Sri Lanka is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the south east coast of the Indian sub-continent. Officially known as Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka it has a population of over 21,000,000. During the period of British colonial rule the country was known as Ceylon. In 1960 Sirimavo Bandaranaike was elected Prime Minister of Sri Lanka becoming the first woman in the world to hold such a position. Colombo with a population of over 5 million is the largest city in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lankan civilisation can be traced back to the 6th century BC. It was invaded several times during its long history. In 1815 the British colonised Sri Lanka. The country remained under British control for almost 150 years. The Donoughmore Constitution was introduced in 1931. It enabled general elections with adult universal suffrage to take place. The constitution was devised by the Irish peer Richard Hely-Hutchinson, 6th Earl of Donoughmore. Sri Lanka was given Dominion status in 1948 and became a republic in 1972.
Sri Lanka, an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the south east coast of the Indian sub-continent, became in independent republic in the year 1972 On This Day.
Sri Lanka
Sri Lanka