Dominion of Ceylon

Ceylon was an independent country in the Commonwealth of Nations from 1948 to 1972, that shared a monarch with other dominions of the Commonwealth. In 1948, the British Colony of Ceylon was granted independence as Ceylon. In 1972, the country became a republic within the Commonwealth, and its name was changed to Sri Lanka.

Ceylon
1948–1972
Anthem: Sri Lanka Matha (1951–1972)

God Save the King (1948–1951)
Capital
and largest city
Colombo
6°56′04″N 79°50′34″E
Common languagesSinhala
Tamil
English
Religion
Demonym(s)Ceylonese
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary constitutional monarchy
Monarch 
 1948–1952
George VI
 1952–1972
Elizabeth II
Governor-General 
 1948–1949
Sir Henry Monck-Mason Moore
 1949–1954
Lord Soulbury
 1954–1962
Sir Oliver Ernest Goonetilleke
 1962–1972
William Gopallawa
Prime Minister 
 1948–1952
D. S. Senanayake
 1952–1953
Dudley Senanayake
 1953–1956
Sir John Kotelawala
 1956–1959
S. W. R. D. Bandaranaike
 March 1960–July 1960
Dudley Senanayake
 July 1960–1972
Sirimavo Bandaranaike
LegislatureParliament of Ceylon
 Upper house
Senate
 Lower house
House of Representatives
History 
 Independence
4 February 1948
1971
 Republic
22 May 1972
Area
195665,610 km2 (25,330 sq mi)
Population
 1956
8,104,000
CurrencyCeylon Rupee
Preceded by
Succeeded by
British Ceylon
Sri Lanka
"Sri Lanka". Retrieved 30 March 2010.
"Ceylon Independent, 1948–1956". World History at KMLA. Retrieved 30 March 2010.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.