Basic information

| Attribute | Detail | | :--- | :--- | | **Official Name** | Colombo | | **Common Name** | Colombo | | **Native Name(s)** | කොළඹ (Sinhala), கொழும்பு (Tamil) | | **Nicknames** | The Garden City of the East (historical) | | **Motto** | _Data not readily available for this location._ | | **Geographic Level** | City / District | | **Country** | Sri Lanka | | **State/Province** | Western Province | | **Capital** | Executive and Commercial Capital of Sri Lanka | | **Government Type** | Municipal Council | | **Date Founded** | 8th Century (early settlement); 1815 (capital of British Ceylon) | | **Time Zone** | Sri Lanka Standard Time (UTC+5:30) | | **Latitude** | 6.9271° N | | **Longitude** | 79.8612° E | | **Elevation** | 1 m (3 ft) | | **Total Area** | 37.31 km² (city limits); 699 km² (district) | | **Population** | ~752,993 (city); ~2.4 million (district) | | **Population Density** | ~20,000/km² (city) | | **ZIP/Postal Codes** | 00100 to 01500 (Colombo 1 to 15) | | **Area Codes** | 011 | | **Official Languages** | Sinhala, Tamil (English widely used) | | **Currency** | Sri Lankan Rupee (LKR) | | **Demonym** | Colomboite |