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Colombo
ColomboImage:Colombo-towers.jpg|thumb|Towers of downtown Colombo
'''Colombo''' (derived from Sinhalese name Kola-amba-thota which means "mango harbour", altered by the Portugal|Portuguese to honour Christopher Columbus), population 737,396 (Colombo metropolitan area: 2,234,289) (2001), is the cultural capital and largest city and commercial center of Sri Lanka. (The new administrative capital of Sri Lanka is Sri Jayawardenepura-Kotte.)
A vast majority of Sri Lankan corporations have their head offices located in Colombo. Some of the industries include chemical industry|chemicals, textiles, glass, cement, leather goods, furniture, and jewelry. An oil refinery is located near the city.
Colombo was probably known to Roman Empire|Roman, Arab, and China|Chinese traders more than 2,000 years ago. Muslims settled there in the 8th century and controlled much of the trade between Sinhalese kingdoms and the outside world. The Portugal|Portuguese arrived in the 16th century and built a fort to protect their spice trade. The Netherlands|Dutch captured the city in the 17th century. The United Kingdom|British made the city the capital of their crown colony of Ceylon in 1802.
The University of Colombo, several colleges, an observatory, a national museum, and numerous churches, mosques, and Buddhist and Hindu temples are in Colombo; on the outskirts are two Buddhist universities. The city has some of the best modern infrastructure in South Asia including the biggest port of the subcontinent.
The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation , formerly known as Radio Ceylon, - is situated in Colombo. The SLBC is the oldest radio station in South Asia.
==Related topics==
* University of Colombo
* Colombo Stock Exchange
* [http://www.vernoncorea.info Vernon Corea The Golden Voice of Radio Ceylon]
*[http://thecolombo.com/hotel/west.htm Colombo]
da:Colombo
de:Colombo
eo:Kolombo (urbo)
fr:Colombo
hi:कोलंबो
io:Colombo
nl:Colombo
ja:コロンボ
no:Colombo
pt:Colombo
sk:Kolombo
sv:Colombo
zh:可倫坡
Category:Cities and towns in Sri Lanka
Category:Capitals in Asia
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