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Strategic geopolitical relevance of Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean Region By Arundathie Abeysinghe   Sri Lanka, a small island state in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR) is strategically located at the crossroads of major shipping routes to South Asia, the Far East as well as the continents of Europe and America. Sri Lanka is also strategically located among the most significant sea lines of communication (SLOC).  Sri Lanka’s strategic location in the Indian Ocean Region has been geopolitically significant for major powers for centuries. As such, Sri Lanka was colonized by Portuguese, Dutch and the British who used it as a transit hub to trade goods, a port to dock as well as refuel ships which navigated their massive empires. Enclosed on three sides by landmasses and several countries, Indian Ocean is the third largest ocean in the world which has a water area of approximately 73 million square ...