Colombo

Colombo, city in western Sri Lanka and a major port near the mouth of the Kelani Ganga River. The largest city in the country, it owes its importance largely to its great breakwaters that protect an immense artificially created harbour. Beira Lake, administratively part of the port of Colombo, is connected to the harbour by a canal with locks. Colombo handles most of the foreign trade of Sri Lanka and is an important fuelling station. Industries here include petroleum refining and the production of metal goods, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, and chemicals. Large cargoes of tea, rubber, and cocoa are exported from the city. The city is also an important transport centre for the island. Sri Jayawardenepura, the administrative capital of Sri Lanka, is on the outskirts of Colombo.

The business district of Colombo, called the Fort, occupies the former fortified part of the city. Broad avenues and modern buildings contrast with the narrow, crooked streets, colourful bazaars, and ramshackle structures of the Pettah quarter. Among the hospitals is a branch of the Institut Pasteur. The urban architecture reflects the mixture of Moorish, Portuguese, Dutch, and British influences that have shaped the city’s history throughout the centuries. Places of worship include Christian churches, Muslim mosques, and Buddhist temples. The University of Colombo (1967), Sri Lanka Technical College (1893), and other institutions of learning are located in the city. The early name of the city, Kalan-totta (Kelani ferry), derived from a nearby river ferry, was corrupted into Kolambu by the Arabs and changed to Colombo in 1517 by the Portuguese in honour of Christopher Columbus. The city was taken by the Dutch in 1656 and by the British in 1796. Population 642,163 (2001).