The Portuguese arrived in 1505. By
1619 they controlled most of the
island. The Dutch took over beginning
in 1658. In the late 1700s the British
took the island from the Dutch. The
British called the island Ceylon. They
grew coffee at first and then tea, rubber,
and coconuts. Ceylon gained
independence from Great Britain in
1948. The country adopted a new
constitution in 1972 that changed the
name to Sri Lanka.
Independence
The Sinhalese dominated the country’s
government. They supported the Sinhala
language and Buddhism over other languages
and religions. The island’s Tamils
soon wanted to set up a separate Tamil
homeland in the northeast. In the 1980s
heavy fighting broke out between Tamil
groups and the Sri Lankan government.
Tamil terrorist attacks continued into
the 21st century.
In 2004 a tsunami, or huge wave, struck
Sri Lanka. Tens of thousands of people
were killed.
..More to explore
Buddhism • Colombo • Hinduism • Sri
A woman picks tea leaves in Sri Lanka. Jayewardenepura Kotte
Facts About
SRI LANKA
Population
(2008 estimate)
19,394,000
Area
25,332 sq mi
(65,610 sq km)
Capitals
Colombo (executive),
Sri Jayewardenepura
Kotte
(Colombo suburb;
legislative and
judicial)
Form of
government
Republic
Major cities
Colombo,
Dehiwala–Mount
Lavinia, Moratuwa,
Negombo,
Sri Jayewardenepura
Kotte
BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Sri Lanka 175
Stalin, Joseph
Joseph Stalin led the country known as
the Soviet Union for about 25 years. He
made the Soviet Union into a world
power, but he was known for his harsh
rule.
Early Life
Joseph Stalin was born on December 21,
1879, in the country of Georgia. Georgia
was then a part of Russia. Stalin’s
Georgian name was Ioseb Dzhugashvili.
As a young man Stalin became interested
in Communism. Communists
believe that all citizens should get an
equal share of their country’s wealth.
In 1903 the Communists of Russia split
into two groups, Bolsheviks and Mensheviks.
Stalin joined the Bolsheviks.
Their leader was Vladimir Lenin. Stalin
tried to get people to revolt against the
Russian tsar. Because of this he was
imprisoned several times.
Rise to Power
In 1912 Stalin became a party leader. By
1913 he was using the name of Stalin,
which is based on the Russian word for
“steel.”
The Russian Revolution of 1917
brought down the Russian emperor. By
1921 the Bolsheviks, now known as the
Communist Party, had all the power.
Lenin died in 1924. By then, the Communists
had formed a new country
called the Soviet Union. Party leaders
fought for power, and Stalin came out
on top.
Stalin wanted to make his country
stronger and more modern. He built
steel mills and factories. In 1928 he
ordered small farms to be joined
together. Farmers who resisted were shot
or sent to punishment camps.
Starting in 1934, Stalin ordered his
secret police to arrest and shoot many
party members and army officers. He
wanted to get rid of all possible threats
to his power.
Later Years
In 1941 the Soviet Union entered
World War II on the side of the Allies
(including the United States and Great
Britain). Soviet armies helped to win
the war.
After the war Stalin turned against the
Allies. His armies brought Communist
rule to eastern European countries. Sta-
Joseph Stalin
176 Stalin, Joseph BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA
lin remained in power until his death on
March 5, 1953.
#More to explore
Communism • Union of Soviet Socialist
Republics •WorldWar II
Stamp
Stamps are small, sticky labels sold by
postal services. They are also called postage
stamps. People buy stamps as a way
to pay for the service of mailing a letter
or package. They attach stamps to letters
and packages before sending them. The
postal service cancels, or marks, stamps
before delivering the mail. The purpose
of cancellation is to prevent people from
using the same stamp a second time.
Kinds of Stamps
Postal services sell regular stamps in
many different values—from 1 cent, for
example, to 5 dollars or more. The more
expensive stamps are used to pay for the
delivery of heavy packages or for speedy
delivery.
Most countries also issue special stamps
for limited periods of time. Some special
stamps honor people and groups. Others
call attention to important issues. Such
stamps are often large and colorful.
Stamp Collecting
Some people collect stamps as a hobby.
Stamp collecting is called philately.
Stamp collectors, or philatelists, get
stamps by soaking them off letters. They
also buy stamps from the post office or
shops. Collectors keep their stamps
clean by using a tool called stamp tongs
to handle them. They carefully place
their stamps in books called albums.
Collectors learn how to identify rare and
valuable stamps. Stamps that are worth
thousands of dollars sometimes look
almost exactly like other stamps that are
worth only a few cents. One rare U.S.
stamp that is easy to identify is a 24-cent
airmail stamp of 1918. It was printed by
mistake with the airplane upside down.
History
An English schoolteacher named Rowland
Hill invented the postage stamp.
The United Kingdom issued the first
stamps in 1840. The first U.S. postage
stamps appeared in 1847.
Early stamps were printed on sheets of
