And Sri Lanka is an island about 30 kilometers off the
coast of Southeast India, in the Indian ocean. More specifically, the Bay of Bengal. And some scholars
actually believe that Sri Lanka and India were once connected by a land bridge. This goes back
thousands of years. But you know, over time it's covered by water and uh that's no longer the case.
Either way though, India is the only neighbor of Sri Lanka. Both India and Sri Lanka are republics
within the commonwealth of nations. So, no, India does not own Sri Lanka. Now, number 3 - this lie,
it's pretty similar to the one that we just talked about. That Sri Lanka is just like India. Now there
is a world of a difference between these two countries. Although, they are neighbors, but one of
the biggest of course, is that they're located in different places. Sri Lanka is an island. India is
not. And the people, the culture, the religion, nature, and landscape of the countries - they're completely
different as well. And at the time of filming this video the population of Sri Lanka is about 21.5
million, and the population of India is 1.3 billion. That's a huge difference in population. So, you see
that the countries are not necessarily the same. And, it's also said that various parts of Sri Lanka
are a lot more clean than India, just due to the fact that the country is built differently as
well as, they don't have as many people in the country. Number 2 - Sri Lankans are mostly Hindu.
Due to its connection with India, many foreigners, they just assume that the majority of Sri Lankans
follow some form of Hinduism. However, according to a survey done in 2019, Buddhism is actually the
largest religion of Sri Lanka, with 70.2% of the population practicing the religion. Then,
following that, we have the Hindus. But they're just at 12.6%. Then, there's Islam at 9.7%,
and Christianity sits at 7.4%. This survey said that most Muslims follow the Sunni branch of Islam,
while the Christians are mainly Roman Catholic. And finally, the biggest lie we're going to look at in
this episode - Sri Lanka is unsafe. This is the biggest misconception, stereotype, and lie about
the country that I could have found for this video. Sri Lanka is actually a safe country to travel to
and, especially hanging out with your friends and family, or even traveling solo.
There is another side to consider though, when it comes to the safety in the country. The weather
can be very unpredictable, like monsoon season can really wash out roads. And, swimming and
surfing in Sri Lanka can be very unsafe. And also, sometimes the remnants of the Sri Lankan civil war
rises up occasionally. But, visiting Sri Lanka as a tourist is very safe and it is unlikely
that you'll be harmed physically. So, no. You can throw that stereotype, misconception, and lie
out into the water. Sri Lanka is a very safe country to travel to. And that's a wrap guys.
This was a look at 10 of the biggest lies about Sri Lanka. Hopefully, you guys enjoyed this one,
and learned something new. Leave a like if you did. Don't forget to check out the recommended video
that I have for you below in the video description section. And, if this is your first time here to the
channel, go ahead and subscribe and ring the bell to be notified when new videos are posted.
We explore the various different countries, cultures, religions, and people of our world. So, if
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