Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka, also know as Ceylon in the tea trade, is an island surrounded by the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait, and lies in the vicinity of India and the Maldives.  The country is the world's fourth largest producer of tea and the industry is one of the country's main sources of foreign exchange with tea accounting for 15% of the GDP.  The humidity, cool temperatures, and rainfall in the country's central highlands provide a climate that favors the production of high quality tea. The industry was introduced to the country in 1867 by James Taylor, the British planter who arrived in 1852.  The different tea areas in Sri Lanka are :  Nuwara Eliya, Dimbula, Kandy Uda Pussellawa, Uva Province and Southern Province.  Sri Lanka is known for its black teas.