What was the capital of British Ceylon?

The capital of British Ceylon was Colombo.

Colombo was a major port on Sri Lanka’s western coast and had already served as an important administrative and commercial centre under Portuguese and Dutch rule. Britain captured Colombo from the Dutch in 1796, initially treating it as a military outpost. After the British took control of the Kandyan Kingdom in 1815, Colombo became the capital of the crown colony of British Ceylon.

The city’s harbour made it valuable to the British Empire, linking the island to shipping routes across the Indian Ocean. British administrators expanded the settlement beyond the old fort, constructing government buildings, roads, warehouses and civilian neighbourhoods. Colombo remained the colonial capital until Ceylon became independent in 1948.

Kandy is the most likely alternative in a quiz because it was the historic capital of the Kandyan Kingdom and remains culturally important. Galle and Jaffna were also significant regional centres, but neither was the capital of British Ceylon.