Kerala, state in southwestern India, bordered on the
north by Karnataka state, on the east by Tamil Nadu state,
and on the south and west by the Arabian Sea. Kerala covers
an area of 38,864 sq km (15,005 sq mi).
A belt of lowlands about 16 to 19 km (about 10 to 12 mi)
wide lies along the coast. Inland are alluvial plains about
48 to 64 km (about 30 to 40 mi) in width. In the eastern
section of the state rise the Western Ghats, a highland area
with elevations of some 2134 m (7000 ft). Kerala's climate
varies little throughout the year. The average temperature
in the coastal area is 32° C (90° F). In the
highlands the average temperature is 21° C (70°
F). Annual rainfall is about 3000 mm (about 120 in), falling
mostly during the monsoon season.
At the 1991 census, Kerala had a population of
29,098,518, with an average density of 749 persons per sq km
(1939 per sq mi). The state capital is Trivandrum. About 60
percent of Kerala's population is Hindu; about 20 percent,
Christian; and about 20 percent, Muslim. The official
language is Malayalam, a Dravidian language; Tamil and
Kannada are also spoken. Kerala had a literacy rate of 90
percent in 1991, the highest of any Indian state.
Universities located in Kerala include the University of
Kerala (founded in 1937) in Trivandrum, Kerala Agricultural
University (1972) in Trichur, and Mahatma Gandhi University
(1983) in Kottayam.
Agriculture is very important to this fertile region.
The principal agricultural products of the state are rice,
tapioca, coconut, areca nuts, oilseeds, pepper, sugarcane,
rubber, tea, coffee, and cardamom (an Indian spice); almost
all Indian black pepper and Indian rubber products come from
Kerala. The kinds of livestock raised are buffalo and other
cattle, sheep, and goats. Most of the industrial concerns in
the state are owned or sponsored by the government.
Privately owned industries include cashew processing and the
manufacture of coir, a coconut-husk fiber. Other
manufactures are tiles, textiles, ceramics, fertilizers and
chemicals, and glass. In addition, numerous factories
process the agricultural and mineral products, which include
graphite, limestone, mica, white clay, and iron ore, of the
state. Fishing is also a flourishing activity.
Kerala has a single-chamber legislative assembly of 140
seats. The state sends 29 members to the Indian national
parliament: 9 to the Rajya Sabha (Upper House) and 20 to the
Lok Sabha (Lower House). Local government is based on 14
administrative districts.
Kerala was formed in 1956 from portions of the former
Travancore-Cochin state and the former Madras state,
including much of the Malabar Coast.
"Kerala," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 97
Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All
rights reserved.
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Cochin, also Kochi, city and seaport, southwestern
India, in Kerala State, on the Arabian Sea. Cochin lies at
the northern end of a narrow neck of land, about 19 km
(about 12 mi) long and less than 1.6 km (less than 1 mi)
wide in many places, and is separated from the mainland by
inlets from the sea and by the estuaries of rivers draining
from the Western Ghats. During the rainy season these
backwaters are navigable, but in the dry season some are
less than 61 cm (less than 2 ft) deep. As a result, the
harbor is barely operative during the months from May to
August. At all times large vessels must anchor about 4 km
(about 2.5 mi) offshore. Cochin, the most important port on
the Malabar Coast, is the center of coconut oil production
in the state; products made of coconuts are the chief items
in the city's export trade. Rice is imported. The major
industries of Cochin are shipbuilding, sawmilling, fishing,
and the manufacture of coir mats.
The Portuguese were the first European possessors of
Cochin when they seized the town in 1500. Two years later
the explorer Vasco da Gama erected a factory there. The
first European fort in India was constructed in Cochin in
1503. In 1577 Jesuits published at Cochin the first book
printed in native Indian characters. The English settled in
the city in 1634 but were driven out by the Dutch, who
captured Cochin in 1663 and subsequently developed it as an
important center of trade. During their conquest of India
the British seized the town in 1795 but allowed the Dutch to
administer it until 1814, when it became a possession of the
East India Company. In 1936 Cochin was placed under the
direct administration of the British government in India and
given the status of a major port. In 1947 Cochin became part
of newly independent India. Population (1990, greater city)
1,139,543.
"Cochin," Microsoft(R) Encarta(R) 97
Encyclopedia. (c) 1993-1996 Microsoft Corporation. All
rights reserved.
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