The first ethnic Sinhalese arrived in Sri Lanka late in the 6th century B.C., probably from northern India. The island territory known as Ceylon was ceded to the British in 1796, became a crown colony in 1802, and was formally united under British rule by 1815. Ceylon became independent in 1948 and in 1972, its name was changed to Sri Lanka. CIA’s World Factbook is a public resource providing basic intelligence on 265 world entities, including country profiles and one-page factsheets. Learn more