2007-04-07 00:41:32 · 4 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
[excerpted from Wikipedia]
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. Ceilão 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" ( śrī laṅkā in Sinhala; whereas the island itself is referred to as lankāva, இலங்கை ilaṅkai in Tamil). In 1978 it was changed to "Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka".
The current name is derived from Sanskrit śrī, "resplendent", and laṅkā which is the name of the island as described in the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
2007-04-07 00:49:36 · answer #1 · answered by K e L 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Sri Lanka Name Change
2016-12-12 05:57:14 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ceylon was the British, westernised, name. Like many other countries when it gained independence it reverted to a name in its native tongue. Burma, for example, became Myanmar, Bechuanaland, Botswana, The Gold Coast, Ghana.
2007-04-07 00:49:09 · answer #3 · answered by rdenig_male 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Ridiculous third world stuff.
Germans don't mind if we don't call it Deutschland, do they?
2007-04-07 04:07:34 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋