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| :: GENERAL
- KERALA QUICK FACTS |
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Capital : |
Thiruvananthapuram |
Area : |
38,863
Sq. Km |
Length : |
575 km |
Language : |
Malayalam, English |
Location : |
South west
tip of the India's main land |
Time : |
GMT +5.30 |
Currency : |
Indian
Rupees |
Weather : |
Tropical |
Summer : |
February
- May (24 - 33 degree Celsius) |
Winter : |
October
- January (22 - 28degree Celsius) |
Monsoon : |
June -
September (22 - 28 degree Celsius) |
High
Season : |
December
- May |
Number
of Districts : |
Fourteen |
Population : |
29,011,237 lakhs as per the 1991 census
(20.011237 Millions) |
Density
of population : |
749 per
sq kms; second largest in India |
Kerala's
share in the national Population : |
3.44 percent |
District
average : |
20.78 lakhs
(2.078 millions) |
Sex
ration : |
1036 women
for 1000 men. |
Study
prediction : |
Zero population
growth in three decades |
Average
size of Family : |
5.3 person |
Literacy
rate : |
89.81 per
cent |
Male
literacy rate : |
93.62 per
cent |
Female
literacy rate : |
86.17 per
cent |
Major
Port : |
Kochi |
Airports : |
Thiruvanananthapuram,
Nedumbassery, Kozhikode
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Road: |
State
owned bus, private bus, tourist taxi, regular
taxi, auto rickshaw, private vehicles,erry
services. The State is linked with railways.
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Beaches : |
Kovalam, Varkala, Cherai, Alleppey,
Kappad, Shanghumugham, Thirumullavaram
and Bekal
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Sanctuaries : |
Periyar, Thekkady, Aralam,
Parambikulam, Wayanad, Idukki, Silent Valley,
Thattekad, Eravikulam, Chinnar,
Peppara, Peechi-Vazhani, Neyyar and Kumarakom
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Hill
Stations : |
Ponmudi, Peermade, Thekkady,
Munnar, Wayanad and Devikulam
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Cash
Crops: |
Rubber,
Coffee, Tea, Cardamom, Pepper and Cashew
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Other
products : |
Coir,
Handloom, Handicrafts, Metal Mirror and
fibre products.
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Kerala is a green strip of land, in the
South West corner of Indian peninsula. It has only
1.1
8 per cent of the total area of the country but
houses 3.43% of the the country's population.
In 1956, when the states were reorganized, Kerala was
formed after tying the princely states of Travancore
and Cochin with Malabar, a province under Madras state.
Kerala may be divided into three geographical regions:
(1) High lands, (2) Midlands and (3) Lowlands. The Highlands
slope down from the Western Ghats which rise to an average
height of 900 m, with a number of peaks well over 1,800
m in height. This is the area of major plantations like
tea, coffee, rubber, cardamom and other spices.
The Midlands, lying between the mountains and the lowlands,
is made up of undulating hills and valleys. This is an
area of intensive cultivation. Cashew, coconut, areca
nut, cassava (tapioca), banana, rice, ginger, pepper,
sugarcane and vegetables of myriad varieties are grown
in this area.
The Lowlands or the coastal area, made up of river deltas,
backwaters and the Arabian coast, is essentially a land
of coconuts and rice. Fisheries and coif industry constitute
the major industries of this area.
Kerala is a land of rivers and backwaters. Forty-four
rivers (41 west-flowing and 3 east-flowing} criss-cross
the state physique along with countless runlets. During
summer, these monsoon-fed rivers will turn into rivulets
especially in the upper parts of Kerala.
Backwaters are an attractive, economically valuable feature
of Kerala. These include lakes and ocean in lets which
stretch irregularly along the Kerala coast. The biggest
among these backwaters is the Vembanad lake, with an
area of 200 sq km, which opens out into the Arabian Sea
at Cochin port. The Periyar, Pamba, Manimala, Achenkovil,
Meenachil and Moovattupuzha rivers drain into this lake.
The other important backwaters are Veli, Kadhinam kulam,
Anjengo (Anju Thengu),Edava, Nadayara, Paravoor. Ashtamudi
(Quilon)
It is a purified world in Kerala, the land of trees.
A big, spreading tree purifies as much air as a room
air-conditioner. And the former is never switched off.
The prolific, bustling, vegetation acts like a massive,
biological, air-filtration plant working round the clock,
round the year. Hence spending days in Kerala countryside
is as if spending in an air- purified environ; some times
better than it. So is the rejuvenating effect of the
lush greenery of the state.
The wanton growth of trees makes Kerala a herbarium.
The four month-long, copious monsoon and recurrent flurry
make this land a perfect nursery for all living beings.
Loitering under the canopy of the foliage, you will feel
blossoming the dreams.
Thus, on a sojourn in Kerala, away from the rough and
tumble of cities, you're breathing freshly purified air
all the time.
Where you see lush green coconut palms, shimmering lagoons,
palm-fringed canals, breaking rarely, only to give way
to the serene backwaters and finally to that vast body
of endless water, the world.
Kerala, the incredibly enchanting God's Own Country is
believed to have been created when the sixth incarnation
of Lord Vishnu named Parashurama, bids adieu to
his arms, asking ''forgiveness for the Arabian Sea
this is how Kerala greets a visitor flying down towards
this land of plenty. Kerala soothes a traveler with her,
turquoise blue beaches, his sins, threw his axe
from heaven which landed on Southern India to form this
narrow verdant strip of land surrounded by the rolling soothing
shades of palm trees, green lowlands, sky scraping mountains,
placid lakes and some of the most picture-perfect natural
resources in hills of the Western Ghats from the cardamom,
pepper, turmeric and ginger, making Kerala the spice
garden of India.
How to reach
Kerala
Air :
Thiruvananthapuram and
Cochin are International Airports and Calicut has international
services to several destinations in Gulf. Daily flights
are operated from Thiruvananthapuram to Singapore, Colombo,
Male, Muscat, Bahrain, Kuwait, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. International
airlines operating from Thiruvananthapuram are Gulf Air,
Qatar Airways, Singapore Airlines, Air Lanka, Air Maldives
and Air India. Cochin, is air-connected with Delhi, Mumbai,
Bangalore, Chennai, Mali and Goa. Airports are in the
outskirts of the cities. Pre-paid taxi service is available
in the airports.
Road :
The state's road network
comprises of five National Highways, dozens of state
highways, major district roads and thousands of village
roads. N H 47 starts from Kanyakumari in Tamilnadu and
ends in Coimbathore running through five districts of
the state. N H 17 starts from Edappally in Ernakulam,
lacerates six districts before entering Karnataka at
Mangalore. N H 49 Kochi--Madurai, N H 212 Kozhikode-
Kollegal( near Mysore), and NH 213 Kozhikode- Palakkad
are the other National Highways in Kerala.
State owned Road Transport Corporation, KSRTC, runs round-
the-clock services to all major destinations in the state
besides plying buses to several metros in Karnataka and
Tamilnadu. All district headquarters and several other
cities have KSRTC bus stations. The Corporation runs
super fast, super express and fast passenger services,
each with different ticket rates.
Private passenger bus service is concentrated on village
routes and city routes. Bus charge is fixed by the Government
from time to time and the rate is similar all over the
state. Taxi vehicles( car, jeep, cab) are available round-
the- clock near all bus, railway stations.
Rail :
Trains chug off from
Kerala to all regions in India including North- East
and Jammu Kashmir. Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Shornur
and Kozhikode are the major stations in the state. The
Konkan Rail line along the Western coast connects Kerala
to Mumbai and North- West states. Kollam-Madurai and
Shornur-- Erode lines also connect Kerala with other
states. Last-minute changes are made to the timings of
trains. |
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