Transport in Sri Lanka is based on its road network, which is centred on the country's commercial capital Colombo. A rail network handles a portion of Sri Lanka's transport needs. There are navigable waterways, harbours and three international airports: in Katunayake, 35 kilometres (22 mi) north of Colombo, in Hambantota, and in Jaffna.
Colombo is the executive and judicial capital and largest city of Sri Lanka by population. According to the Brookings Institution, the Colombo metropolitan area has a population of 5.6 million, and 752,993 in the Municipality. It is the financial centre of the island and a tourist destination. It is located on the west coast of the island and adjacent to the Greater Colombo area which includes Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte, the legislative capital of Sri Lanka, and Dehiwala-Mount Lavinia. Colombo is often referred to as the capital since Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte is itself within the urban/suburban area of Colombo. It is also the administrative capital of the Western Province and the district capital of Colombo District. Colombo is a busy and vibrant city with a mixture of modern life, colonial buildings and monuments.
Bandaranaike International Airport (BIA) (Sinhala: බණ්ඩාරනායක ජාත්යන්තර ගුවන්තොටුපළ, romanized: Bandāranāyaka Jātyantara Guvantoṭupaḷa; Tamil: பண்டாரநாயக்க சர்வதேச விமான நிலையம், romanized: Paṇṭāranāyakka Carvatēca Vimāṉa Nilaiyam) (commonly known as Colombo International Airport, Colombo–Bandaranaike International Airport, and locally as Katunayake International Airport) (IATA: CMB, ICAO: VCBI) is the main international airport in Sri Lanka. It is named after former Prime Minister S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike (1899–1959) and is in the suburb of Negombo, 32.5 kilometres (20+1⁄4 miles) north of the nation's capital and commercial center, Colombo.
The Sri Lanka Navy (SLN) is the naval arm of the Sri Lanka Armed Forces and is classed as the country's most vital defence force due to its island geography. It is responsible for the maritime defence of the Sri Lankan nation and its interests. The role of the Sri Lanka Navy is to conduct operations at sea for the defence of the nation and its interests and conduct prompt and sustainable combat operations at sea in accordance with the national policies.
The Colombo Cricket Club (CCC) is a first-class cricket club in Sri Lanka. It is the oldest in the country, having been formed in 1863, and is headquartered at 31 Maitland Crescent, Colombo 7, close to the headquarters of Sri Lanka Cricket.
The Sri Lanka Railway Department is Sri Lanka's railway owner and primary operator. As part of the Sri Lankan government, it is overseen by the Ministry of Transport. Founded in 1858 as the Ceylon Government Railway, it operates the nation's railways and links Colombo with other population centres and tourist destinations.
Colombo Dockyard PLC (CDPLC) is a ship building company in Sri Lanka and it is based in Colombo. It has built both military and civilian vessels for both local and overseas clients.
The Sri Lanka Ports Authority Maritime Museum, commonly known as the Colombo Maritime Museum, is located at 19 Chaithya Road, Colombo, adjacent to the Colombo Port. The museum is operated and maintained by the Sri Lanka Ports Authority.
The Sri Lanka Coast Guard (SLCG) is a Sri Lankan non-ministerial government department tasked with coast guard duties within the territorial waters of Sri Lanka. It comes under the purview of the Ministry of Defence and its members are all naval personnel. The current Director General of the SLCG is Rear Admiral Rajapriya Serasinghe
Aitken Spence PLC is a Sri Lankan blue chip conglomerate with operations in South Asia, Middle East, Africa and Pacific. Listed on the Colombo Stock Exchange since 1983, it has major interests in hotels, travel, maritime services and logistics. The group also has a significant presence in printing, plantation, power generation, financial services, IT, Business Process Outsourcing/Knowledge Process Outsourcing sector, elevator agency services, garments, and property development.
The Port of Colombo Sinhala: කොළඹ වරාය, Tamil: கொழும்பு துறைமுகம் is the largest and busiest port in Sri Lanka and the Indian Ocean. Located in Colombo, on the southwestern shores on the Kelani River, it serves as an important terminal in Asia due to its strategic location in the Indian Ocean. During the 1980s, the port underwent rapid modernization with the installation of cranes, gantries and other modern-day terminal requirements.
Trincomalee Harbour is a seaport in Trincomalee Bay or Koddiyar Bay, fourth largest natural harbour in the world and situated on the northeastern coast of Sri Lanka.
Port City Colombo is a multi-services special economic zone located in Colombo, Sri Lanka, which is currently under construction on reclaimed land adjacent to the Galle Face Green. The land reclamation work had been completed as of January 2019. In 2017, the cost was slated to be US$ 15 billion. Port City Colombo is a multi-billion-dollar FDI-funded Public Private Partnership (PPP).
The Ministry of Highways, Ports and Shipping was a Sri Lankan government ministry responsible for the governance, implementation, creation and development of Ports including Colombo, Galle and Trincomalee ports, Highways including Southern expressway, Colombo Outer Circular expressway, Katunayake expressway and their transport services. It was reorganized as two separate ministries, the Ministry of Ports and Shipping and Ministry of Higher Education and Highways following the formation of the Sirisena cabinet in January 2015.
Lanka IOC PLC is a subsidiary of Indian Oil Corporation which operates retail petrol and diesel stations in Sri Lanka. LIOC is Sri Lanka's only private sector organisation retailing fuels with an island-wide distribution network of 213 retail outlasts. Its headquarters in the Colombo City, Colombo.
One Galle Face is a mixed-use complex of buildings near the Galle Face Green in Colombo, Sri Lanka. It is also Sri Lanka's first internationally and developed and managed mixed use project and was officially opened on 8 November 2019. The facility consists of four skyscrapers, one which will be open for businesses to set up offices, two for the residential component, and the fourth as part of a hotel. A shopping mall is also part of the project. The premises in its entirety is owned by Shangri-La.
The Housing Development Finance Corporation Bank of Sri Lanka PLC, commonly abbreviated as HDFC Bank of Sri Lanka PLC, is a specialised housing bank in Sri Lanka. The bank commenced operations in 1984 as a building society. Through successive acts in the Parliament of Sri Lanka over the years, the bank transformed into a state-owned enterprise, then a specialised bank and a listed company on the Colombo Stock Exchange in 2005. Since widening its scope of business in 2011, the bank established itself as a supporter of small and medium-sized enterprises. The government of Sri Lanka holds 51% of the bank's stocks, mainly through the National Housing Development Authority. HDFC Bank is one of the LMD 100 companies in Sri Lanka. The bank ranked 78th in the 2020/21 edition. Brand Finance calculated the brand value of HDFC Bank to be LKR763 million in 2022. Due to the effects of the Sri Lankan economic crisis, Fitch Ratings placed the bank along with twelve other Sri Lankan banks on Rating Watch Negative.
Ceylon Hotels Corporation PLC, often called Ceylon Hotels, is a hospitality company in Sri Lanka. The company was incorporated through an Act of the Parliament of Ceylon in 1966. The company was listed as a public company in the following year. Ceylon Hotel Holdings, a subsidiary of Galle Face Hotels Group is the holding company of Ceylon Hotels Corporation. Ceylon Hotels' subsidiary, Kandy Hotels Company owns and operates the Queen's Hotel and the Hotel Suisse heritage hotels.
Renuka Holdings PLC, also called Renuka Group, is a conglomerate company in Sri Lanka. Ceylonese businessman Alfred Thambiyah laid the foundations of the Renuka Group by acquiring the Crago Boat Dispatch Company in 1936 and establishing Renuka Hotel, named after his youngest daughter Indu Renuka in 1969. Indu Renuka Rajiyah founded Renuka Enterprises in 1975, and Renuka Holdings in 1979 marked the formal beginning of the group. Renuka Holdings went public in 2008 and following the listing on the Colombo Stock Exchange, the company pursued a growth strategy. Renuka Holdings is one of the LMD 100 companies in Sri Lanka and also one of the 20 largest conglomerates in Sri Lanka.
