Sri Lanka / Colombo / The City

Sri Lanka’s largest and most important city, Colombo was the capital of the country until the seat of the parliament shifted to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. Today, this city of one million plus population remains the political, commercial and cultural hub of Sri Lanka. A lively city.

Lying on the shores of the Indian Ocean in west Sri Lanka is practically a long coastal strip extending 10-12 km south from the central area. The central artery is Galle Road which runs all the way south along the coast to the town of the same name as the A2 Highway. For postal convenience the city is divided into zones numbered 1 to 15 which are not necessarily arranged in contiguous numerical order. The most important are Colombo 1 better known as Fort, which is the main commercial area, Colombo 11 or Pettah, the crowded bazaar area barely a five minute walk from Fort and Colombo 7, earlier known as Cinnamon Gardens and now the fashionable residential area of the city.

Colombo is one of Asia’s most fascinating, blending as it does the past with the present. On one hand there is the legacy of the original trading settlers the Portuguese, Dutch and the British evident in the churches and monuments, names and religions, costumes and food and smatterings of their languages which have been absorbed by the Sri Lankans while on the other are the modern structures that house bustling commercial, banking and shopping areas and the galaxy of big five star hotels offering night clubs and entertainment. Whether it be cinema halls, theatres, art galleries, museums, health resorts, yacht and rowing clubs Colombo has something to cater to all tastes. More than anything else the friendly hospitality of its people makes a visit to this exotic and most interesting city a worthwhile experience.

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