Colombo (Civ5)/Civilopedia

The largest city on the island nation of Sri Lanka, Colombo, has long been a vibrant trade center due in no small part to its strategic location along the trade routes connecting Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Beginning in ancient times, traders sailing from Greece, Rome, and China all stopped within Colombo's naturally formed harbor while sailing to distant ports.
Sometime around the 8th century AD, Arab settlers and traders hoping to profit from the port made permanent residence in the area of Colombo. However, it wasn't until nearly 600 years later with the arrival of Portuguese explorers that Colombo saw a vast expansion in its economic influence. From the early 1500s on, Colombo was of strategic and economic importance to a number of empires, as control of the city changed hands from the Portuguese to the Dutch, and later still, the English.
In the present-day, Colombo and its port are integral to the overall economy of Sri Lanka, as much of the nation's imports and exports pass through the city.