Colombo, situated in the western coast of the country, was the former administrative capital of Sri Lanka. At present, it still remains as the most important city and the commercial capital of Sri Lanka with the major corporate and commercial sector establishments located there.
Colombo first got its name by the trading Arabs who named it Kolambu and subsequently the Portuguese rule in the Sri Lankan maritime area named it Colombo in 1517 as a tribute to the explorer Christopher Columbus. The colonial architecture still remains in the epicenter of Colombo, the Fort (a former fortified area under the colonial rule) where modern and the old remain side by side in the narrow cobbled stoned streets. Over the years Colombo has expanded where a large suburbia around the city has grown to accommodate the ever increasing population. Home to a multi cultural and highly cosmopolitan population, Buddhist temples, Mosques, Hindu Kovils and churches of many Christian denominations can be seen in Colombo where its contemporary life is enriched by many cultural and religious festivals.
Source: Anoli Perera