Colombo
Colombo is Sri Lanka's executive, judicial, and commercial capital.
Last updated
Where it is

Coordinates: 6°56′02″N 79°50′35″E (6.9340, 79.8430) · Open in OpenStreetMap
Coordinates and connected clubs: the infobox of Wikipedia: Colombo (CC BY-SA 4.0). Map: drawn by Codexery from OpenStreetMap tiles.
The island's financial hub and a spot for tourists is Colombo.[1] An estimated 5.6 million people live in the Colombo metropolitan area.[1]
Geography and history
They were given permission to build a residence in Colombo for trade purposes.[2] The Portuguese built a fort in Colombo in 1517.[3] The Dutch captured Colombo in 1656 after an epic siege.[4] The British captured Colombo in 1796 and made it the capital of their crown colony in 1815.[5]
On the island's west coast lies Colombo.[6] Portuguese explorers in 1505 first used the name 'Colombo', which is thought to come from the Sinhala term Kolon thota, meaning "port on the river Kelani".[7]
What the cited sources add
The Colombo Metropolitan Region encompasses the country's administrative capital Kotte and Colombo.[8] Sea Street at the end of Main Street is Sri Lanka's gold market.[8] Colombo was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago due to its large harbour and strategic position.[9] Famous landmarks in Colombo include the Galle Face Green, Viharamahadevi Park, Mount Lavinia beach and the National Museum.[9]
Important commercial establishments are centered in the 40-story Twin Tower complex located in the Fort district.[8] Pettah's thoroughfares are constantly congested, and its sidewalks are filled with tiny stalls vending everything from sharbat to shirts.[8] Electronic goods shops dominate First Cross Street in Pettah, while the second cross street specializes in cellular phones and fancy goods.[8]
References
- Wikipedia, "Colombo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Colombo, The Famous Business Hub of Sri Lanka – Stories & Advice"; Kumarage A, "Impacts of Transportation Infrastructure and Services on Urban Poverty and Land Development in Colombo, Sri Lanka", Global Urban Development Volume 3 Issue 1, 1 November 2007; "The 10 Traits of Globally Fluent Metro Areas", 2013; "Colombo: The Heartbeat of Sri Lanka/ Metro Colombo Urban Development Project", The World Bank, 21 March 2013; "Turning Sri Lanka's Urban Vision into Policy and Action", UN Habitat, p. 7; "A6 : Population by ethnicity and district accordin en.wikipedia.org
- "European Encroachment and Dominance:The Portuguese", Sri Lanka: A Country Study. facts only, no text reused. countrystudies.us
- Wikipedia, "Colombo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "European Encroachment and Dominance:The Portuguese", Sri Lanka: A Country Study (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Colombo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "European Encroachment and Dominance: The Dutch", Sri Lanka: A Country study (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Colombo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "History of Colombo" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Colombo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Jayewarden, "How Colombo Derived its Name" (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Colombo" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: "Colombo – then and now", Padma Edirisinghe, 14 February 2004 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- "Colombo Economy". facts only, no text reused. dhksy.blogspot.com
- "Colombo", lanka-houses.com. facts only, no text reused. lanka-houses.com
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Colombo (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Colombo (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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