Slave Island is a suburb in Colombo, Sri Lanka, located directly south of the Fort. The suburb contains Beira Lake, a large lake and its esplanade is visited by many for recreation. Slave Island is mostly a commercial area with hotels and shopping centres.HistoryThe name "Slave Island" was given during the period of British colonisation referring to the situation under Portuguese rule when slaves were held there, most of them black people from the Swahili coast and Portuguese East Africa. Many of these slaves later returned to Africa. However, a small group of African descendants are scattered throughout Sri Lanka and are collectively known as Sri Lankan Kaffirs.DemographicSlave Island is a multicultural area. The larger ethnic communities in Slave Island are the Sri Lankan Moors and Sinhalese. There are also various minorities such as Burghers, Malays and others. Religions include Buddhism, Hinduism, Islam, Christianity and various other religions and beliefs.