Kerala

കേരളം
കേരളം
State of India
	Location of Kerala in the Republic of India
	Map of Kerala
Country	India
Region	South India
Government
• Legislature	Unicameral (* seats)
Area
• Total	38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi)
Population (2011)
• Total	33,387,677
Time zone	UTC+06:30 (GST)
Official languages	Malayalam
	^*

Kerala is a state in the Republic of India. It is in the south-west of the country. The west coast of the state is on the Arabian Sea. Tamil Nadu to the east and Karnataka to the north

The capital city of the state is Thiruvananthapuram, even though the city of Kochi is more densely populated. The area of Kerala is 15,005 mi² (38,863 km²), which is bigger than Bhutan but smaller than Switzerland. In traditional Indian geography, it is part of South India.

There are 14 districts in Kerala. They are Alappuzha, Ernakulam, Idukki, Kannur, Kasaragod, Kollam, Kottayam, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Pathanamthitta, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, and Wayanad.

Language

People in Kerala speak Malayalam. More than 90% of the people can read the language.^[1] A mix of English and Malayalam is called Manglish. Manglish is used by people in Kerala, who can speak it very easily and fluently.

Culture

Kerala is known for traditional arts and people enjoy traditional, percussion-filled music. They also enjoy tribal ceremonies, martial arts, and sports such as soccer, cricket, and badminton. Kerala is popular for Kalaripayattu, a martial arts form and Kathakali, a Hindu performance art. Most of the people have access to the internet, TVs, newspapers, and books. The average amount of reading per week is about seven hours. The literacy rate is approximately 96.2%, making it the most literate region in India.^[2]^[3]

Provincial symbols of Kerala

Provincial bird of Kerala
Provincial animal of Kerala
Provincial tree of Kerala
Provincial flower of Kerala

Festivals^[4]

Theyyam of Kerala.

The most famous festivals held by Keralites are Onam, the harvest festival and Vishu, the Malayalam Calendar New Year. In addition to these, temples as well as churches hold festivals in several days of the year. A common tradition in all these festivals is the hosting of the holy flag, which is brought down on the last day of the festival. Some temple festivals are called poorams, and the most famous one among these is 'Thrissur Pooram'. The main attractions of poorams are firecrackers, traditional dance forms like 'Theyyam, Kathakali, Chakyar Koothu etc.'. Festivals are locally known as utsavams .

Tourism

Kerala is one of the biggest tourist attractions in India, both for Indians as well as foreigners. It has beaches, hill stations and extensive backwaters. Kerala is also known for its diverse nature.

Agriculture

Kerala Media

Poovar is often identified with Biblical Ophir
Portrait of the sword of Zamorins of Kozhikode, relating to the legend of Cheraman Perumal.
Extent of Silk Route/Silk Road. Red is land route and the blue is the sea/water route.
Names, routes and locations of the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea (1st century CE)
Ezhimala, the early historic headquarters of Mushika dynasty, which was succeeded by the kingdom of Kannur later.
A panorama of port Kozhikode, shows several types of ships, shipbuilding, net fishing, dinghy traffic and a rugged, sparsely populated interior (Georg Braun and Frans Hogenberg's atlas Civitates orbis terrarum, 1572)
Uru, a type of ship that was historically used for maritime trade, built at Beypore, Kozhikode
A 1652 Map of India (Malabar Coast is highlighted separately on the right side)