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Dashed edge = started before, or continues beyond, this day
Events on Monday 22 May 1972 1
1972Ceylon becomes the Republic of Sri LankaNew constitution ends dominion status and renames the countryA new constitution came into force transforming Ceylon into the independent Republic of Sri Lanka, severing its remaining constitutional links to the British monarchy. The change reflected a broader wave of post-colonial nation-building in South Asia. William Gopallawa became the country's first president.