Colombo
Colombo
| |
|---|---|
De facto commercial capital | |
Skyline of Colombo seen at night featuring ITC Ratnadipa, Shangri-La Colombo, City of Dreams and Lotus Tower Buddha statues at Seema Malaka The Grand Oriental Hotel in Fort | |
|
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 | Vraîe Cally Balthazaar (NPP) |
| Area | |
• De facto commercial capital | 37.31 km2 (14.41 sq mi) |
| • Land | 1,000 km2 (390 sq mi) |
| • Metro | 3,684 km2 (1,422 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 1 m (3.3 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
• De facto commercial capital | 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; Sinhala: කොළඹ, romanised: Koḷam̆ba, IPA: [ˈkoləᵐbə]; Tamil: கொழும்பு, romanised: Koḻumpu, IPA: [koɻumbɯ]) is the largest city of Sri Lanka by population and de facto commercial capital of Sri Lanka. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District.
It was made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, retaining its capital status when Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948. In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka.