Colombo, Sri Lanka

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Derived from Sinhalese name Kola-amba-thota which means "mango harbour", altered by the Portuguese to honour Christopher Columbus. Population 377,396 (Colombo metropolitan area: 2,234,289) (2001), is the largest city and commercial center of Sri Lanka.
Colombo was probably known to Roman, Arab, and 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 Portuguese arrived in the 16th century and built a fort to protect their spice trade. The Dutch captured the city in the 17th century. The British made the city the capital of their crown colony of Ceylon in 1802.

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