About Sri Lanka

Places of Interest - Principal Cities

Pettah

Most of the city of Colombo's commercial and wholesale activities take place in the colourful bazaars of Pettah.

Fort

This is the economic hub of the country and many offices and important government buildings are located here.

Galle

The port town of Galle is Sri Lanka's fourth biggest town with 80,000 people. In 1505, a Portuguese fleet bound for Maldives blew off course, forcing them to take shelter in the Galle Harbour. The events which followed, drastically changed the course of Sri Lankan history. In 1598, the Portuguese built a small fort which was later extended. However, when the Dutch took over in 1640, they destroyed all traces of Portuguese presence. In 1663, the Dutch built the 36-hectare Fort, which is now a World Heritage Site.

Kataragama

This is one of the most important pilgrimage sites in Sri Lanka for Buddhists, Hindus and Muslims. Kataragama is a huge complex containing buildings representing all three religions.

Matara

It is a lively town with a historic background. Matara has a Dutch Fort called the Star Fort and an 18th century Dutch rampart that was built to protect the Dutch East Trading Company's administrative buildings. This rampart now effectively acts as a boundary to the Old Matara, which is quiet and picturesque.

Ratnapura

'The city of gems is 101 km (63 miles) from Colombo. It is situated in the 'low-country', among tea and rubber estates and paddy fields. The gem museum and gem mines are a special attraction here.

Precious and semi-precious stones found here include:
Alexandrite, Amethyst, Aquamarine, Blue Sapphire, Cat's Eye, Crystal, Garnet, Moonstone, Ruby, Star Sapphire, Topaz, Zircon.