As a British crown colony, the island was known as Ceylon; it achieved independence as the Dominion of Ceylon in 1948. The country is now known in Sinhala as Śrī Laṅkā (Sinhala: …

Jan 6, 2026 · Ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobane. Arabs referred to it as Serendib. Later European mapmakers called it Ceylon, a name still used occasionally for trade …

Sri Lanka facts: Official web sites of Sri Lanka, the capital of Sri Lanka, art, culture, history, cities, airlines, embassies, tourist boards and newspapers

Sri Lanka, officially the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, known as Ceylon before 1972, is a predominantly Buddhist island nation in South Asia, located 18 miles (31 km) off the …

Discover why Sri Lanka was once called Ceylon, what the difference is, when the name changed, and what it represents in modern times.

Apr 9, 2019 · Ceylon was a British crown colony that existed from 1815 to 1948 when it was granted independence and became an independent country within the Commonwealth of …

The British Ceylon period is the history of Sri Lanka between 1815 and 1948. It follows the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom into the hands of the British Empire. [6]

Established in 1881 as the Ceylon Volunteers, as the military reserve in the British Crown colony of Ceylon, by 1910 it grew into the Ceylon Defence Force, a regular force responsible for the …

4 days ago · Sri Lanka - Island, Culture, History: In a new constitution proclaimed in 1972, Ceylon became the Republic of Sri Lanka, while maintaining its link with the British Commonwealth.

In 1948, the British Colony of Ceylon was granted independence as Ceylon. In 1972, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth, and its name was changed to Sri Lanka.