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As a result of its location in the path of major sea routes, Sri Lanka is a strategic naval link between West Asia and South East Asia.^[10] It was an important stop on the ancient Silk Road.^[11] Sri Lanka has also been a center of the Buddhist religion and culture from ancient times, being the nation where the Buddhist teachings were first written down as well as the oldest continually Buddhist country.^[12] It is also one of the few remaining abodes of Buddhism in South Asia along with Ladakh, Bhutan and the Chittagong Hill Tracts.^[13]. Sri Lanka boasts a diverse range of cultures, languages and religions. The Sinhalese community forms the majority of the population; Tamils, who are concentrated in the north and east of the island, form the largest ethnic minority. Other communities include Moors, Burghers, Kaffirs, Malays and the aboriginal Vedda people.^[14]