One of the first written references to the island is found in the Indian epic Ramayanawhich provides details of a kingdom named Lanka that was created by the divine sculptor Vishwakarma for Kuberathe Lord of Wealth.Įarly inhabitants of Sri Lanka were probably ancestors of the Vedda people an indigenous people numbering approximately 2, living in modern-day Sri Lanka. In these caves, archaeologists have found the remains of anatomically modern humans which they have named Balangoda Manand other evidence suggesting that they may have engaged in agriculture and kept domestic dogs for driving game. The pre-history of Sri Lanka goes backyears and possibly even as far back asyears. According to the Mahavamsathe legendary Prince Vijaya named the land Tambapanni ' copper-red hands' or 'copper-red earth'because his followers' hands were reddened by the red soil of the area. In antiquity, Sri Lanka was known to travellers by a variety of names. MoorsBurghersMalaysChineseand the indigenous Vedda are also established groups on the island. The majority of the population are from the Sinhalese ethnicitywhile a large minority of Tamils have also played an influential role in the island's history.

The island is home to many cultures, languages, and ethnicities. The Portuguese possessions would later be taken over by the Dutchand the Dutch by the British who would later extend their control over the whole island, colonising it from to Resistance to the British was immediate while a nationalist political movement arose in the country in the early 20th century to obtain political independence, which was granted in the country became a republic and adopted its current name in Sri Lanka's recent history has been marred by a year civil warwhich ended decisively when the Sri Lanka Armed Forces defeated the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam in The current constitution stipulates the political system as a republic and a unitary state governed by a semi-presidential system.īuddhism is given special privileges in the Sri Lankan constitution.

The country's trade in luxury goods and spices attracted traders of many nations to the island, creating the diverse population in Sri Lanka there is now.ĭuring a period of great political crisis the Portuguesewhose arrival in Sri Lanka was largely accidental, would intrude into the country's internal affairs by seeking to establishing control over the maritime regions of the island in order to control its lucrative external trade. Sri Lanka's documented history spans 3, years, with evidence of pre-historic human settlements dating back to at leastyears. Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital while Colombo is the largest city and center of commerce. The island is geographically separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait.

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