Literally meaning ‘Resplendent Island,’ Sri Lanka has been a popular holiday destination for just over a decade now. The country has a complex cultural history, stretching back thousands of years. Even today, you can visit incredible remnants of ancient kingdoms scattered across the nation’s interior, enveloped by lush jungle.
Sri Lanka’s spices, gems and most importantly location made it an attractive target for successive European colonization, beginning with the Portuguese (of which little evidence remains) and continuing with the Dutch and British, who have left behind remarkable if problematic remnants of their occupation. Up in the highlands, acres of tea plantations cover the hills, producing enough tea to make Sri Lanka the fourth-largest tea maker in the world.
