Kerala, The God’s Own Country is around 2700 km away from our capital. The state contributes 2.76% population in India. Kerala has so many places to visit and quite rich in culture and art. So it is a state with a bunch of interesting information.
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| Topic | Data/Facts |
| 1 History | 1.1 Kerala is the state on the Malabar Coast in India. 1.2 Kerala is first mentioned ( as Keralaputra) in 3rd century BCE in rock inscription left by Maurayan Emperor Ashoka. 1.3 In 1947- Kochin and Travancore were united as Travancore – Cochin State. 1.4 On 1st July, 1949, Malabar merged. 1.5 It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar District (excluding islands of Lakshadweep) , South Canara, and Travancore, state was reorganised and renamed ”Kerala”. Other Important Facts: It has nicknames like God’s Own Country, Spice Garden of India, Land of Coconuts, Land of Trees and The Jewel of South India. |
| 2 Geography | 2.1 Climate: (i) Kerala has a wet and maritime tropical climate influenced by the seasonal heavy rains of the southwest summer monsoon and northeast winter monsoon. (ii) Kerala has around 120–140 rainy days per year. 2.2 Agriculture: (i) Kerala produces 97% of the national output of black pepper. (ii) It accounts for 85% of the natural rubber in the country. (iii) Coconut, tea, coffee, cashew, and spices—including cardamom, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg are the main agricultural products. (iv) Around 80% of India’s export quality cashew kernels are prepared in Kollam. (v) Kerala ranks first in the area of coconut cultivation in India. (vi) Around 90% of the total Cardamom produced in India is from Kerala. (vii) About 20% of the total Coffee produced in India are from Kerala. (viii) The key agricultural staple is rice, with varieties grown in extensive paddy fields. (ix) Kerala is one of the leading producers of fish in India. (x) The waters provide a large variety of fish: pelagic species; 59%, demersal species; 23%, crustaceans, molluscs and others for 18%. Other Important Facts: (i) During the southwest monsoon, a suspended mud bank develops along the shore, which in turn leads to calm ocean water, peaking the output of the fishing industry. This phenomenon is locally called chakara. (ii) The major change in agriculture in Kerala occurred in the 1970s when production of rice fell due to increased availability of rice all over India and decreased availability of labour. 2.3 Natural Resources: (i) Minerals including Ilmenite, Monazite, Thorium, and Titanium, are found in the coastal belt of Kerala. (ii) Kerala’s coastal belt of Karunagappally is known for high background radiation from thorium-containing monazite sand. In some coastal panchayats, median outdoor radiation levels are more than 4 mg/yr. 2.4 Major Rivers: Rivers drain into Arabian Sea: Periyar (Longest River in Kerala), Bharatapuzha, Chaliyar, Kadalundi, Kallada, Valapattanam, Chandragiri, Karamana, Shiriya, Neyyar, Mahe, Keecheri, Perumba, Uppala, Tirur, Korapuzha and Mogral. Rivers with inland drainage: Pamba, Manimala, Vamanapuram, Meenachil, Ithikkara, Karuvannur, Neeleshwaram, Pallikkal, Kavvai Puzha, Puzhakkal and Mamam. Some Important facts of Rivers: (i) The Kerala backwaters are a network of brackish lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast (known as the Malabar Coast) of Kerala state in southern India, as well as interconnected canals, rivers, and inlets, a labyrinthine system formed by more than 900 kilometres (560 mi) of waterways. (ii) The network includes five large lakes linked by canals, both man-made and natural, fed by 38 rivers, and extending virtually half the length of Kerala state. The backwaters were formed by the action of waves and shore currents creating low barrier islands across the mouths of the many rivers flowing down from the Western Ghats range. (iii) Kerala was ranked as one of the “50 destinations of a lifetime” by National Geographic Traveller in a special collectors’ issue released just before the turn of the millennium, with houseboat and backwater resort tourism in Alappuzha seen as leading factors. 2.5 Animals: (i) Kerala’s fauna is notable for their diversity and high rates of endemism: it includes 118 species of mammals (1 endemic), 500 species of birds, 189 species of freshwater fish, 173 species of reptiles (10 of them endemic), and 151 species of amphibians (36 endemic). (ii) Indian elephant, Bengal tiger, Indian leopard, Nilgiri tahr, common palm civet, and grizzled giant squirrels are also found in the forests. (iii) Reptiles include the king cobra, viper, python, and mugger crocodile. (iv) Kerala’s birds include the Malabar trogon, the great hornbill, Kerala laughingthrush, darter and southern hill myna. (v) In the lakes, wetlands, and waterways, fish such as Kadu, Red Line Torpedo Barb and choottachi; orange chromide—Etroplus maculatus are found. (vi) Recently, a newly described tardigrade (water bears) species collected from Vadakara coast of Kerala named after Kerala State. 2.6 Neighbouring States: Karnataka – North Tamil Nadu – East Puducherry – North-western Coast Arabian Sea – South and West 2.7 Capital city: Thiruvananthapuram 2.8 Total Land Area: (i) Total area is 38,863 sq. km. (ii) 21st largest state in India. |
| 3 Forestry | 3.1 Forest: (i) Forest Cover: 21,144.29 sq. km. (ii) Very Dense Forest: 1,934.83 sq. km. (iii) Moderately Dense Forest: 9,508.24 sq. km. (iv) Open Forest: 9,701.22 sq. km. (Data as per ISFR 2019 assessment) 3.2 National Parks: (i) Eravikulam National Park, Idukki and Ernakulam (ii) Mathikettan Shola National Park, Idukki (iii) Pambadum Shola National Park, Idukki (iv) Periyar National Park, Idukki and Pathanamthitta (v) Silent Valley National Park, Nilgiri 3.3 Wild Life Sanctuary: (i) Aralam Wildlife Sanctuary, Aralam (ii) Chimmony Wildlife Sanctuary, Thrissur (iii) Chinnar Wildlife Sanctuary, Idukki (iv) Chulanur Peafowl Wildlife Sanctuary, Palakkad (v) Idukki district Widlife Sanctuary, Idukki (vi) Karimpuzha Wildlife Sanctuary, Malappuram (vii) Kottiyoor Wildlife Sanctuary, Kannur (viii) Kurinjimala Sanctuary, Idukki (ix) Malabar Wildlife Sanctuary, Kozhikode (x) Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Neyyar (xi) Parambikulam Wildlife Sanctuary, Palakkad (xii) Peechi-Vazhani Wildlife Sanctuary, Thrissur (xiii) Peppara Wildlife Sanctuary, Thiruvananthapuram (xiv) Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary, Idukki (xv) Shendurney Wildlife Sanctuary, Kollam (xvi) Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary, Wayanad 3.4 Birds Sanctuary: (i) Mangalavanam Bird Sanctuary, Kochi (ii) Thattekad Bird Sanctuary, Kothamangalam (iii) Pathiramanal Bird Sanctuary, Alappuzha (iv) Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary, Malappuram (v) Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary, Malappuram 3.5 Elephant Reserves: (i) Wayanad Elephant Reserve (ii) Nilambur Elephant Reserve (iii) Anamudi Elephant Reserve (iv) Periyar Elephant Reserve 3.6 Tiger Reserves: (i) Periyar Tiger Reserve, Idukki (ii) Parambikulam Tiger Reserve, Palakkad |
| 4 Economy | 4.1 Major Economic Data: (i) GDP Growth: 11.6% (2020–21) (ii) GDP: ₹9.78 lakh crore (US$140 billion) (2020–21) (iii) GDP Rank: 9th (iv) Per Capita Income: ₹245,323 (US$3,400) (2020–21) 4.2 Industries: Major industries are as under: – (i) Kerala has focused more attention towards growth of Information Technology sector with formation of Technopark, Thiruvananthapuram which is one of the largest IT employers in Kerala. It was the first technology park in India. (ii) Traditional industries manufacturing items; coir, handlooms, and handicrafts employ around one million people. (iii) Kerala supplies 60% of the total global produce of white coir fibre. India’s first coir factory was set up in Alleppey in 1859–60. (iv) The Central Coir Research Institute was established there in 1959. (v) Other major sectors are tourism, medical sector, educational sector, banking, ship building, oil refinery, infrastructure, manufacturing, home gardens, animal husbandry and business process outsourcing. |
| 5 Transportation | 5.1 Major transport facilities are by road, rail, air, water transport and metro service. 5.2 Other Important facts: (i) Kerala has 331,904 kilometres (206,236 mi) of roads, which accounts for 5.6% of India’s total. (ii) Kerala’s annual total of road accidents is among the nation’s highest. (iii) Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) is a state-owned road transport corporation. It is one of the country’s oldest state-run public bus transport services. (iv) Kochi Metro is the metro rail system in the city of Kochi. It is the only metro rail system in Kerala. (v) The Kochi Metro uses 65-metre-long Metropolis train sets built and designed by Alstom. (vi) It is the first metro system in India to use a communication-based train control (CBTC) system for signalling and telecommunication. (vii) In October 2017, Kochi Metro was named the “Best Urban Mobility Project” in India by the Urban Development Ministry, as part of the Urban Mobility India (UMI) International Conference hosted by the ministry every year. 5.3 Major Railway Stations (i) Thiruvananthapuram Central (ii) Ernakulam Junction (South) (iii) Kozhikode (iv) Kollam Junction (v) Thrissur (vi) Palakkad Junction (vii) Kannur (viii) Shoranur Junction (ix) Ernakulam Town (North) (x) Kottayam (xi) Chengannur (xii) Alappuzha (xiii) Kochuveli (xiv) Kayamkulam Junction (xv) Tirur (xvi) Kasaragod (xvii) Aluva (xviii) Thalassery 5.4 Major Air Ports: International Airports: (i) Kannur International Airport, Kannur (ii) Cochin International Airport, Kochi (iii) Calicut International Airport, Kozhikode (iv) Trivandrum International Airport, Thiruvananthapuram Indian Air Force Stations: INS Garuda, Kochi 5.5 Major Sea Ports: (i) Cochin Port, Ernakulam (ii) Vizhinjam Port, Thiruvananthapuram (iii) Manjeswaram Port, Kasargod (iv) Kasaragod Port (v) Neeleswaram Port, Kasargod (vi) Azhikkal Port, Kannur (vii) Kannur Port (viii) Thalassery Port, Kannur (ix) Koyilandy Port, Kozhikode (x) Calicut Port, Kozhikode (xi) Beypore Port, Kozhikode (xii) Ponnani Port, Malapuram (xiii) Kodungallur Port, Thrissur (xiv) Kottayam Port (xv) Manakkodam Port, Alappuzha (xvi) Aleppey Port, Alappuzha (xvii) Kayamkulam Port, Alappuzha (xviii) Neendakara Port, Kollam (xix) Quilon Port, Kollam (xx) Valiyathura Port, Thiruvananthapuram |
| 6 Infrastructures | 6.1 Power installed Capacity: (i) Total Power: 5753.50 MW (ii) Thermal: 3050.46 MW (iii) Nuclear: 362.00 MW (iv) Hydro: 1856.50 MW (v) Renewable Energy Source: 484.54 MW |
| 7 Census and Demography | 7.1 Demographic Data: (i) Population: 33,406,061 (3.34 Crores) (ii) Male: 16,027,412 (iii) Female: 17,378,649 (iv) Gender Ratio: 1084 females per 1000 males (v) Population Growth: 4.91% (vi) Percentage of total population of the country: 2.76% (vii) Density: 860/sq. km. (viii) Rural Population: 17,471,135 (52.30%) (ix) Urban Population: 15,934,926 (47.70%) (x) 13th most populous state in India (Based on 2011 census) 7.2 Major Religion followers: (i) Hinduism: 18,282,492 (54.73%) (ii) Christianity: 6,141,269 (18.38%) (iii) Islam: 8,873,472 (26.56%) (iv) Jainism: 4,489 (0.01%) (v) Buddhism: 4,752 (0.01%) (vi) Sikhism: 3,814 (0.01%) (Based on 2011 census) |
| 8 Culture | 8.1 Literature: (i) The Sangam literature can be considered as the ancient predecessor of Malayalam. (ii) The Bharathappuzha river, also known as River Ponnani, and its tributaries, have played a major role in the development of modern Malayalam Literature. 8.2 Major Poets & Authors: (i) Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar and Kerala Varma Valiakoi Thampuran are noted for their contribution to Malayalam prose. (ii) Kumaran Asan, Vallathol Narayana Menon, and Ulloor S. Parameswara Iyer, are recognised for moving Keralite poetry away from archaic sophistry and metaphysics, and towards a more lyrical mode. (iii) The poets like Moyinkutty Vaidyar and Pulikkottil Hyder have made notable contributions to the Mappila songs, which is a genre of the Arabi Malayalam literature. (iv) The first travelogue in any Indian language is the Malayalam Varthamanappusthakam, written by Paremmakkal Thoma Kathanar in 1785. (v) Malayalam literature has been presented with 6 Jnanapith awards, the second-most for any Dravidian language and the third-highest for any Indian language. (vi) Jnanpith winning poets and writers like G. Sankara Kurup, S. K. Pottekkatt, Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai, M. T. Vasudevan Nair, O. N. V. Kurup, and Akkitham Achuthan Namboothiri, had made valuable contributions to the modern Malayalam literature. (vii) Later, writers like O. V. Vijayan, Kamaladas, M. Mukundan, Arundhati Roy, Vaikom Muhammed Basheer, have gained international recognition. 8.3 Major Festivals: (i) Onam (Harvest Festival) (ii) Thrissur Pooram (Elephants, firework displays and huge crowds) (iii) Makaravilakku (iv) Chinakkathoor Pooram (v) Attukal Pongala (vi) Nenmara Vallangi Vela 8.4 Folk Dance: (i) Kathakali (ii) Mohiniyattam (iii) Koodiyattom (iv) Thullal (v) Krishnanattam (vi) Kerala Natanam (vii) Thirayattam (viii) Kaliyattam (ix) Theyyam (x) Koothu (xi) Padayani (xii) Oppana (xiii) Duffmuttu (xiv) Margamkali (xv) Parichamuttukali (xvi) Chavittu Nadakom 8.5 Major Religious Places: (i) Ananthapura Lake Temple, Kasargod (ii) Angadipuram Thirumandhamkunnu Temple, Malappuram (iii) Alathiyoor Hanuman Temple, Malappuram (iv) Bhayankavu Bhagavathi Temple, Malappuram (v) Kadampuzha Devi Temple, Malappuram (vi) Keraladeshpuram Temple, Malappuram (vii) Panniyur Sri Varahamurthy Temple, Palakkad (viii) Sukapuram Dakshinamoorthy Temple, Malappuram (ix) Thirunavaya Navamukunda Temple, Thirunavaya (x) Triprangode Siva Temple, Malappuram (xi) Tali Shiva Temple, Kozhikode (xii) Trikkandiyur Siva Temple, Malappuram (xiii) Thrissur Vadakkunnathan Temple, Thrissur (xiv) Guruvayur Temple, Guruvayur (xv) Thriprayar Temple, Thrissur (xvi) Lokanarkavu Temple, Kozhikode (xvii) Thirunelli Temple, Thirunelli (xviii) Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, Pathanamthitta (xix) Thiruvananthapuram Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Thiruvananthapuram (xx) Aranmula Parthasarathy Temple, Pathanamthitta (xxi) Chottanikkara Temple, Kochi (xxii) Chengannur Mahadeva Temple, Chengannur (xxiii) Parassinikadavu Muthappan Temple, Kannur (xxiv) Chettikulangara Devi Temple, Alappuzha (xxv) Mannarasala Temple, Alappuzha (xxvi) Chakkulathukavu Temple, Alappuzha (xxvii) Thiruvalla Sreevallabha Temple, Thiruvalla (xxviii) Kaviyoor Mahadevar Temple, Pathanamthitta (xxix) Parumala Panayannarkavu Temple, Pathanamthitta (xxx) Sree Poornathrayesa Temple, Kochi (xxxi) Kodungallur Bhagavathy Temple, Thrissur (xxxii) Trikkur Mahadeva Temple, Thrissur (xxxiii) Rajarajeshwara Temple, Kannur |
| 9 Education | 9.1 State Literacy Data: (i) Total: 28,135,824 (94%) (ii) Male: 13,704,903 (96.11%) (iii) Female: 14,430,921 (92.07%) 9.2 Major Universities: (i) Cochin University of Science and Technology, Kochi (ii) University of Calicut, Tenhipalam (iii) Mahatma Gandhi University, Kottayam (iv) University of Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram (v) Kerala Agricultural University, Thrissur (vi) APJ Abdul Kalam Technological University, Thiruvananthapuram (vii) Kannur University, Kannur (viii) Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences University, Pookode (ix) Kerala University of Health Sciences, Thrissur (x) Central University of Kerala, Kasaragod (xi) The National University of Advanced Legal Studies, Kochi (xii) Kerala University of Fisheries and Ocean Studies, Kochi (xiii) Sree Sankaracharya University of Sanskrit, Kalady (xiv) Thunchath Ezhuthachan Malayalam University, Tirur 9.3 Major Institutions: (i) IIM Kozhikode (ii) NIT Calicut (iii) IIIT Kottayam (iv) IIT Palakkad (v) Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram (vi) Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology, Thiruvananthapuram (vii) Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Thiruvananthapuram (viii) Kerala Kalamandalam, Cheruthuruthi |
| 10 Tourism | (i) Kerala, a state situated on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Named as one of the ten paradises of the world by National Geographic Traveler, (ii) Kerala is famous especially for its ecotourism initiatives and beautiful backwaters. 10.2 Major Tourist Spots: (i) Kerala Backwaters (ii) Kappad Beach (iii) Alappuzha Beach (iv) Kozhikode Beach (v) Alleppey (vi) Wayanad Hill Station (vii) Munnar (viii) Kerala Rainforest (ix) Bekal Fort (x) Palakkad Fort (xi) Kanakakkunnu Palace |
| 11 Sports | 11.1 State Game: (i) Kalaripayattu, regarded as “the mother of all martial arts in the world”, is an exception and is practised as the indigenous martial sport. (ii) Another traditional sport of Kerala is the boat race, especially the race of Snake boats. 11.2 Major Stadium: (i) Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium, Kochi (ii) Sports Hub Trivandrum, Thiruvananthapuram (iii) EMS Stadium, Kozhikode (iv) Lal Bahadur Shastri Stadium, Kollam (v) Jawahar Municipal Stadium, Kannur (vi) Chandrasekharan Nair Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram (vii) Malappuram District Sports Complex Stadium, Malappuram (viii) University Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram (ix) Krishnagiri Stadium, Wayanad (x) Thrissur Municipal Corporation Stadium, Thrissur (xi) Maharaja’s College Stadium, Kochi (xii) Thrissur Aquatic Complex, Thrissur (xiii) Rajiv Gandhi Indoor Stadium, Kochi (xiv) FACT Stadium, Kochi (xv) International Hockey Stadium, Kollam (xvi) Jimmy George Indoor Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram (xvii) Pala Municipal Stadium, Kottayam (xviii) Senior Ground, Thrissur (xix) District Stadium, Wayanad 11.3 International Players from the state: Athletes: (i) Suresh Babu (ii) Anju Bobby Geroge (iii) P.T. Usha (iv) Shiny Wilson (v) K.M. Beenamol Volleyball: (i) Jimmy George (ii) Cyril Valloor (iii) Joby Joseph (iv) Tom Joseph |
| 12 Governance & Administrative Divisions | 12.1 Administrative divisions: (i) Number of Districts: 14 (ii) Number of Tehsils: 75 (iii) Number of Urban Towns: 87 (iv) Number of Villages: 1364 12.2 Official Languages: (i) Malayalam (ii) English (Additional Official Language) (Based on census-2011) 12.3 Constituent Facts: (i) Number of Assembly seats: 141 (ii) Number of Parliament seats: 33 (iii) Number of Gram panchayat: 941 Legislature: Unicameral 12.4 Chief Minister: Pinarayi Vijayan 12.4.1 1st Chief Minister : O.P. Ramaswamy Reddiyar (23/03/1947 to 06/04/1949). 12.5 Governor: Arif Mohammad Khan 12.5.1 : 1st Governor: Bargula Ramkrishna Rao (22/11/1956 to 01/07/1960) 12.6 Judiciary: 12.6.1 The High Court of Kerala is the highest court in the Indian state of Kerala and in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep. It is located in Kochi. 12.6.2 It was founded on 1 November 1956. (i) Number of Judges: 47 (ii) Judge Retirement Age: 62 |
| 13 Other Important facts | 13.1 UNESCO World Heritage Sites: (i) Western Ghats (Shared with Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Maharashtra) (ii) Mattancherry Palace, Ernakulam (Proposed but not accepted yet.) 13.2 GI Tags: (i) Aranmula Kannadi (ii) Payyannur Sacred Ring (iii) Navara Rice (iv) Palakkadan Matta Rice (v) Alleppy Coir (vi) Screw Pine Carving (vii) Alleppey Green Cardamom (viii) Pokkali Rice (ix) Vakkalum Pineapple (x) Vazhakkulam Pineapple (xi) Kannanor Home Furnishing (xii) Balrampuram Saree and Cotton Cloth (xiii) Central Travancore Jaggery (xiv) Kasargod Saree (xv) Kuthampully Sarees and Fine Cotton Fabrics (xvi) Wayanad Jeerakasala Rice (xvii) Wayanad Gandhakasala Rice (xviii) Chendamangalam Dhoties And Set Mundu (xix) Kaipad Rice (xx) Kuthampally Dhoties And Set Mundu (xxi) Chengalikodan Nendran Banana (xxii) Palakkad Maddalam Kerala (xxiii) Brass Broidered Coconut Shell Crafts of Kerala (xxiv) Nilambur Teak (xxv) Wayand Robusta Coffee (xxvi) Peacock Jaggery (xxvii) Tirur Betel Leaf (xxviii) Tirur Vettia (xxix) Malabar Pepper 13.3 State Symbols: State Animal: Indian Elephant State Bird: Great Hornbill State Fish: Green Chromide State Butterfly: Papilio Buddha State Flower: Kanikonna State Fruit: Jackfruit State Tree: Coconut Tree |
