The Hambantota station was situated in southern Ceylon, east of Tangale. It was the final VOC station in the south of the island. In the 19th century the British erected a tower on the remains of a Dutch fort from 1765. Hambantota operated chiefly as an entrepot, and was of strategic importance in guarding the salt pans and access to the cinnamon plantations. A literary source identifying this location as a VOC post has not yet been traced. The images of this location featured in this programme currently serve as source.