Colombo

Not to be confused with Columbo or Colombia.

For other uses, see Colombo (disambiguation).

Colombo කොළඹ (Sinhala) கொழும்பு (Tamil)
Executive and judicial capital
Skyline of Colombo seen at night featuring ITC Ratnadipa, Shangri-La Colombo, City of Dreams and Lotus Tower Buddha statues at Seema Malaka The Grand Oriental Hotel in Fort Independence Memorial Hall Nelum Pokuna Theatre Port of Colombo Jami Ul-Alfar Mosque Colombo National Museum Skyline of Fort featuring Old Parliament Building, Bank of Ceylon and WTC twin towers
Flag Seal
Colombo Location within Colombo District Colombo Location within Sri Lanka Colombo Location within Asia
Coordinates: 6°56′04″N 79°50′34″E
Country	Sri Lanka
Province	Western Province
District	Colombo District
Government
• Municipal Council	Colombo Municipal Council
• Headquarters	Town Hall
• Mayor	Vraîe Cally Balthazaar (NPP)
Area
• Executive and judicial capital	37.31 km2 (14.41 sq mi)
• Land	1,000 km2 (390 sq mi)
• Metro	3,684 km2 (1,422 sq mi)
Elevation	1 m (3.3 ft)
Population  (2011)
• Executive and judicial capital	752,993
• Density	20,182/km2 (52,270/sq mi)
• Urban	2,323,826
• Metro	5,648,000
Time zone	UTC+05:30 (SLST)
Postal code	0xxxx
Area code	011
Website	colombo.mc.gov.lk

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Colombo (/kəˈlʌmboʊ/ kə-LUM-boh; Sinhala: කොළඹ, romanised: Koḷam̆ba, IPA: [ˈkoləᵐbə]; Tamil: கொழும்பு, romanised: Koḻumpu, IPA: [koɻumbɯ]) is Sri Lanka's executive and judicial capital, as well as the country's most populous city. It is also the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination. The Colombo metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 within the municipal limits. It is located on the west coast of the island. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District.

It was made the capital of the island when Sri Lanka was ceded to the British Empire in 1815, retaining its capital status when Sri Lanka gained independence in 1948. In 1978, when administrative functions were moved to Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, Colombo was designated as the commercial capital of Sri Lanka.