Their descendants now comprise the local Sri Lankan Moor community. Arabs, whose prime interests were trade, began to settle in Colombo around the eighth century AD mostly because the port helped their business by the way of controlling much of the trade between the Sinhalese kingdoms and the outside world.

Traveller Ibn Battuta who visited the island in the 14th century, referred to it as Kalanpu. History Īs Colombo possesses a natural harbour, it was known to Indian, Greek, Persian, Roman, Arab and Chinese traders over 2,000 years ago. Kolamba may also be the source of the name of the commercial capital Colombo. It lists naramba (to see) and kolamba (ford or harbour) as deriving from the indigenous Vedda language. The author of the oldest Sinhala grammar, Sidatsangarava, written in the 13th century wrote about a category of words that exclusively belonged to early Sinhala. He writes that 'On the West, the City of Columbo, so-called from a Tree the Natives call Ambo, (which bears the Mango-fruit) growing in that place but this never bear fruit, but only leaves, which in their Language is Cola and thence they called the Tree Colambo: which the Christians in honour of Columbus turned to Columbo.' This coincides with Robert Knox's history of the island while he was a prisoner in Kandy. Īnother belief is that the name is derived from the Sinhala name කොල-අඹ-තොට Kola-amba-thota which means 'Harbour with leafy/green mango trees'. The name 'Colombo', first introduced by the Portuguese in 1505, is believed to be derived from the classical Sinhala name කොලොන් තොට Kolon thota, meaning 'port on the river Kelani'. Famous landmarks in Colombo include Galle Face Green, Viharamahadevi Park, Beira Lake, Colombo Racecourse, Planetarium, University of Colombo, Mount Lavinia beach, Dehiwala Zoological Garden, Nelum Pokuna Theatre, One Galle Face, Gangaramaya Temple, Dutch Museum, Colombo Lotus Tower as well as the National Museum.Ĭoat of arms of Colombo from the Dutch Ceylon era, depicting a mango tree The main city is home to a majority of Sri Lanka's corporate offices, restaurants, and entertainment venues. Like many cities, Colombo's urban area extends well beyond the boundaries of a single local authority, encompassing other municipal and urban councils such as Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte Municipal Council, Dehiwala Mount Lavinia Municipal Council, Kolonnawa Urban Council, Kaduwela Municipal Council, and Kotikawatte Mulleriyawa Pradeshiya Sabha. In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka. It was made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, and its status as capital was retained when the nation became independent in 1948.

ĭue to its large harbour and its strategic position along the East–West sea trade routes, Colombo was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life, colonial buildings and monuments. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is itself within the urban/suburban area of Colombo. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the Greater Colombo area which includes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka, and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. It is the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination. According to the Brookings Institution, Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the Municipality. Colombo ( / k ə ˈ l ʌ m b oʊ/ kə- LUM-boh Sinhala: කොළඹ, romanized: Koḷam̆ba, IPA: Tamil: கொழும்பு, romanized: Koḻumpu, IPA: ) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population.

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