User:Mystìc/scratchpad
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| Colombo |
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| Coordinates: | ||
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| District | Colombo Division, Colombo District | |
| Mayor | Prassanna Gunawardena (United National Party) | |
| Area | ||
| - City | 248 mi²/ 642 km² | |
| - Land | / km² | |
| - Water | / km² | |
| Population | ||
| - City (2001) | 647,100 ( 2001 census ) | |
| - Density | 3,305/km² | |
| - Metro | 2,234,289 (Colombo metropolitan area) | |
| Time zone | Sri Lanka Standard Time Zone (UTC+5:30) | |
| Website: http://www.cmc.lk/ | ||
Colombo (කොළඹ in Sinhala; கொழும்பு in Tamil) is the largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka, located on the southwest coast adjacent to the present administrative capital of Kotte. The name Colombo is apparently derived from Sinhala name Kola-amba-thota which means "harbour with leafy mango trees". Traveller Ibn Batuta in the 14th Century referred to it as Kalanpu.
[edit] History
Colombo was known to Roman, Arabs, and Chinese traders more than 2,000 years ago. Muslims settled in Colombo in the 8th century mostly because of the port that helped their business and controlled much of the trade between the Sinhalese kingdoms and the outside world.
[edit] Portuguese Era
The Portuguese arrived in the 16th century. They expelled the Muslim inhabitants and built a fort there to protect their spice trade. The land between the fortress and the interior was unoccupied and covered with trees. The Portuguese were compelled to reinforce the garrison to resist attacks by the indigenous leaders Mayadunne, Vidiya Bandara and Rajasinghe I. This part of Colombo is still known as Fort and houses the presidential palace and the majority of Colombo's five star hotels. The area immediately outside Fort is known as pettah it is the commercial hub of Sri Lanka.
[edit] Dutch Era
The Dutch captured the city in 1656 after an epic siege, at the end of which a mere 93 Portuguese survivors were given safe conduct out of the fort. It served as the capital of the maritime provinces under the control of the Dutch East India Company until 1796.
[edit] British Era
The British made the city the capital of their crown colony of Ceylon in 1802. And the Englishmen were responsible for much of the planning of the present city. In some parts of the city one could still see the Tramcar tracks and the granite flooring laid during the era.
[edit] After Independence
This era of western domination ended peacefully in 1948 Ceylon gained independence from Britain. However, foreign occupation had a tremendous impact on the city's inhabitants and the country at large. Changes in laws and customs, clothing styles, religions and proper names were a significant result of the colonial era, followed by the strengthening of the island's economy. An entire new culture took root. Even today, the influence of the Portuguese, Dutch and British is clearly visible in Colombo’s architecture, names, clothing, food, language and attitudes. Buildings from all three regimes stand in their glory as reminders. The city and its people show an interesting mix of European clothing and lifestyles together with local customs. The city is by far more modern than most others in neighbouring countries and continues to be a blossoming metropolis of the East. Its growth and prosperity has been hampered only by the effects of the protracted conflict between the Government of Sri Lanka and Tamil Tiger rebels in the northeast, which has produced economic effects throughout the island.
Historically, Colombo referred to the area around the Fort and Pettah. At present, it refers to the city limits of the Colombo Municipal Council. More often, the name is used for the Conurbation known as Greater Colombo, which encompasses several Municipal councils. It may also refer to the Colombo District.
Colombo lost its status as the capital of Sri Lanka in the 1980s, but continues to be the island's commercial center. Despite the official capital of Sri Lanka moving to nearby Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte (sometimes refered to as the administrative capital), most countries maintain their diplomatic missions in Colombo.
The Colombo Metropolitan Region (CMR) encompasses the country's administrative capital, Kotte and its financial capital, Colombo. Found within the borders of the CMR is 80% of the country’s industrialisation and over 60% of all vehicles plying Sri Lankan roads.
[edit] Economic History
In the past the city has had Cinnamon, and Coconut cultivations, but mostly throughout the history the city has been a port city. Colombo port is one of the busiest ports in asia. Colombo has a history of boom and bust, or at least boom and quiescence. Colombo has been sent into precipitous decline by the aftermaths of bomb blasts by the Tamil Tiger rebels. In the present time the city is mostly a company town and center of supplies for the rest of the island.
[edit] Geography and climate
[edit] Geography
Colombo's geography is a mix of hilly, flat and marshy land. The north and the south parts of the city are hilly and the east, and south east areas are bordered by marshy land. The city has many canals and the Beira Lake in the heart of the city. North and the North-East borders of the city flows the Kelani river, the river meets the sea in part of the city known as the Modera in Sinhala which literally means Delta.
[edit] Climate
Colombo’s climate is fairly temperate all throughout the year. During the month of April the temperature averages around 35 degrees Celcius. The only major change in the Colombo weather occurs during the Monsoons from May to August and October to January, this is the time of year where heavy rains can be expected. Even though during the day time no severe drop in temperature takes place the nights could be very chilly closer to the coast.
[edit] Demographics
Colombo is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city. The population of Colombo is a mix of Sinhalese, Muslims, Tamils and Christians. There are small communities of people with Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Malay and Indian origins living here. Colombo is the most populated city in the country. According to the census of 2001 the demographics by ethnicity is as follows
| Ethnicity | Population | % Of Total |
|---|---|---|
| Sinhalese | 265,657 | 41.36 |
| Sri Lankan Tamils | 185,672 | 28.91 |
| Indian Tamils | 13,968 | 2.17 |
| Sri Lankan Moors | 153,299 | 23.87 |
| Burghers | 5,273 | 0.82 |
| Malays | 11,149 | 1.73 |
| Sri Lankan Chetty | 740 | 0.11 |
| Bharatha | 471 | 0.07 |
| Other | 5,934 | 0.96 |
| Total | 642,163 | 100 |
Source: Colombo Municipal Council 2001
[edit] Government and politics
Colombo is a charter city, with a Mayor Council form of government, most of its satelelite cities are with urban councils. Colombo's mayor and the council members are elected through local government elections held once in five years. For the past 50 years the city had been ruled by the United National Party.
The city government provides sewer, road management and waste management services, in case of water, electricity and telephone utility services the council liases with the water supply and draineage board, the Ceylon electricity board and telephone service providers.
As with most Sri Lankan cities, the magistrate court and the district court handles felony crimes — the Municipal Council deals with parking tickets, traffic infractions, and misdemeanors. Colombo houses the countrys largest jail known as the Magazine Prison. And headquarters of the Police ,Army,Navy Air Force and many other judicial offices including the Supreme Court are in Colombo. The law enforcement agencies also liase with the municipal council but are managed by the ministry of interior and ministry of justice of the central government.
[edit] Official Vision and mission
[edit] Vision
“Colombo being a model city in Asia, a caring organization looking after interests of citizens and users with an efficient quality service for creation of safe, healthy and wealthy life”
[edit] Mission
“Organization achieving excellence in providing citizen centered services to the public / customer, optimizing the use of available resources through a competent, motivated and dedicated team”
[edit] Sister cities
Colombo is internationally partnered with Leeds of United Kingdom as a sister city to promote global cooperation, cultural exchange and economic collaboration.
[edit] Economy
The great majority of Sri Lankan corporations have their head offices in Colombo. Some of the industries include chemicals, textiles, glass, cement, leather goods, furniture, and jewelry. In the city centre is located South Asia's second tallest building - The World Trade Centre. The 40 storeyed Twin Tower complex is the centre of important commerial establishments, situated in the Fort district, the city's nerve centre. Right outside the Fort area is pettah which is derived from the Sinhala word pita which means out or outside as it is outside the Fort.
Pettah is more corwded than the fort area. Its a place you can buy almost any thing you want, Pettah's roads are always packed and pavements are full of small stalls selling from delicious Sherbats to Shirts. The main street is mostly clothes shops and the cross roads known as first cross street, second cross street upto fifth cross street each street has a specific business. For example first cross street, is mainly for electronics, second cross street is for cellular phones and fancy goods. Most of these businesses in Pettah are dominated by Muslim traders. At the end of the main street further away from Fort is the sea street Sri Lanka's Gold market, this mile long street is full of jewelry shops.
[edit] Education
[edit] Culture
[edit] Landmarks
[edit] Annual cultural events and fairs
[edit] Performing arts
[edit] Museums and art collections
[edit] Other attractions
[edit] Sports
[edit] Infrastructure
[edit] Transportation
[edit] Public Transportation
[edit] Major Highways
[edit] Airports
[edit] Medical centers and hospitals
[edit] Modern Colombo
The great majority of Sri Lankan corporations have their head offices in Colombo. Some of the industries include chemicals, textiles, glass, cement, leather goods, furniture, and jewelry. An oil refinery is located near the city.
In the city centre is located South Asia's second tallest building - The World Trade Centre. The 40 storeyed Twin Tower complex is the centre of important commerial establishments, situated in the Fort district, the city's nerve centre. The old Fort area has some of the most interesting mixes of old and new architecture, with some complexes dating back to the Portuguese and Dutch era, shadowed by the towering, glass modern buildings.
The city is also home to a vibrancy of culture, arts, religion and education. The University of Colombo, several colleges, an observatory, the national museum, and numerous churches, mosques, and Buddhist and Hindu temples are in Colombo - some dating back centuries. The Sri Lanka Broadcasting Corporation, formerly known as Radio Ceylon, is also situated in Colombo. The SLBC is the oldest radio station in South Asia.
[edit] Night Life In Colombo
The city is famed for its nightlife and has often been referred to as the "Las Vegas of South Asia", offering numerous casinos, bars, night clubs and pubs. In Sri Lanka, unlike its neighbours, alcohol flows freely, except on full moon Poya Days when sales are prohibited. Recently, the city has emerged as a preferred night life and entertainment destination among close Asian markets. The recent cessation of hostilities between the Government and Tamil Tiger rebels has resulted in an entertainment boom in the city and greater economic growth..
[edit] Zones of Colombo City
[edit] Fort
The heart of Colombo is the Fort district. Most government offices are in this historic neighbourhood, as are the main post office, banks, other key businesses, some of the five-star hotels and much of Colombo's nightlife. Originally a literal fort during the Portuguese and Dutch periods, the Fort continues to boast several places of tourist interest which can be conveniently seen on foot. Colonial buildings include the Presidential Secretariat, previously the Parliament house, the Grand Oriental Hotel, built in the mid 19th century as barracks for soldiers, the Lighthouse Clock Tower which along with being Fort’s prominent landmark also shows the time, and the red and white Cargills and Millers department stores, with ancient brass signs and wooden display cabinets. There are also the General Post Office building, the Delft Gateway dating to the Dutch period, and the Fort Police Station which was once a Dutch Hospital. Other examples of pre independent Sri Lanka are the Chartered Bank Building, the Hong Kong and Shanghai Bank and a statue of Queen Victoria in Gordon Gardens. Amongst the modern structures are the Ceylinco Building, Sri Lanka’s only high rise of the 1960’s, the World Trade Centre and the Hilton, Galadari and Intercontinental Hotels.
[edit] Colombo Stock Exchange
Colombo Stock Exchange [1] is located in the World Trade Center complex in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is one of the most modern exchanges in Asia, providing a fully automated trading platform and was one of the first to go fully automated in the early 1990s.
[edit] Galle Face Green
The Galle Face Green is the city's largest and most elegant promenade. Lined with palm trees and adjacent to the coast, much like a tropical version of Hollywood Boulevard, this mile-long stretch in the heart of the city is a constant beehive of activity. The green brightens up especially on Fridays and Saturdays with the night dwellers. In the evenings it plays home to families and children playing sports and flying kites, embracing lovers and health enthusiasts taking their daily evening walks. There are numerous small food stalls and a small stretch of beach to get wet. The green was recently give a make over and since then has been even more popular with the local community. The Green also frequently hosts numerous international and local concerts and performances, such as the recently concluded World Drum Festival.
Cannon used during Colonial war times are still laid out for observance and prestige at the Green, giving the colonial touch to the city which blends with the west and the east comfortably.
The famous colonial styled Galle Face Hotel, known as Asia's Emerald on the Green ... since 1864, is also adjacent to Galle Face. The Hotel has played host to distinguished guests including the British Royal Family and other Royal Guests and Celebrities. Apparently after having stayed at the hotel, Princess Alexandra of Denmark had commented that "the peacefulness and generosity encountered at the Galle Face Hotel cannot be matched".
Around the corner from Galle Face are prominent coffee bars, chic bars and boutiques.
[edit] Slave Island or Kompannaveediya (Colombo 2)
This area was once where the Dutch held their slaves, mostly brought in from Africa. It surrounds the Beira Lake (Colombo's largest lake) and its Esplanade which also houses an island within it that is used for recreation. Whether or not the area derives its name from this island is uncertain. Slave Island is a very commercial area of the city, located next to the Fort region, and is home to large commercial establishments, luxury hotels (including the city's second Hilton), shopping centres, department stores and some of the city's nightlife.
[edit] Colpetty or Kollupitiya (Colombo 3)
Colpetty is evidence of Colombo's increasing recognition as a truly international metropolis. Surrounded by skyscrapers and modern shopping and residential complexes, it will also be the site for the island's and South Asia's tallest building - Celestial Residencies/Hyatt Regency. Construction is due to be completed in 2008.
[edit] History of Colpetty
Once upon a time the drab and highly commercial city of Colombo was a 'Green City'. Each of its zones resembled a mini village, consisting of cinnamon or coconut plantations through which narrow cart roads ran. In Colonial times, Mutuwal, Hultsdorp, Grandpass, the Pettah and Fort, in Colombo, were the main urban residencies and business areas where leading citizens lived, loved and traded. By the latter part of the 19 Century people had begun to move south towards Kollupitiya (Colombo 3) and Cinnamon Gardens (Colombo 7) and even further to Slave Island (Colombo 2), Bambalapitiya (Colombo 4), Havelock Town (Colombo 5) and Wellawatte (Colombo 6). Real estate in all these small towns of Colombo started booming with the demand for land and housing.
It was amidst this backdrop that many prominent businessmen, traders, politicians, government officials, and professionals took up residence in Kollupitiya. Consequently, the town, today, has become a very elite residential location as well as a lucrative and fashionable business emporium. Many are the luxurious manors and villas that stood in Kollupitiya in old times. Some have been demolished for obvious reasons of expansion and construction. Some still stand in all their splendid majesty and grandeur. Gardens stretched out from residence to residence, lush green and perfumed with every variety of flora, manicured by careful and loving hands of specialist gardeners. Tree lined avenues are still to be seen providing a canopy of shade, comfort and delight to the weary traveler.
In recent times many such halcyon locations have given way to tall high-rise apartments housing families as well as office complexes, businesses, cinemas, casinos, markets and shopping malls. Roads have been widened and the massive influx of people is now choking the small town.
"In those days Kollupitiya was known as Baradeniya. It was an urban village with some beautiful villas in gardens shaded by trees. The roads which ran through fertile cinnamon and coconut gardens were narrow cart-tracks. The people were just a few . There was a small market place where people could buy and sell. Bullock carts, horse drawn carriages and rickshaws were there to give that simple place an air of complexity".
So writes H. M. Mervyn Herath, whose recently published book 'Colonial Kollupitiya and its Environs' dips into a past when colonial masters - the Portuguese, Dutch and British - reigned supreme, and Sri Lankan society was largely feudal. During that nostalgic journey into the past, the writer also reveals a host of little known facts and anecdotes that add to the historical importance of his book. Many valuable extracts from the book have been included within this journey into time through the town of Kollupitiya.
[edit] Bambalapitiya (Colombo 4)
Bambalapitiya, affectionately known to all its residents, and even those living within the other zones of Colombo, as “Bamba”, is a small town located on both sides of the Galle Road between Colpetty (Colombo 3) on the North and Wellawatte (Colombo 6) on the South, spanning about one and a half kilometers of the Galle Road. The West is ringed by the big beautiful waters of the Indian Ocean while the East borders Havelock Town on the North and Kirulaponne on the South, connected by Havelock Road. Bamba is also classified as Colombo 00400 on the zonal map of Colombo and lies within the Municipality of Colombo.
Bambalapitya in the early 19th century was a thick jungle infested with venomous snakes. Kadju Pulang trees were common to this area and it was the belief that outlaws hiding in this dense jungle would hijack and plunder bullock carts carrying produce between Galle and Colombo. It appears that these bandits would murder traders and hang the bodies on the Kadju Pulung trees, The song sung at school matches, "we will hang all the Thomians on the Kadju Pulang trees..." is said to have had derived from this legend.
Vast tracts of Bambalapitiya were owned by the Senanayake family, relicts of our first PM, D.S.Senanayake. The descendants of this family, Haig, Brian and Sheila still live in their ancestral home down Mary’s Road.
Herbert Bartholomeusz J.P and retired Engineer PWD bought 10 acres of land for Rs 6.00 per acre in 1896. Today land in Bamba is worth about Rs One million per perch (one acre = 160 perches).
[edit] Streets, people, places and events in Bambalapitiya
http://kermeey.blogspot.com/2005/11/bamba-we-knew.html
[edit] Havelock Town and Kirulapane South (Colombo 5)
[edit] Wellawatte, Pamankada and Kirulapane North (Colombo 6)
Wellawatte, a small town in Colombo, lies immediately south of Bambalapitiya and is classified as zone 6 within the Colombo Municipal region. The town begins at the old Dutch canal just before the Savoy Cinema and extends all the way south to the same canal that spills into the sea just before the Hospital Road junction where Dehiwela begins. It is bounded on the west by the magnificent waters of the Indian Ocean and extends to Pamankade where Havelock Road, forks and winds one of its ways to meet the Sri Saranankara Road bridge that stretches over the waters of the Dutch canal extending towards Kohuwela-Hospital Road junction on Dutugemunu Street.
[edit] Cinnamon Gardens (Colombo 7)
This area, once comprised of numerous cinnamon estates (an important product in the spice trade of the Europeans), today is the city's most expensive residential region. Its tree lined avenues and large colonial style mansions are a reminder of the city's once prominent role in world trade.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
[edit] Images to be included
| Main Cities Of Sri Lanka |  |
|---|---|
| Colombo | Trincomalee | Jaffna | Kandy | Anuradhapura | Polonnaruwa | Galle | Batticaloa | Sri Jayewardenapura | Kurunegala | Badulla | Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia | Moratuwa | |
| Provincial Capitals Of Sri Lanka | |
|---|---|
| Colombo | Kandy | Galle | Jaffna | Trincomalee | Kurunegala | Anuradhapura | Badulla | Ratnapura | |
