Which island country was formerly called Ceylon until 1972?

Sri Lanka was formerly called Ceylon until 1972.

The island lies in the Indian Ocean southeast of the Indian subcontinent. It became independent from British rule as the Dominion of Ceylon on 4 February 1948. On 22 May 1972, it adopted a republican constitution and changed its official name to the Republic of Sri Lanka.

The name Sri Lanka comes from Sanskrit-derived elements commonly interpreted as “resplendent island.” Ceylon was an English form derived through Portuguese and Dutch usage from earlier names for the island. Both names continued to appear in historical and commercial contexts after the official change.

Sri Lanka’s modern official name is the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka. The capital is Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, while Colombo remains the country’s largest city and a major commercial centre—another detail sometimes confused with the country’s constitutional capital.