From 1505 until 1972, the island nation we call Sri Lanka was once called Ceylon. As Ceylon it was used by the Ottoman Empire as a trading centre. In 1505, the Portuguese took over Ceylon until 1658 when they gave control over to the Dutch who held onto the island until 1796. In 1815, the British colonised Sri Lanka who had the island until 1948 when Ceylon gained independence on 4 February 1948 after peaceful independence protests and movements. Ceylon was under dominion status until it became a republic in 1972 when it became a republic called Sri Lanka following an uprising the previous year.