Sri Lanka is rich in gem resources. It is said that there are many gems in Sri Lanka, so how many gems are there in the country? According to relevant data, Sri Lanka has a land area of 65,000 square kilometers, of which gem mines account for a quarter. With so many gem mines, the number of people engaged in the gem industry in Sri Lanka has also become a lot, about 650 thousand. According to the statistics of export trade, Sri Lanka's gem exports exceeded 200 million US dollars, accounting for 2% of the total exports.
There are more than 70 species of colored gems found in colored gems, and more than 200 species in Sri Lanka. Most colored gems varieties we know are basically from Sri Lanka, including sapphire, ruby, chrysoberyl, moonstone, garnet, amethyst and zircon.
In addition to a variety of precious stones, Sri Lanka's output is also quite high. 90% of the world's corundum gems are produced in Sri Lanka, and the output of high-end colored gems such as sapphire, ruby and emerald accounts for about 60% of the world's total output.
Why are there so many precious stones in Sri Lanka? Sri Lanka is an island country in the Indian Ocean, which is located in the south of Asia. So why can an island country have so many gem resources? This is actually related to the plate movement for a long time. According to geologists, the collision of plates on the earth made Sri Lanka form plateau mountains hundreds of millions of years ago, and the rocks in Sri Lanka changed because of this situation, thus producing a large number of gem resources.