Did you know that "serendipity," one of the British's favorite words, is derived from "Serendip," the Arab and Persian names for Sri Lanka? The English writer Horace Walpole coined the term in 1754, based on the title of a Persian fairy tale, The Three Princes of Serendip, in which the princes "were perpetually making discoveries, by accidents and sagacity, of things they were not in pursuit of." Sri Lanka is known as the "Land of Serendipity" for a reason: it has unspoiled beaches, timeless ruins, wonderful wildlife, and breathtaking landscapes.