For the first time here on FTD Facts, we are doing a dedicated video all about Colombo, Sri
Lanka. Welcome back to another episode, Leroy Kenton here, and I'm really excited to share with you, 10
surprising and interesting facts about the capital city of Sri Lanka, Colombo. Okay, so let's jump
into this. Starting at fact number 10, and we're gonna go all the way down to number 1.
At number 10, Colombo is the largest and a very important city in Sri Lanka. Colombo has one of
the world's largest artificial harbors. So, it's no surprise that most of the country's foreign trade
passes through the port there. Some of the top industries in Colombo are gem cutting,
food and tobacco processing, metalwork, chemical manufacturing, as well as jewelry. So, as you can see,
right off the bat, the city is a very important one. It also had ancient recognition. More and
more people, well, nowadays, around the world, are becoming familiar with the culture of Sri Lanka.
And it continues to grow in popularity as a tourist destination. But, did you know that long,
long, ago, the city of Colombo, Sri Lanka was on the radar of many other nations? With its
massive supply of cinnamon, and a large natural harbor along east-west trade routes, Colombo was
known and valued by the Greeks, the Persians, the Indians, the Romans, Arabs, and Chinese traders
more than 2,000 years ago. For fact number 8, let's talk about the name Colombo. You're probably
wondering where the city got its name from. For me, when I was saying Colombo, I was thinking "Colombia."
...it's like some Spanish origin. But let me break down the facts for you. The name Colombo was
first introduced by the Portuguese in 1505 and the name Colombo is believed to be derived from
the classic Sinhalese name “Kolon thota,” meaning "port on the river Kelani." Now, the Kelani river
by the way, is a 145 kilometer long, or 90 mile long river, in Sri Lanka. And, it's the fourth
longest river in the entire country. It stretches from the Sri Pada mountain range to Colombo city.
and the Kelani river also flows through Colombo and provides 80% of its drinking water.
For fact number 7, we're looking at some world records. Two Guinness World Records to be exact!
They were achieved in front of a very excited crowd of people inside one of Colombo's public
parks on December 22nd, 2012. A Sri Lankan man by the name of Sanath Bandara, he put on 257 t-shirts
and this allowed for two records to be broken. The records were - the most t-shirts ever worn, and the
most t-shirts put on within one hour. Like, just look at those photos. How is that even possible
guys? Next up at number 6, let's talk about Mount Lavinia. Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia, is the largest
suburb of the city of colombo, and it covers 2,109 hector. It sits just south of the Colombo
Municipal Council area, and is separated from it by the Dehiwala canal. Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia
is one of Colombo's most peaceful and laid-back suburbs, filled with great seafood, restaurants
on the golden beach, and is named after Lavinia, who was a gypsy woman, who had a secret romantic affair
with one of Sri Lanka's Governors. So, we looked at 5 facts about Colombo, Sri Lanka so far. We have
5 more to go. But, I wanted to take this time to let you know about our related video - 10 surprising
facts about Sri Lanka. We actually have a couple parts to this series, so I'll link to them below in
the video description section, where you can learn about the country on a whole. Not just the capital
city, but we go into a lot of the history, and the beauty, and the culture of Sri Lanka. You definitely
don't want to miss those episodes if you haven't seen them already. Again, I'll link to them below in
the video description section. For fact number 5, we gotta look at Pettah. There's a place in Colombo
called Pettah, which is a maze of streets where you can find all sorts of products, and goods,
and resources. The Pettah neighborhood is famous for the Pettah Market, which is a series of shops and
markets. And there, you'll find all types of things from colorful textiles, and gold and silver, as
well as, ancient artifacts. And, of course, you know, daily essential items that you need for your life,
everyday living. Whatever you're looking for in Colombo, it is found in Pettah. It's definitely a must
visit for anyone that is going to the country of Sri Lanka. Fact number 4 was also pretty
surprising to me. There's actually no International Airport in the city. The common misconception is
that the Bandaranaike International Airport is in Colombo, but it's actually in Katunayake. And, this
city is about 30 minutes - 1 hour from Colombo, depending on what mode of transportation you use.
Now this confusion appears to happen in many cases because the airport is also commonly known as,
Colombo International Airport. But no, as popular and as famous as the city
is, there's no International Airport specifically located in it. Colombo is also divided into
15 divisions. These are administrative sub-units, and they each have names, but they are just
simply referred to as Colombo i, Columbo ii, and so on. The 15 numbered areas of colombo
are divided for purposes of postal services and each area has its own history, purpose, and feel
to it. Colombo ii, for example, is known as "Slave Island," which was where slaves were held during
the Dutch and Portuguese colonial periods. But today, it is a busy commercial area, and has several
government offices located in that area. Perhaps we can do a video just on the different areas
of Colombo. But, I guess we'll save that for another episode. Alright, moving on to fact number 2.
There's a temple in Colombo called the Gangarama Vihara, and it is perhaps the most popular temple
in the country. The temple is fully decorated with brass work, stone carvings, and other
Buddhist artwork. And the cool thing about it is, it also has a museum within it. There are also a
lot of specifically religious items including a massive sacred tree in the center of the complex.
And nearby, is the temple's most sacred of all its relics. And this is believed to be a lock
of the Buddha's hair that was donated to it by a temple in Bengal. Now, we end up with
fact number 1. And this takes us to Galle Face Green, often known simply as Galle Face. This is
a 0.5 kilometer stretch of land that faces the Indian ocean. Now, it's a very scenic place, and it
serves as a source of entertainment for tourists of Colombo, and also its residents. Its beach is lined
with various different shacks and booths that sell all sorts of food and drink. And, the Galle Face
is also minutes from major locations like the President's house, the Navy Headquarters, and the
Colombo Hilton. The Galle Face Green, also hosted the world's tallest artificial Christmas tree.
This thing was massive! This was on December 25, 2016, and the tree is 72.1 meters. And that works
out to be 263 feet and 6.58 inches tall. Yeah, huge! So, that brings us to the end of this episode. This
was a look at 10 surprising and interesting facts about Colombo, Sri Lanka. Definitely a
beautiful city with a very fascinating history. Definitely on my bucket list of places to travel.
Hopefully after this COVID thing clears up, I can finally get traveling again. Alright guys,
awesome hanging out with you in this episode. Really hope you found this video useful and
entertaining. Sound off down below in the comment section - anything that you want to comment on. And
that's it for me guys. Until the next episode, stay awesome, stay educated! I'll see you soon.
you