Known as the Lion City, Colombo is the largest city in Sri Lanka, adjacent to the small town of Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte. The city is busy and has a mixture of colonial and modern buildings. The outskirts of Colombo are home to the colonial British Colony and is a major cultural centre. In the southern part of the city, Cinnamon Gardens is an attractive, well-kept garden with a view of the Beira Lake.
Sri Lanka's economy is largely based on agriculture and manufacturing. Over one third of the country's total agricultural production comes from tea and rubber estates, which are partially processed locally. The remaining 25% of manufacturing is made up of textiles and apparel, food and beverage products, and wood products. Heavy industry is confined to government-owned steel production and cement manufacturing. Other industries include oil refining, mining, and quarrying. Another important local industry is tourism.
Indigenisation of the city is an important feature of the island's history. Indigenisation of Colombo between 1860 and 1880 is examined from a reverse-Orientalist perspective. The process of indigenisation is important in understanding the development of the national elite and the revival of Buddhism in the region. It is also a crucial part of colonisation, which resisted Westernization of subjects and promoted indigenisation of social structures.
The city's population has a diverse mix of ethnic groups. The majority of people are Sinhala Buddhists, while Tamils of recent Indian origin make up the minority population. There are also Muslims and semi-tribal groups called Vaddas and Burghers. The differences in ethnicity have become increasingly pronounced since the end of the British colonial era. A thriving economy is a key part of Sri Lanka's identity.