Sri Lanka is an island state in the Indian Ocean with a population of over 20 million and a rich and diverse history and culture. But for decades, ethnic conflict divided the country, taking nearly 70,000 lives between 1983 and 2009. Sri Lanka is also vulnerable to natural disasters and in December 2004, the most deadly tsunami in the country’s history took over 31,000 lives and left 835,000 homeless. Sri Lanka presents a unique opportunity for a comparative research design, with some study sites exposed to the tsunami, others affected by organized violence, and yet others impacted by both sources of trauma.
Area affected by:
Conflict 1983-2009
Tsunami (December 26, 2004)
