Reference
A History of Sri Lanka
The standard history of Sri Lanka from Anuradhapura to independence.
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Modern state
Level 2
★ Major power
1972 – present
Republic since 1972, when Ceylon was renamed Sri Lanka.
- Capital
- Sri Jayawardenepura Kotte
- Region
- Sri Lanka
- Duration
- 54 years (continuing)
- Main period
- Republic of India
Approximate extent.
At a glance
Move along the chart to read any year; click a ruler or event to open the map there.
Rulers
- J. R. Jayewardene President1978 – 1989
- Chandrika Kumaratunga President1994 – 2005
- Mahinda Rajapaksa President2005 – 2015
- Maithripala Sirisena President2015 – 2019
- Gotabaya Rajapaksa President2019 – 2022
- Ranil Wickremesinghe President2022 – 2024
- Anura Kumara Dissanayake President2024 – present
Selected rulers; gaps in the list are not gaps in the dynasty.
Key events
| Year | Event | Place |
|---|---|---|
| 1972 | Ceylon becomes the Republic of Sri Lanka | Colombo |
| 1983 | Sri Lankan civil war begins The Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) fought an armed struggle against the Sri Lankan army for a separate Tamil state; at one point they controlled the north-east of the island. |
Jaffna |
| 2009 | End of the Sri Lankan civil war Countries such as Norway and Iceland had tried to bring the warring sides back to talks; the armed conflict finally ended when the LTTE was vanquished. The LTTE was militarily defeated. |
Mullaitivu |
| 2022 | Sri Lankan economic crisis and Aragalaya protests | Colombo |
📚 Recommended reading on the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
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🕸 Connections 24 links
Explore connections full screen ↗Everything on YugMap linked to this page — and why. Hover a dot in the graph, or pick from the list.
🗂 Era 1
- Modern IndiaPart of this era
⏳ Periods 1
- Republic of IndiaBelongs to this period
🏛 Kingdoms & empires 8
- Kingdom of Nepal 1816 – 2008Existed at the same time (36 years)
- Kingdom of Bhutan 1907 – presentExisted at the same time (54 years)
- Republic of India 1950 – presentExisted at the same time (54 years)
- Republic of Maldives 1968 – presentExisted at the same time (54 years)
- Islamic Republic of Pakistan 1971 – presentExisted at the same time (54 years)
- People's Republic of Bangladesh 1971 – presentExisted at the same time (54 years)
- Afghanistan 1973 – presentExisted at the same time (53 years)
- Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal 2008 – presentExisted at the same time (18 years)
👑 Rulers 6
- J. R. Jayewardene 1978 – 1989Ruled it
- Chandrika Kumaratunga 1994 – 2005Ruled it
- Mahinda Rajapaksa 2005 – 2015Ruled it
- Maithripala Sirisena 2015 – 2019Ruled it
- Gotabaya Rajapaksa 2019 – 2022Ruled it
- Ranil Wickremesinghe 2022 – 2024Ruled it
⚔ Events 4
- Sri Lankan civil war begins 1983Happened in it
- End of the Sri Lankan civil war 2009Happened in it
- Ceylon becomes the Republic of Sri Lanka 1972Happened in it
- Sri Lankan economic crisis and Aragalaya protests 2022Happened in it
🔧 Technology 3
- Chandrayaan-1 22 October 2008Made or discovered in this time
- Mars Orbiter Mission 5 November 2013Made or discovered in this time
- UPI: instant digital payments 25 August 2016Made or discovered in this time
📚 Books 1
- A History of Sri Lanka K. M. de SilvaRecommended reading
Contemporaries
Powers that coexisted with the Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka for a significant part of its history. The bar shows when, within its own span.
Kingdom of Nepal ★
Himalaya · 1816 – 2008
Overlap: 36 years
Kingdom of Bhutan ★
Himalaya · 1907 – present
Overlap: 54 years
Republic of India ★
Pan-Indian · 1950 – present
Overlap: 54 years
Republic of Maldives ★
Islands · 1968 – present
Overlap: 54 years
Islamic Republic of Pakistan ★
Northwest · 1971 – present
Overlap: 54 years
People's Republic of Bangladesh ★
East · 1971 – present
Overlap: 54 years
Afghanistan ★
Northwest · 1973 – present
Overlap: 53 years
Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ★
Himalaya · 2008 – present
Overlap: 18 years