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Touring: France, Vietnam, Laos & Sri Lanka |
SRI LANKA
Tour
Overview - Colombo
- Geography
- History
& Government
- People
& Culture - The
Economy - Gallery
Colombo
Population 1.2 million.
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.
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DATES AND COSTS
5-20 March, 2006 $4734 per
person, twin share, from Australia return or
$3234 joining in Sri Lanka.
4-19 March 2007
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