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Stretching for seven miles along the southwestern coast of Sri Lanka, Colombo, a noisy, busy city, has a history that extends back two thousand years. Ancient Greek sailors first docked in its port. Chinese and Arab sailors came, too. In 700 A.D., Arab sailors established a Muslim settlement, which was soon settled by Sinhalese and Tamils from India. The Portuguese came in 1518, the Dutch in 1656, and the British in 1796. Independence came in 1948. Today, Sri Lanka's largest city is home to a number of ethnic groups: the Buddhist Sinhalese, the Hindu Tamils, the Moors (Tamil-speaking Muslims), and the Christian Burghers (of mixed European and Asian descent). Relations between the majority Sinhalese and the minority Tamils has been less than easy, and the civil war between the Tamil Tigers and government forces is approaching its 14th year. As Sri Lanka's capital, Colombo has been the target of occasional terrorist bombings. Meanwhile, the SriLankan government is still hoping to attract foreign investors and tourists. Colombo, with its extensive history, does have a lot to offer. The city's most interesting sites are clustered around the harbor. Here you'll find Hindu and Buddhist temples, colonial architecture, and city skyscrapers. Once the site of the Portuguese-built fort, the appropriately named Fort is the business district of the city, where business executives still share the sidewalks with snake charmers. Galle Face Green, located on the waterfront is where you can catch a cricket game. On Saturday and Sunday nights, when food stalls set up for weekend business, it's a great place to sample local snacks. On Galle Road, you'll find shopping, as well as at Pettah, Colombo's major bazaar area. Here you can snack on mango chips bought from a vendor, as you wander among the stacks of brightly colored silks and cottons, gold and silver jewelers, bags of spices, electronic goods, and book shops. While Colombo doesn't have the powder white, palm-fringed beaches, with blue waters, that is often a lure for tourists, the towns north and south of it do. Negombo, just 15 miles north of Colombo, is one of Sri Lanka's most famous beaches.