Sri Lanka is located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is its legislative capital, and Colombo is its largest city and centre of commerce. The majority of the population are from the Sinhalese ethnicity, while a large minority of Tamils have also played an influential role in the island’s history. The name Ceylon was given to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese Empire when it arrived in 1505.
About Sri Lanka in brief
Sri Lanka is located in the Indian Ocean southwest of the Bay of Bengal and southeast of the Arabian Sea. It has been called “the pearl of the Indian ocean” because of its shape and location. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is its legislative capital, and Colombo is its largest city and centre of commerce. The majority of the population are from the Sinhalese ethnicity, while a large minority of Tamils have also played an influential role in the island’s history. Sri Lanka’s recent history has been marred by a 26-year civil war, which ended decisively when the Sri Lanka Armed Forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in 2009. The Sri Lankan constitution accords Buddhism the \”foremost place\”, and although it does not identify it as a state religion, Buddhism is given special privileges in the Sri Lanka constitution. The country is rated \”high\” on the Human Development Index, with its HDI rating and per capita income the highest among South Asian nations. It is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation and the Commonwealth of Nations. In antiquity, Sri Lanka was known to travellers by a variety of names. According to the Mahavamsa, the legendary Prince Vijaya named the land Tambapanni, because his followers’ hands were reddened by the red soil of the area.
In Hindu mythology, such as the Ramayana, the island was referred to as Lankā. The island was known under Chola rule as Mummolamandalians and Arabs referred to it as Sarandībpaḥ. In 1972, its formal name was changed to the Independent Sovereign Republic of Sri Lanka, now known in Sinhala as Ilaṅkai and in Tamil as Ilaḥkā. It was translated into English as Ceylon; it achieved independence as the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948 and is now known as the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The name Ceylon was given to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese Empire when it arrived in 1505, when it was known as Siilão, the Siiter, Siillão, Siilao or Siilai. The word Ceylon means “free” or “liberated” in Tamil and “Sri’s” means ‘free’ or ‘strong’ in English. It became a republic in 1948, and adopted its current name in 1972. Its location as a major trading hub made it known to both the far East as well as the European continent from as far back as the Anuradhapura period. Its trade in luxury goods and spices attracted traders of many nations, creating Sri Lanka’’s diverse population. A national movement for political independence arose in the early 20th century, and in 1948,. Ceylon Became a republic and adopted the name Sri Lanka in 1948.
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This page is based on the article Sri Lanka published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 20, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
