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Top Sights in Colombo
Colombo is the commercial capital of the island, located on the island’s western coast, and reflects both its colonial heritage and modern growth.
Throughout history, the city’s strategic position along major maritime routes shaped its role in trade, particularly in spices, attracting Arab, Chinese, and Indian traders long before European arrival.The Portuguese reached Colombo in 1505 and established the first European settlement to protect trade from Arab merchants, laying the foundations of Colombo Fort and later expanding it into the nearby Pettah area.In 1656, the Dutch East India Company took control with the support of local rulers, reduced the size of the larger fort to what is now the Colombo Fort area, developed Pettah as a town outside the fort, and built canal systems to transport goods from suburban areas, some of which still exist today.British forces captured Colombo in 1796, and in 1815 the city became the capital of British Ceylon following the fall of the Kandyan Kingdom.The British reshaped the city by removing the old fort ramparts in 1870 and constructing roads, public buildings, residential areas, and tram lines, which formed much of the present urban layout.Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948, and although administrative functions moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte in 1978, Colombo retained its role as the country’s financial and commercial centre.