An island country in the Indian Ocean off southeast India. Inhabited originally by the Vedda, the island was later invaded by the Sinhalese (6th century BC) and the Tamil (10th century AD). The island's lucrative spice trade was controlled from the 12th century onward by the Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch, and British. Ceylon became a British colony in 1802 and achieved independence in 1948. In 1972 the island was declared a republic, adopting the Sinhalese name of Sri Lanka. A civil war between the government and Tamil separatists began in 1983 and ended in 2009 with the defeat of the Tamil army. Colombo is the capital and the largest city.