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.[2] Per-capita GSP of Kerala during the same period
is ₹257,711 (US$3,200), the sixth largest in India.[1] 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.
[5]

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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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