History

There are various legends about the state. The most popular legend is that
Kerala was raised from the depths of the ocean. Several Hindu rulers ruled the
state like Venad (in the Travancore area), the Cheras rulers, the Zamorine etc.
Vasco De Gama landed in this state at Kozhikode (Calicut) in 1498 A.D. in the
reign of Zamorin dynasty. The Arabs also played a useful role in transmitting
the culture of this state. The Muslim ruler of Mysore, Hyder Ali and his son
Tipu Sultan had their sway over Kerala till the British arrived.The British took
northern Kerala under their direct rule and thereby came the Malabar area under
the British with Calicut as the principal city. The southern part of this state,
Cochin (now Kochi) and further south the state of Travancore were granted
separate existence by the British. After independence first, two major princely
states of Kerala, Cochin and Travancore, were merged into a single state and in
1956 when the states of India were recognised on a large scale, the state of
Kerala was created with separation of Malabar region from Madras and its
merger with the Travancore-Cochin combined state. It is believed that the name
Kerala is derived from Ker, the Coconut tree, although some scholars hold a
different view.

Kerala is one of the small states of India in terms of area. it consists of only 1.3
per cent of the total area of India. The state is located in the southwest corner of
India. Karnataka and Tamil Nadu bound it on north, east and south and on east
by the Arabian Sea. Physiographically, the state may be divided into three
regions, Highlands, Midlands and Lowlands. In between the high western ghats
and the Arabian sea, the width of the State varies from 35 km to 120 km. There
are extensive backwaters, lagoons, and coconut trees in the lowland area. The
midland area are watered by numerous streams and where the presence of rice-
fields, arecanut and coconut trees continues to dominate the landscape. The
third natural part, the highlands of western ghats consists deep ravines and thick
jungles. Thus Kerala is a narrow stretch of green land. The state is a land of
rivers and backwaters. As many as 41 rivers which rise from the western ghats,
flow down to the midlands and lowlands to the west. There are a few east
flowing rivers also, which are the tributaries of the Cauvery. The length of most
of the rivers is extremely limited and they are monsoon-fed. Some of the rivers
are Bharatapuzha, Chalakkudy, Peechi, Malampuzha, Gayatri, Walayar,
Vazhani, Neyyar, Periyar, Mangalam and Cheerakuzhy.The backwaters form a
specially attractive and economically valuable feature of Kerala. They include
lakes and ocean inlets which stretch irregularly along the coast. The biggest
backwater is the Veembandh lake. The state has a long coastline is about 550
km long. The state enjoys an equable climate with high temperatures almost
throughout the year.

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 Introduction

Kerala state is a narrow stretch of land along a sun-drenched

coastline, at extreme south west corner of the Indian
peninsula, bordering Lakshadeep Sea on the western side and
Tamilnadu and Karnataka in the east. The length of the state
from north to south is 560 km and the average width is 70 km
with a maximum of 125 km. Thiruvananthapuram is the state
capital.

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 Climate

Kerala being situated in the tropical zone, experiences the typical humid tropical
climate. Meanwhile, its extreme eastern fringes experience a drier tropical wet
and dry climate. Kerala receives an average annual rainfall of 3107 mm. Parts
of Kerala's lowlands receive only 1250 mm average annual rainfall, while the
cool mountainous eastern highlands of Idukki district, comprising Kerala's
wettest region, receive over 5,000 mm of average annual orographic
precipitation. Kerala's rains are mostly the result of seasonal monsoons. As a
result, Kerala averages some 120–140 rainy days per year. In summers, most of
Kerala is prone to gale-force winds, storm surges, and torrential downpours
accompanying dangerous cyclones coming in off the Indian Ocean.

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 Water Resources

Kerala state is rich in water resources. Three tributaries of the river Cauvery
originate in Kerala and flow eastward. These rivers and streams flowing down
from the Western Ghats either empty themselves in to the backwaters in the
coastal area or directly into the Arabian Sea. Major rivers are Valapattanam
river, Chaliar, Kadalundipuzha, Bharathapuzha, Chalakudy river, Periyar,
Pamba, Achancoil and Kalladayar. Most of these rivers are navigable up to the
midland region for country crafts which provide a cheap and reliable transport
system. The backwaters are especially attractive and economically valuable
feature of Kerala. They include lakes and ocean inlets which stretch water into
the Vembanad Lake. In area, which opens out into the Arabian Sea at Cochin
Port. Other important lakes are AnjuThengu, Edava, Nadayaram Paravoor,
Ashtamudi (Quilon), Kayamkulam, Kodungallor, (Cranganore) and Cheruva.
Canals link the lakes and backwaters to facilitate an uninterrupted inland water
navigation system.

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 Economy

The economy of Kerala is the 9th largest in India, with an annual gross
state product (GSP) of ₹9.78 lakh crore (US$131.98 billion) in 2020–
2021. Per-capita GSP of Kerala during the same period is ₹257,711
(US$3,200), the sixth largest in India. In 2019–20, the tertiary sector
contributed around 63% of the state's GSVA, compared to 28% by
secondary sector, and 8% by primary sector.

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 Agriculture

Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. Nearly half of the population
depend upon agriculture for their livelihood. A unique feature of the State is the
predominance of cash crops. Kerala is a major producer of coconut, rubber,
pepper, cardamom, ginger, cocoa, cashew, arecanut, coffee and tea. Spices like
nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, etc., are also cultivated. Coconut is the most
important cash crop of Kerala. Pepper earns the maximum foreign exchange.
Banana, pineapple, mango and jackfruit are major fruit crops. Rice and tapioca
are important food crops. Tapioca is generally consumed locally but some of it
goes to feed the starch factories and mills manufacturing tapioca flour. Kerala is
not self-sufficient in food. The total area under cultivation has increased in
respect of coconut, rubber, pepper and turmeric. However, crops like
cashewnut, banana, groundnut and sesamum have lost their coverage in area.

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 Industry

The state has a very good industrial potential because of good infrastructural
facilities like hydro-power, transport system and availability of forest-based and
mine-based rare minerals. Traditional industries are handloom, cashew, coir and
handicrafts. Other important industries are rubber, tea, ceramics, electric and
electronic appliances, telephone cables, transformers, bricks and tiles, drugs and
chemicals, general engineering, plywood splints and veneers, Beedi and cigar,
soaps, oils, fertilizers and Khadi and village industry products. A number of
manufacturing units have also sprung-up for production of precision
instruments, machine tools, petroleum and petroleum products, paints, pulp
paper, newsprint, glass and non-ferrous metals. Principal export products are
cashewnut, tea, coffee, spices, lemongrass oil, sea foods, rose wood and coir.

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 Mines and Minerals

The State has an abundance of important minerals like ilmenite, rutile,

monazite, zircon, sillimanite, clay and quartz sand.

Infrastructure

■ Irrigation
■ Power
■ Transport
■ Health
■ Education
■ Telecommunication

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 Irrigation

The irrigation system in Kerala is serviced through major, medium and minor
irrigation as well as ground water and command area development programmes.
In the field of irrigation, the major schemes are Chalakkudy, Peechi,
Malampuzha, Gayatri, Walayar, Vazhani, Neyyar, Pamba, Periyar, Mangalam,
Chimmini and Cheerakuzhy. Several other irrigation schemes have been
commissioned Construction works of seven major irrigation projects - Kallada,
Pazhassi, Muvattupuzha, Idamalayar, Karappara- Kuriarkutty, Chaliar and
Kanjirappuzha are in progress.

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 Power

Kerala's power projects are mostly hydro-based because of heavy rainfall and a
large number of swift flowing rivers.To meet the fast growing energy
requirements, the Government has decided to introduce alternative power
generating systems. Peppara hydel power project with a capacity of three MW
has commissioned. The work of first stage of diesel power station,
Brahmapuram is nearing completion. The Kerala State Electricity Board wholly
controls the power generation and distribution in the State. Agency for Non-
conventional Energy and Rural Technology (ANERT) acts as a nodal agency
for the non-conventional source of energy in the State.

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 Transport
Roadways

Adequate transport facilities exist in Kerala lowlands. In all other

areas network of transport is thin due to several bottlenecks like
absence of bridges, weak culverts, narrow width and tortuous
alignments etc.

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Aviation

There are three airports, viz., Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi

(Nedumbassery) and Kozhikode of which the first two are
international airports.

Ports

Among 18 ports, Kochi is the only major port in the state. There are
three intermediate ports and 14 minor ports.

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 Tourism

Kerala is an important tourist destination: attractive wildlife sanctuaries at

Thekkady on the banks of river Periyar, at Parambikulam in Palakkad district
and at Mananthavady, Sulthan Batheri and at Wayanad, seaside resort at
Kovalam. Padmanabhaswami temple in Thiruvananthapuram is an exquisite
specimen of South Indian architecture. Sabarimala temple of Lord Ayyappa is a
famous pilgrim tourist centre in Pathanamthitta district. Thiruvananthapuram,
the capital, is an abode of temples, mosques and churches. Veli lagoon,
Neyyardam and Ponmudi the famous hill stations are the other tourist centres in
and around Thiruvananthapuram. Veli provides boat ride facilities. Kalady the
birth place of Adi Sankara, Lord Krishna Temple at Guruvayoor, Backel beach
(Kasaragode), Malampuzha at Palakkad, Pookkode lake, Kurvadeweep,
Pakshipathalam and Edakkal caves in Waynad are notable tourist centres. The
famous Kathakali centre, Kalamandalam in Thrissur district is a place of interest
for lovers of performing arts.

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