The island was ruled by a strong native dynasty from the 12th century but was successively dominated by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British from the 16th century and finally annexed by the British in 1815. A Commonwealth state from 1948, the country became an independent republic in 1972. Since 1981 there has been fighting between government forces and Tamil separatist guerrillas
- More example sentences
- These funds have been given to the Brothers of Charity Sri Lankan Appeal Fund.
- Her real parents Shyama and Dileepan are Sri Lankan Tamils.
- While a large part of the Buddhist community followed the monk devoutly, some Sri Lankans saw him as a fundamentalist and nationalist who denigrated the country's minority religions.
Definition of Sri Lanka in:
- The US English dictionary