KERALA

 

Kerala is situated in the southwestern end of the Indian subcontinent. Kerala has a long history of art and cultural heritage and foreign trade with other countries. The state with the highest literacy rate in India, is noted for its achievements in education, health, gender equality, social justice, law and order. In addition to these, the state has the lowest infant mortality rate in the country.

• Located on the South-West of the Malabar Coast, Kerala is known as ‘Gods own country’.
• Kerala word derived from ‘Keralam’ which means the land of ‘Kera’ → Coconut Tree.

 

Capital	Thiruvananthapuram or Trivandrum
Date of Formation	November 01, 1956
State Boundaries	Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Puducherry (Mahe)
Number of Districts	14
State Animal	Elephant
State Bird	Great Indian Hornbill
State Flower	Kanikonna or Indian laburnum or amaltus
State Tree	Coconut
Official Language	Malayalam
Major cities	Kochi, Kozhikode, Kollam and Thrissur
Festivals	Onam, Thrissur Pooram, Sabarimala, Theyyam, Payippad Jelotsavam
Dances	Chavittunatakam, Kathakali, Kolkli, Koothu, Kutiyattam, Theyyam, Thirvathirakali, Ottamthullal, Chakyar Koothu, Mohiniyattam
Hill Station	Munnar
UNESCO sites	Nilgiri, Agasthyamalai, Western Ghats
Physical division	Nilgiri – Anamalai – Cardamon (North to South)
Beaches	Alappuzha Beach Cherai Beach Kovalam Kozhikode Beach Muzhappilangad Beach Thirumullavaram Beach Payyambalam Beach Kannur Beach
Lakes	Sasthamkotta Lake Vembanad Lake Lakes of Alappuzha Pookode Lake Ashtamudi Lake Punnamada Lake Akkulam Lake Mananchira Veeran Puzha Vellayani Lake Paravur Kayal
Islands	Dharmadam Island, Kavvayi, Vypin, Gundu Island, Munroe Island, Valiyaparamba, Willingdon Island, Ezhumanthuruthu, Pulinkunnu
Waterfalls	Mulamkuzhi, Attukal, Cheeyappara, Thusharagiri, Kesari
National Park	Eravikulam National Park Silent Valley National Park
Bird Sanctuary	Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary Thattekad Bird Sanctuary
Biological Park	Agasthyavanam Biological Park
Wildlife Sanctuary	Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary Begur Wildlife Sanctuary Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary Idukki Wildlife Sanctuary Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary Peechi Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary Shenduruny Wildlife Sanctuary Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary
Biosphere Reserve	Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve
Dams	Malampuzha Dam Walayar Dam Banasura Sagar Dam Parambikulam Dam
Tribes	Paliyan, Ulladan, Hill Pulaya, Rular, Kattunayakan, Koraga, Mudugar, Kadar
Inland Waterways	West Coast Canal or National Waterway No 3
Important Institution	Centre for water Resources development and management Kunnamangalam – Kozhikode (Kerala) Bioinformatics Centre – Thiruvananthapuram Centre for Development Studies – Thiruvananthapuram National Centre for Earth Science Studies, Thiruvananthapuram Bharat Bhavan, Nalanda, Thiruvananthapuram Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanic Garden and Research Institute, Thiruvananthapuram. Centre for Heritage Studies, Ernakulam National Transportation Planning and Research Centre – Thiruvananthapuram Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology – Thiruvananthapuram
Agriculture	In the hills – rubber, tea, wattle, and coffee beside teak and rose wood.
Major Crops	Rice, Coconut, Rubber
Minerals	Iron Ore, Bauxite, Silica Sand, Magnesite
Wildlife animals & birds	Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Indian Sloth Bear, Kingfisher, Woodpecker, Jungle Fowl.
Kerala Tourism tagline	God’s own Country

 

 

Facts:

• The first state to be declared as “Complete Digital State”.
• Kochi, earlier known as Cochin, is popularly known as ‘Queen of the Arabian Sea’ and is also called ‘Gateway to Kerala’.
• Edakkal caves in Arnbukutty Moun am have petroglyphs or rock carvings and are believed to have been made by Neolithic men.
• Believed to be the oldest of all martial art forms, Kalaripayattu gets its name from lalari’ or school and ‘payattu’ or practice.
• Kocchi is World’s first airport completely powered by solar energy
• Coconut produces 2/3 of total production in India (56% form Kozhikode)
• Black pepper – 95% of country’s production
• Cardamom – Kerala’s share in the national production is 75% on upland mainly form Idukki, Wayanad
• Tea – from 760mt to 1520mt Idduki and Wayanad
• Coffee – Kerala’s share in the national production is 22%;
• Rubber – Kerala’s share in the national production is 91%. 83% area of the Country under Rubber is in Kottayam, Pathanamthitta, Ernakulam
• Banana – Average crop duration 300 days
• Kerala had been ruled by many powerful dynasties like the Cheras, Cholas and Pandayas.
• Kerala is known to be the state with the highest literacy rate.
• The streams of Kerala empty themselves into these lagoons.
• Kozhikode is an important timber trading centre.
• Alleppey is the biggest weaving and exporting centre of coir.
• Trichur district is famous for diamond cutting and polishing industry.
• Perambra (Trichur)-Rubber tyres are manufactured.
• Vembanad Lake is designated as wet land under Ramsar convention.
• Asthamudi Lake is a palm shaped lake with a unique wetland ecosystem and a Ramsar site.
• Asthamudi Lake is the entrance to the famous backwaters of Kerala and the houseboat rides here are extremely famous.
• Sasthamkotta Lake is the largest freshwater lake of Kerala and a Ramsar site.
• The Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve was the first biosphere reserve in India established in the year 1986.
• The Cheraman Juma mosque is supposed to be built during 629 AD by Malik Ibn Deenar.
• Kannur-1st Zero landless district in the country
• Malappuram – First e-literate district in the country
• Alappuzha (Alleppey) is also known as ‘Venice of the East’
• The Sasthamcotta Lake, the only major fresh water lake in the state is in Kollam District
• The annual Nehru Trophy Boat Race takes place on the backwaters of Punnamada in Alappuzha.

 

Background/ History

Before the independence of India, Kerala was one of the princely states in india. Later on 1 July 1949, the princely states of Travancore and Cochin united to form the Travancore-Cochin State. Later, When the Malabar region (formerly part of Madras state) was added to the Travancore-Cochin State. The state was formed on 1 November 1956.

 

The Land

The tropical climate and the rich monsoons offer beautiful landscapes, presence of abundant water bodies, long beaches and more than 40 rivers add to the charm.

Geographically Kerala is divided in east- west direction into three parts- Highland, Mid plains and coastal areas. The area in and around the Western Ghats or Sahyadri are mostly hilly and thick evergreen rainforests. The major rivers of Kerala originate from these highlands. Silent Valley in Palakkad district is one of the bio-diversity hotspots in the world. The highest peak in Kerala is Anamudi (2695 m).  On the West, the Coastal belt lies parallel to the Western Ghats. In between, the highland and coastal plain lies the mid-lands. It is generally a combination of hills and valleys. The 41 rivers flowing to the Arabian Sea and the lakes in the west, the three eastern flowing rivers, the lakes and backwaters make Kerala a   water rich land mass.

 

Weather

Kerala experiences a tropical climate, as it is normally located at a distance of 80 from the equator. There are three types of seasons in Kerala – June-September South-West monsoon (Edavappathy), October – December North-East monsoon  (Thula Varsham) and summer season(March- May). The winter season in Kerala during the months of December and February is not a marked one, compared to other parts of India.  The climate of Kerala is characterized by mild winds and rapid monsoon showers.

 

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Also read more about other Indian States 

 

• GOA
• GUJARAT
• HARYANA
• HIMACHAL PRADESH
• JAMMU & KASHMIR
• JHARKHAND
• KARNATAKA