Sri Lanka is an island Country located in the Indian Ocean off the east coast of India. It was known as Ceylon before 1972, and Serendib and Sinhale, among other names, before that. Sri Lanka, remained under the control of Portugal, the Netherlands and the Great Britain.
After it became independent in the 1940s, a civil war erupted between Sinhalese majority and Tamil Tigers which devastated the nation. The country is a member of the Commonwealth and the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. It is known as “the teardrop island” for its unique shape and “the spice island” for its flavors.
These rare historical photos show Sri Lanka in the late 19th century.