Colombo
කොළඹ கொழும்பு | |
|---|---|
Colombo skyline over the Old Parliament Building Buddha statues at Seema Malaka Skyline over Galle Face Green (middle), with Shangri-La Hotel and One Galle Face (left), and Indian Ocean (right) | |
 Flag | |
  Colombo  Colombo  Colombo | |
| Coordinates: 6°56′04″N 79°50′34″E / 6.93444°N 79.84278°E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Western Province |
| District | Colombo District |
| Government | |
| • Municipal Council | Colombo Municipal Council |
| • Headquarters | Town Hall |
| • Mayor | Vacant |
| Area | |
| 37.31 km2 (14.41 sq mi) | |
| • Land | 699 km2 (270 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 3,684 km2 (1,422 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1 m (3 ft) |
| Population (2011[1]) | |
| 752,993 | |
| • Density | 20,182/km2 (52,270/sq mi) |
| • Urban | 2,323,826 |
| • Metro | 5,648,000 |
| Time zone | UTC+05:30 (SLST) |
| Postal code | 0xxxx |
| Area code | 011 |
| Website | colombo |
Colombo (/kəˈlʌmboʊ/ kə-LUM-boh;[2] Sinhala: කොළඹ, romanized: Koḷam̆ba, IPA: [ˈkoləᵐbə]; Tamil: கொழும்பு, romanized: Koḻumpu, IPA: [koɻumbɯ]) is the executive and judicial capital[3] and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, the Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million,[4][5][6][7] and 752,993[1] in the Municipality. It is the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination.[8] 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. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is itself within the urban/suburban area of Colombo. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life, colonial buildings and monuments.[9]
It was made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815,[10] and its status as capital was retained when the nation became independent in 1948. In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka.
- ^ a b "A6 : Population by ethnicity and district according to Divisional Secretary's Division, 2012". Census of Population & Housing, 2011. Department of Census & Statistics, Sri Lanka. Archived from the original on 1 November 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2014.
- ^ "Colombo". Collins English Dictionary (13th ed.). HarperCollins. 2018. ISBN 978-0-008-28437-4.
- ^ "Colombo". Encyclopædia Britannica. Archived from the original on 6 March 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2020.
- ^ Kumarage A, Amal (1 November 2007). "Impacts of Transportation Infrastructure and Services on Urban Poverty and Land Development in Colombo, Sri Lanka" (PDF). Global Urban Development Volume 3 Issue 1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 8 March 2015.
- ^ "The 10 Traits of Globally Fluent Metro Areas" (PDF). 2013. Brookings Institution. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ "Colombo: The Heartbeat of Sri Lanka/ Metro Colombo Urban Development Project". The World Bank. 21 March 2013. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 17 March 2015.
- ^ "Turning Sri Lanka's Urban Vision into Policy and Action" (PDF). UN Habitat. p. 7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 March 2016.
- ^ "Colombo, The Famous Business Hub of Sri Lanka – Stories & Advice". Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
- ^ Jayewarden. "How Colombo Derived its Name". Archived from the original on 5 December 2008. Retrieved 18 January 2007.
- ^ "History of Colombo". Archived from the original on 2 December 2011. Retrieved 21 March 2007.