Area: 25,332 square miles (65,610 sq km). Coastline: 833 miles (1,340 km). Highest Point: Mount Pidurutalagala at 8,281 feet (2,524 m). Sri Lanka (map) is a large island nation located off of India's southeast coast. Until 1972, it was formally known as Ceylon but today it is officially called the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The country has a long history filled with instability and conflict between ethnic groups.