Colombo
The largest city and commercial capital of Sri Lanka is Colombo which is located in the western province adjacent to Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte (the capital city of Sri Lanka ) Colombo is a vibrant city with a mixture of modern life , colonial buildings and ruins.
Due to its very large harbor and its position along the East-West sea trade routes Colombo was very popular among ancient traders 2000 years ago.
Colombo houses a majority of the Sri Lanka’s corporate offices, restaurants and entertainment venues. Famous land marks in Colombo include the National Museum, World Trade Center , Vihara Maha Devi Park and the Galle Face Green.
The name “Colombo”, first introduced by the Portuguese in 1505, is believed to be derived from the classical Sinhalese name Kolon thota, meaning “port on the river Kelani”. It has also been suggested that the name may be derived from the Sinhalese name Kola-amba-thota which means “Harbor with leafy mango trees”. However, it is also possible that the Portuguese named the city after Christopher Columbus.
Natural Harbor
Due to the fact that Colombo had a natural harbor of its own the Romans, Arabs and Chinese traders were well aware of its significance. Colombo’s geography is a mix of land and water. The city has many canals and, in the heart of the city is located a lake known as the Beira Lake. The lake has a historical significance for which it was used to defend the city by colonists
Geography and Climate
Colombo’s climate is fairly temperate all throughout the year averaging around 31 degrees. Colombo is a multi-ethnic, multi-cultural city. The population of Colombo is a mix of numerous ethnic groups, mainly Sinhalese, Moors and Tamils. There are also small communities of people with Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, Malay and Indian origins living in the city, as well as numerous European expatriates. Colombo is the most populous city in Sri Lanka.
The Official Vision and Mission in Colombo is as follows:
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”.
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”.
Even thought the Parliament was moved to Kotte the Move was somehow incomplete with the remaining of the Presidents House, Presidential Secretariat, Prime Minister’s House, The Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, Including the Military, Naval, Air Force and The Police headquarters. Colombo is the home to the 2nd largest building in South-east Asia.
