About Kerala

Kerala is blessed with unmatched natural diversity. Within her 38,863 sq.km, this virtual paradise holds almost all natural habitats and ecosystems like the serene beaches, enchanting backwaters, mist clad hills stations, lush forests, diverse wildlife, exciting trekking trails, scintillating waterfalls, extensive plantations, tropical islands, invigorating monsoons, Ayurvedic health centres, historic monuments, sacred pilgrim centres, magical festivals, spectacular art forms, splendid cultural heritage, spectacular boat races, spicy cuisine …. and lots and lots more. A physical quality of life comparable to developed nations and almost fully literate population in this beautiful land are important factors that help transform Kerala into an important international tourist destination also. Moderate climate and the rich art and culture are also positive factors.

The small state of Kerala, which represents just 1% of the land mass, is considered to be one of India's most beautiful state. It is a very rural state with most of the population living in villages but is culturally and scenically diverse. Kerala has two national parks, ten wildlife sanctuaries and two bird sanctuaries.

Kerala occupies a long (550km), narrow strip of land in the far south of India. Its coastline is on the Arabian Sea (part of the Indian Ocean) and its eastern border with the neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu is the top of the majestic Western Ghat mountains. The landscape varies from long golden beaches to cool hill stations and dense green jungle to bustling cities. Its unique feature is the 1,900km of palm fringed backwaters.

The people of Kerala are warm and friendly and interaction with them is often a highlight of a holiday to Kerala. Keralites have a strong culture and are fiercely proud of their state. Some of their art forms (eg Kathakali and Theyyam) and martial arts (kalaripayattu) are unique.

The State has very high density of Population (819 per sq.km.) and literacy rate (90.92%). It has a effective forest area of about 9400 sq.km. Kerala receives high rainfall with an average annual of 300cm. There are 44 rivers criss crossing the State and a coastline of about 590km. It has vast extent of wetlands (108,760 ha). The physiography is characterized by varied topography and undulating terrain blessed with lush green vegetation and having high range of biodiversity. Kerala has three international Ramsar sites – Ashtamudi, Sasthamkotta and Vembanad – Kol wetland system. There are 24 Important Bird Areas, 5 National parks and 13 Wildlife Sanctuaries.

Kerala’s fourteen districts are distributed among Kerala's three historical regions and the modern-day districts (listed in order from north to south) correspond to them. They are Malabar (northern Kerala) comprising of Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad; Kochi (central Kerala) including Thrissur, Ernakulam; and Travancore (southern Kerala) covering Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. Moreover, Kerala's 14 revenue districts are further divided into 62 taluks, 1453 revenue villages and 1007 Gram panchayats.

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