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This article is about the city in Sri Lanka. For other uses, please see Colombo (disambiguation) Colombo (කොළඹ in Sinhala; கொழும்பு in Tamil) is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka, located on the southwest coast adjacent to the present administrative capital of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. The name Colombo is derived from Sinhala name Kola-amba-thota which means "harbour with leafy mango trees". Traveller Ibn Batuta in the 14th century referred to it as Kalanpu.
History Since Colombo was a natural harbour it was known to the Romans, Arabs, and Chinese traders from more than 2,000 years ago. Muslims from the Arabian countries whose prime interests were trade, settled in Colombo in the 8th century mostly because the port helped their business and controlled much of the trade between the Sinhalese kingdoms and the outside world.. Today's Colombo is a busy vibrant city with a mixture of modern life and colonial ruins. Portuguese Era The Portuguese first arrived in Sri Lanka in 1505. On their first visit they made a treaty with the king of Kandy enabling them to trade in the islands crop of cinnamon, which lay along the coastal areas including Colombo. They were given full authority of the coast line with the promise of guarding the coast against invaders. The Portuguese expelled the Muslim inhabitants and built a fort there to protect their spice trade. The land between the fortress and the interior was unoccupied and covered with trees. The Portuguese were compelled to reinforce the garrison to resist attacks by the indigenous leaders Mayadunne, Vidiya Bandara and Rajasinghe I. This part of Colombo is still known as Fort and houses the presidential palace and the majority of Colombo's five star hotels. The area immediately outside Fort is known as Pettah (or "pita kotuwa" in Singhalese which means outer fort) and is a commercial hub. Dutch Era
British era The British made the city the capital of their crown colony of Ceylon in 1802. They were responsible for much of the planning of the present city. In some parts of the city tramcar tracks and granite flooring laid during the era are still visible. After Independence This era of colonialism ended peacefully in 1948 when Ceylon gained independence from Britain. Because of the tremendous impact on the city's inhabitants and the country at large, the changes that resulted at the end of the colonial period were drastic. An entire new culture took root. Changes in laws and customs, clothing styles, religions and proper names were a significant result of the colonial era. These cultural changes were followed by the strengthening of the island's economy. Even today, the influence of the Portuguese, Dutch and British is clearly visible in Colombo’s architecture, names, clothing, food, language and attitudes. Buildings from all three regimes stand in their glory as reminders of the turbulent past. The city and its people show an interesting mix of European clothing and lifestyles together with local customs. The city is by far more modern than most others in the neighbouring countries and continues to be a blossoming metropolis of the East. Its growth and prosperity has been hampered only by the effects of the protracted conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and Tamil Tiger rebels in the northeast, which has produced economic effects throughout the island. Historically, Colombo referred to the area around the Fort and Pettah Market which is famous for the variety of products available as well as the Khan Clock Tower, a local landmark. At present, it refers to the city limits of the Colombo Municipal Council. More often, the name is used for the Conurbation known as Greater Colombo, which encompasses several Municipal councils. It may also refer to the Colombo District. Colombo lost its status as the capital of Sri Lanka in the 1980s, but continues to be the island's commercial center. Despite the official capital of Sri Lanka moving to nearby Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (sometimes referred to as the administrative capital), most countries maintain their diplomatic missions in Colombo. Economic history In the past the city has included cinnamon and coconut cultivation, but mostly throughout the history the city has been a port city. Colombo port is one of the busiest ports in Asia. Colombo has a history of boom and bust, or at least boom and quiescence. Colombo was sent into decline by the aftermath of bomb blasts by the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) terrorist group. However the city remains a regional economic hub and a centre of supplies for the rest of the island. Geography Colombo's geography is a mix of hilly, flat and marshy land. The north and the south parts of the city are hilly and the east, and south east areas are bordered by marshy land. The city has many canals and the Beira Lake in the heart of the city. North and the North-East borders of the city flows the Kelani river, the river meets the sea in part of the city known as the Modera in Sinhala which literally means Delta. Climate
Demographics Colombo is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city. The population of Colombo is a mix of Sinhalese, Moors and Tamils. There are small communities of people with Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Malay and Indian origins living here. Colombo is the most populated city in Sri Lanka. According to the census of 2001 the demographics of urban Colombo by ethnicity is as follows. Source: Census 2001 Note: The totals are calculated through enumerations made from Colombo DS and Thimbirigasyaya DS, also part of Colombo Municipal Council. Government and politics
Vision “Colombo being a model city in Asia, a caring organization looking after interests of citizens and users with an efficient quality service for creation of safe, healthy and wealthy life.” Mission “Organization achieving excellence in providing citizen centered services to the public / customer, optimizing the use of available resources through a competent, motivated and dedicated team.” Economy The great majority of Sri Lankan corporations have their head offices in Colombo. Some of the industries include chemicals, textiles, glass, cement, leather goods, furniture, and jewelry. In the city centre is located South Asia's second tallest building - The World Trade Centre. The 40 storeyed Twin Tower complex is the centre of important commerial establishments, situated in the Fort district, the city's nerve centre. Right outside the Fort area is Pettah which is derived from the Sinhala word pita which means out or outside as it is outside the Fort. Pettah is more crowded than the fort area. Its a place you can buy almost anything you want, Pettah's roads are always packed and pavements are full of small stalls selling from delicious Sherbats to Shirts. Main Street is mostly clothes shops and the cross roads, known as First Cross Street etc up to Fifth Cross Street each street has a specific business. For example the first mainly sells electronics, the second cellular phones and fancy goods. Most of these businesses in Pettah are dominated by Muslim traders. At the end of the main street further away from Fort is the Sea Street, Sri Lanka's Gold market. This mile long street is full of jewellery shops. The Colombo Metropolitan Region (CMR) encompasses the country's administrative capital Kotte and Colombo. Found within the borders of the CMR is 80% of the country’s industrialisation and over 60% of all vehicles plying Sri Lankan roads. Education Colombo is home to some of the island's top schools and universities. Education is free in Sri Lanka and 10 years of schooling is compulsory for everyone. One of the most popular of Colombo's schools is Royal College, which is also one of the oldest educational institutions in the country with a history of more than 170 years, Ananda College, with the largest Buddhist student population, and Zahira College, with the largest Muslim student population, are also located in Colombo. The latter is the oldest Muslim educational institution in the country. Most of the schools in the city are managed by the provincial council and the prominent schools with many facilities that fall under the national schools scheme are managed by the central government. The University of Colombo, the only university in the city, has courses in many disciplines such as Arts, Science, Medicine, Law, Management and Computer Science. The university's school of computing is famous for its contributions to the Apache web server software project. Landmarks
Annual cultural events and fairs Colombo's most beautiful festival is the celebration of Buddha's Birth, Enlightenment and Death all falling on the same day. In Sinhala this is known as Vesak. During this festival, much of the city is decorated with lanterns, lights and special displays of light. The festival falls in mid May and lasts a week when many Sri Lankans visit the city to see the lantern competitions and decorations. During this week people distribute, rice, drinks and various other food items for free in places what is known as Dunsal which means charity place. These Dunsals are popular amongst visitors from the suburbs. Performing arts Colombo has several performing arts centers which are popular for their musical and theatrical performances. The most famous performing arts centers are the Lionel Wendt Theatre, the Elphinstone and the Tower Hall, all of which have a very rich history. Museums and art collections The National Museum of Colombo, situated in the Cinnamon Gardens area, is one of the biggest tourist attractions in the city. The museum houses the jewellery and throne of the last king of the country, Sri Wickrama Rajasinghe, who was captured and executed by the English in 1815. Colombo does not boast a very big art gallery. There is only a small collection of Sri Lankan masterpieces at the Art Gallery at Green Path. Nightlife The city has comparatively more nightlife than other cities in Sri Lanka, boasting numerous casinos, bars, nightclubs and pubs. In Sri Lanka alcohol is sold fairly freely, except on full moon Poya Days when sales are prohibited. The cessation of hostilities between the Government and LTTE rebels in 2002 resulted in an entertainment boom in the city and greater economic growth. However in the aftermath of 2005 Presidential change, a low intensity war commenced between GOSL and LTTE centred around north and east provinces. This, as well as several bombings or attempted bombings in Colombo, has led to a greater military presence in the city. Sports Undoubtedly the most popular sport in Sri Lanka is cricket. The country emerged as champions of the 1996 Cricket World Cup. The sport is played in parks, playgrounds, beaches and even in the streets of the city. Colombo is also the home for two of the country's international cricket stadiums, Sinhalese Sports Club and R Premadasa. Rugby is also a popular sport at the club and school level. Media Almost all major media businesses in Sri Lanka operate from Colombo. The state media has its offices in Bullers Road. The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, formerly known as Radio Ceylon, is also situated in Colombo. The SLBC is the oldest radio station in South Asia. See also | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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