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August 31: Great Britain Controls Sri Lanka

On 31 August 1795, the British captured Fort Ostenburg and therefore gained control of Tricomalee (Tamil: திருகோணமலை; Sinhala: තිරිකුණාමළය) and the island of Ceylon. It was not until 1948 that Ceylon would gain its independence from Great Britain. In 1972, Ceylon changed its name to the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka (Sinhala: ශ්‍රී ලංකා;, […]