Sri Lanka Former Name: What was the name Sri Lanka before it was changed? What was Sri Lanka called before Portuguese?

Sri Lanka formerly, officially known as the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, is an island country in South Asia. It lies in the Indian Ocean, southwest of the Bay of Bengal, and southeast of the Arabian Sea.

It is separated from the Indian subcontinent by the Gulf of Mannar and the Palk Strait and shares a maritime border with India and the Maldives.

Its legislative capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte and Colombo is its largest city and financial centre.

Sri Lanka’s documented history goes back 3,000 years, with evidence of prehistoric human settlements that dates back at least 125,000 years.

It has a rich cultural heritage. The earliest known Buddhist writings of Sri Lanka, known collectively as the Pāli canon, date to the fourth Buddhist council, which took place in 29 BCE.

In 2022, Sri Lanka became a country of global interests after its citizens embarked on a mammoth protest in the wake of economic crisis which hit the country.

Sri Lanka Former Name

What was the name Sri Lanka before it was changed? Prior to being called Sri Lanka, Sri Lanka was known as Ceylon.

What was Sri Lanka called before Portuguese? Sri Lanka was called Taprobane by Ancient Greek geographers while Arabs referred to Sri Lanka as Serendib.

European mapmakers later referred to Sri Lanka as Ceylon, a name still used occasionally for trade purposes.

It officially became Sri Lanka in 1972.