2. (noun)Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka, Ceylon a republic on the island of Ceylon; became independent of the United Kingdom in 1948
Definitions of 'ceylon'
The Nuttall Encyclopedia
1. ceylon a pear-shaped island about the size of Scotland, separated from India, to which it geographically belongs, and SE. of which it lies, by Palk Strait, 32 m. broad; comprises a lofty, centraltableland with numerous peaks, the highest Tallagalla, 8000 ft., and a broadborder of well-watered plains. It was an ancientcentre of civilisation; the soil is everywhere fertile; the climate is hot, but more equitable than on the mainland; the chief products are tea, cinnamon, and tobacco; the forests yield satin-wood, ebony, &c.; the cocoa-nutpalm abounds; there are extensive deposits of iron, anthracite, and plumbago; precious stones, sapphires, rubies, amethysts, &c., are in considerable quantities; the pearl fisheries are a valuablegovernmentmonopoly. The chief exports are tea, rice, cotton goods, and coals. Two-thirds of the people are Singhalese and Buddhists, there are 6000 Europeans. The island is a crown colony, the largest in the British Empire, administered by a governor with executive and legislative councils; the capital and chiefport is Colombo (127). Chabas, François
Definitions of ceylon 
