Colombo

largest city and de facto capital of Sri Lanka

Colombo (Sinhala: කොළඹ; Tamil: கொழும்பு) is the largest city of Sri Lanka. It is the city which is economically most important to the country. It has 642,163 people. It is on the west coast close to the capital city of Kotte.

Colombo
කොළඹ
கொழும்பு
Metropolis
From top left to right: Beira Lake skyline with Colombo Lotus Tower (right) and the Altair (left), Buddha statues at Seema Malaka, Independence Memorial Hall, The Murugan Hindu temple in Slave Island, the Grand Oriental Hotel in Fort, Nelum Pokuna, the Old Parliament Building, Bank of Ceylon building and WTC twin towers in the Colombo financial district of Fort
Coordinates: 6°56′04″N 79°50′34″E / 6.93444°N 79.84278°E / 6.93444; 79.84278
ProvinceWestern Province
DistrictColombo District
Government
 • Municipal CouncilColombo Municipal Council
 • HeadquartersTown Hall
 • MayorRosy Senanayake (UNP)
Area
 • Commercial Capital37.31 km2 (14.41 sq mi)
Elevation
1 m (3 ft)
Population
 (2011[2])
 • Commercial Capital752,993
 • Density20,182/km2 (52,270/sq mi)
 • Urban
2,323,826 (area size 699 sq km)[1]
 • Metro
5,648,000 (area size 3,684 sq km)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (SLST)
Postal code
0xxxx
Area code011
Websitecolombo.mc.gov.lk
Hindu temple, Colombo

The name Colombo is borrowed from Sinhala language name Kola-amba-thota which means "harbor with leafy mango trees". Traveller Ibn Batuta in the 14th century referred to it as Kalanpu.

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References

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  1. Britannica World Data. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2014. p. 726. ISBN 978-1-62513-171-3. Archived from the original on 3 June 2017.
  2. "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.