... 1948, the island of Ceylon gained independence from Britain, which had controlled it as a colony since 1815. Ceylon, located off the southeastern tip of India, had secured dominion status within the British Commonwealth. Today the island that long had been a point of trade -- "Arab traders knew it as 'Serendip,' the root of the word 'serendipity'" -- is known as Sri Lanka (flag at right) (prior IntLawGrrls posts), the name its peoples embraced when it became a republic in 1972.(Prior February 4 posts are here, here, here, and here.)
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