Colombo
Colombo (/kəˈlʌmboʊ/ kə-LUM-boh; Sinhala: කොළඹ, romanized: Koḷam̆ba, IPA: [ˈkoləᵐbə]; Tamil: கொழும்பு, romanized: Koḻumpu, IPA: [koɻumbɯ]) is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, the Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the Municipality. It is the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination. 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.
Colombo
කොළඹ கொழும்பு | |
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The Old Parliament Building, Bank of Ceylon building and WTC twin towers in the Colombo financial district of Fort Buddha statues at Seema Malaka Skyline over Galle Face Green (middle), with Shangri-La Hotel and One Galle Face (left), and Indian Ocean (right) | |
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Flag | |
Colombo Colombo Colombo | |
| Coordinates: 6°56′04″N 79°50′34″E | |
| Country | Sri Lanka |
| Province | Western Province |
| District | Colombo District |
| Government | |
| • Municipal Council | Colombo Municipal Council |
| • Headquarters | Town Hall |
| • Mayor | Rosy Senanayake (UNP) |
| Area | |
| • Capital city (executive and judicial) | 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) | |
| • Capital city (executive and judicial) | 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 |
It was made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, 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.