Sri Lanka Cities

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Sri Lanka Cities by Population

64 cities shown of 64 total Sri Lanka cities that are over 1,000 in population...

1. Colombo 648,034
2. Galkissa 215,941
3. Moratuwa 185,031
4. Jaffna 169,102
5. Negombo 137,223
6. Pita Kotte 118,179
7. Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte 115,826
8. Kandy 111,701
9. Trincomalee 108,420
10. Kalmunai 100,171
11. Galle 93,118
12. Point Pedro 89,810
13. Batticaloa 86,742
14. Katunayaka North 84,643
15. Valvedditturai 78,205
16. Matara 76,254
17. Battaramulla South 75,633
18. Dambulla 66,716
19. Maharagama 66,576
20. Kotikawatta 64,565
21. Anuradhapura 60,943

22. Vavuniya 60,176
23. Kolonnawa 58,076
24. Hendala 56,978
25. Ratnapura 47,832
26. Puttalam 45,661
27. Badulla 42,230
28. Welisara 41,306
29. Kalutara 38,000
30. Bentota 37,000
31. Homagama 34,664
32. Beruwala 34,250
33. Panadura 33,735
34. Mulleriyawa 33,540
35. Kandana 33,424
36. Ja Ela 32,175
37. Wattala 30,725
38. Peliyagoda 30,717
39. Kelaniya 28,846
40. Kurunegala 28,571
41. Nuwara Eliya 25,775
42. Gampola 24,730

43. Chilaw 24,712
44. Eravur Town 22,982
45. Hanwella Ihala 22,918
46. Weligama 22,179
47. Ambalangoda 20,133
48. Ampara 18,348
49. Hatton 15,073
50. Polonnaruwa 13,900
51. Kilinochchi 13,006
52. Tangalla 10,497
53. Monaragala 10,236
54. Gampaha 9,350
55. Horana South 8,982
56. Wattegama 8,000
57. Minuwangoda 7,772
58. Horawala Junction 7,500
59. Kuliyapitiya 6,877
60. Haputale 4,721
61. Talawakele 3,545
62. Hikkaduwa 1,300
63. Kadugannawa 1,214
64. Sigiriya 1,001

Sri Lanka History

After over two thousand years of rule by local kingdoms, parts of Sri Lanka were colonized by Portugal and the Netherlands beginning in the 16th century, before the control of the entire country was ceded to the British Empire in 1815. During World War II, Sri Lanka served as an important base for Allied forces in the fight against the Japanese Empire. A nationalist political movement arose in the country in the early 20th century with the aim of obtaining political independence, which was eventually granted by the British after peaceful negotiations in 1948.

In ancient times, Sri Lanka was known by a variety of names: ancient Greek geographers called it Taprobane and Arabs referred to it as Serendib. Ceilo was the name given to Sri Lanka by the Portuguese when they arrived on the island in 1505, which was transliterated into English as Ceylon. In 1972, the official name of the country was changed to ""Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka"". In 1978 it was changed to ""Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka""."

The current name is derived from the Sanskrit word lanka, meaning island"

which was also the name of the island as described in the ancient Indian epics Mahabharata and the Ramayana. The word ""Sri"" is a Sanskrit title meaning sacred."""