SRI LANKA Colombo The capital and largest city in Sri Lanka, Colombo is also the commercial centre of the country. Located on Sri Lanka's west coast, it is a principal Indian Ocean port. The oldest districts, known as the Fort and the Pettah, are those nearest to the harbour. The Fort is still a focal point of government and commercial activity, though less so than in the past. The Pettah (meaning "town outside the fort") has become a district of small shops, markets, and sidewalk stalls. Colombo's distinctive buildings include the original Houses of Parliament, Secretariat, and Town Hall, the dome of St. Lucia's Cathedral, the Supreme Court with its Doric columns, and the historic Galle Face Hotel. The city's manufacturing industries are based on the processing of raw materials exported through the port. Other economic activities include the assembly and servicing of motor vehicles and other machinery and the processing of food, beverages, and tobacco. The head offices of national and foreign banks and brokerage houses are in Colombo. In the 8th century Arab traders settled near the site of the modern port. From the 16th century onward, the port area was settled first by the Portuguese, then by the Dutch, and finally by the British. When the island, then called Ceylon, was ceded to the British in 1815, Colombo became the capital. DATES AND COSTS Best Travels, 82 Bellevue Street, CAMMERAY, NSW
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