evidence: Sri Lanka, formerly under British colonial rule referred to as Ceylon, is a multi-ethnic and multi-lingual island. Sinhala and Tamil are the two official and national languages of Sri Lanka, whilst English is the link language.[1] As provided under Article 9 of the Constitution of the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (the "Constitution"),Buddhism, which is the faith practiced by approximately seventy percent (70%) of the population of Sri Lanka, is given prominence. However, Article 10 of the Constitution, acknowledges the need for religious pluralism and accordingly allows all citizens the freedom to practice any religion or belief. Apart from Buddhism, Religions such as Islam, Christianity and Hinduism are amongst the three most common faiths practiced. [...] While Sinhalese inhabitants occupy most places in the Island, the Sri Lankan Tamils live predominantly in the Jaffna Peninsula and in the adjacent districts of the northern lowlands. Smaller agglomerations of this group are also found along the eastern littoral where their settlements are juxtaposed with those of the Muslims. The main Muslim population can be seen in in the eastern lowlands. In other areas, such as Colombo, Kandy, Puttalam, and Gampaha, Muslims form a small but important segment of the urban and suburban population. The Indian Tamils, the vast majority of whom are plantation workers, live in large numbers in the higher hill stations of the Central Highlands.