Colombo District, Administrative district in Western Province, Sri Lanka
The Colombo District is an administrative region in the Western Province that contains the capital city Colombo and several major urban centers including Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia and Moratuwa. The area connects these municipalities through networks of neighborhoods, residential zones, and commercial areas.
The region emerged from the pre-colonial Kingdom of Kotte and later came under Portuguese, Dutch, and British rule before becoming part of independent Sri Lanka. Each period of foreign influence left marks on how the territory developed and took its present form.
This area is Sri Lanka's largest population center, where Sinhalese, Tamil, and Moor communities maintain their traditions through festivals and customs. People from different backgrounds live side by side, shaping the daily rhythm and character of neighborhoods throughout.
A dense network of buses and trains connects different urban centers and residential areas throughout the region. Public transport is the main way to move around and reach different parts of the territory.
The district contains both Sri Lanka's commercial capital in Colombo and its administrative capital in Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. This unusual arrangement means two different cities serve as the seat of government and commerce.
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