Port of Colombo
British Ceylon and independence
### British Ceylon and independence

The Port of Colombo fell to the [British](/wiki/British_empire "British empire") in 1796, when they first arrived on the island. However it remained a Kandyan Kingdom military outpost until it was surrendered in 1815\. The Port was made the capital of the new British crown colony called [Ceylon](/wiki/British_Ceylon "British Ceylon"). The British decided to build houses and civilian buildings rather than making it into a military centre, giving birth to the modern Port of Colombo.

In 1865, the Municipal Council was created by the British in the Port of Colombo in an effort to teach the local population self\-governance. The [Colombo Municipal Council](/wiki/Colombo_Municipal_Council "Colombo Municipal Council") was practically the [Legislative Council of Ceylon](/wiki/Legislative_Council_of_Ceylon "Legislative Council of Ceylon"), meeting for the first time in 1866\. In 1912, the Port was converted into a sheltered harbour, and the [Colombo Port Commission](/wiki/Sri_Lanka_Ports_Authority%23History "Sri Lanka Ports Authority#History") was established in 1913\. Much of the city was planned during the British occupation of the Port of Colombo.

The Port saw dramatic changes when the country gained its independence in 1948\. The [Queen Elizabeth Quay](/wiki/Queen_Elizabeth_Quay "Queen Elizabeth Quay") was opened in 1954, while 16 alongside berths, transit sheds and warehouses were completed. In 1958 The Port Corporation was founded. Sri Lanka's economy began to improve, even though it had influences of [Portuguese](/wiki/Portuguese_people "Portuguese people"), [Dutch](/wiki/Dutch_people "Dutch people") and [British](/wiki/British_people "British people") cultures while its own had been repressed.


What changes occurred to the Port when the country gained its independence?