Dominion of Ceylon in 1948. In 1972, the official name of the country was changed to "Free, Sovereign and Independent Republic of Sri Lanka" (in Sinhala ශ්‍රී ලංකා śrī laṃkā , IPA:  [ˌʃɾiːˈlaŋkaː] ; whereas the island itself is referred to as ලංකාව laṃkāva , IPA:  [laŋˈkaːʋə] , in Tamil இலங்கை