With the Arabian Sea in the west, the Western Ghats towering 500-2700 m in the east and networked by 44 rivers, Kerala enjoys unique geographical features that have made it one of the most sought after tourist destinations in Asia. An equable climate. A long shoreline with serene beaches. Tranquil stretches of emerald backwaters. Lush hill stations and exotic wildlife. Waterfalls. Sprawling plantations and paddy fields. Ayurvedic health holidays. Enchanting art forms. Magical festivals. Historic and cultural monuments. An exotic cuisine... All of which offer you a unique experience. And what's more, each of these charming destinations is only a two hour drive from the other - a singular advantage no other destination offers.

1. KERALA
THE LAND OF
COCONUTS
ARJUNP
VIII.C
KVS.A.P

2. KERALA - AT A GLANCE
 With the Arabian Sea in the west, the Western Ghats towering
500-2700 m in the east and networked by 44 rivers, Kerala
enjoys unique geographical features that have made it one of
the most sought after tourist destinations in Asia. An equable
climate. A long shoreline with serene beaches. Tranquil
stretches of emerald backwaters. Lush hill stations and exotic
wildlife. Waterfalls. Sprawling plantations and paddy fields.
Ayurvedic health holidays. Enchanting art forms. Magical
festivals. Historic and cultural monuments. An exotic cuisine...
All of which offer you a unique experience. And what's more,
each of these charming destinations is only a two hour drive
from the other - a singular advantage no other destination
offers.
 Kerala, India's most advanced society: With hundred percent
literacy. World-class health care systems. India's lowest infant
mortality and highest life expectancy rates. The highest
physical quality of life in India. Peaceful and pristine, Kerala is
India's cleanest state.

4. DISTRICTS
 For administrative purposes the State is divided into 14 revenue
districts: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha,
Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur,
Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanadu, Kannur and
Kasaragod.
On the basis of geographical, historical and cultural similarities,
the districts are generally grouped into North Kerala (Kasaragod,
Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram) , Central Kerala
(Palakkad, Thrissur, Eranakulam, Idukki) and South Kerala
(Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta,
Kottayam).The districts have the same name as the important
town or city in the district, the exception being Wayanad district.
The 14 districts are further divided into 21 Revenue divisions, 63
Taluks and 1453 Revenue Villages. There are 14 District
Panchayats, 152 Block Panchayats, 978 Grama Panchayats, 60
Municipalities, 5 Corporations and 1 Township.

6. CULTURE
 Kerala's culture is mainly Hindu in origin, deriving from a
greater Tamil-heritage region known as Tamilakam. Later, Kerala's
culture was elaborated on through centuries of contact with overseas
cultures.Native performing arts include koodiyattom,kathakali—
from katha and kali and its offshoot Kerala Natanam, koothu (akin to
stand-up comedy),mohiniaattam thullal, padayani, and theyyam.
 Other arts are more religion- and tribal-themed. These
include chavittu nadakom, oppana , which combines dance, rhythmic
hand clapping, and ishalvocalisations. However, many of these art
forms largely play to tourists or at youth festivals, and are not as
popular among most ordinary Keralites, who look to more
contemporary art and performance styles, including those employing
mimicry and parody. Additionally, a substantial Malayalam
film industry effectively competes against both Bollywood and
Hollywood.

8. HISTORY
 Kerala's history is closely linked with its commerce,
which until recent times revolved around its spice
trade.
 Celebrated as the Spice Coast of India, ancient
Kerala played host to travellers and traders from
across the world including the Greeks, Romans,
Arabs, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch, French and the
British. Almost all of them have left their imprint on
this land in some form or the other - architecture,
cuisine, literature.

10. GEOGRAPHY
 With the Arabian Sea in the west, the Western
Ghats towering 500-2700 m in the east and
networked by forty-four rivers, Kerala enjoys
diverse geographical features.
 Kerala is divided into three geographical regions:
Highlands, which slope down from the Western
Ghats onto the Midlands of undulating hills and
valleys into an unbroken coastline with many
picturesque backwaters, interconnected with canals
and rivers. The Western Ghats are nowhere more
than 120 kms from the sea.

12. FESTIVALS
 The major festival in Kerala is Onam. Kerala has a
number of religious festivals. Thrissur Pooram and
Chettikulangara Bharani are the major temple festivals
in Kerala. The Thrissur Pooram is conducted at the
Vadakumnathan temple, Thrissur. The Chettikulangara
Bharani is another major attraction. The festival is
conducted at the Chettikulangara temple near
Mavelikkara.
 The Sivarathri is also an important festival in Kerala.
This festival is mainly celebrated in Aluva Temple
and Padanilam Parabrahma Temple. Padanilam Temple
is situated in Alappuzha district of Kerala, about 16
kilometres (9.9 mi) from Mavelikkara town.Parumala
Perunnal, Manarkadu Perunnal are the major festivals of
Christians. Muslims also have many important festivals.

14. WILDLIFE
 Most of Kerala, whose native habitat consists of wet
evergreen rainforests at lower elevations and highland deciduous and
semi-evergreen forests in the east, is subject to a humid tropical climate.
However, significant variations in terrain and elevation have resulted in a
land whose biodiversity registers as among the world’s most significant.
Most of Kerala's significantly biodiverse tracts of wilderness lie in the
evergreen forests of its easternmost districts. Kerala also hosts two of
the world’s Ramsar Convention-listed wetlands: Lake Sasthamkotta and
the Vembanad-Kol wetlands are noted as being wetlands of international
importance.
 There are also numerous protected conservation areas, including
1455.4 km2 of the vast Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. In turn, the forests
play host to such majorfauna as Asian elephant (Elephas
maximus), Bengal tiger (Panthera tigris tigris), leopard (Panthera
pardus), Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus hylocrius), and grizzled giant
squirrel (Ratufa macroura). More remote preserves, including Silent
Valley National Park in the Kundali Hills, harbour endangered species
such as the lion-tailed macaque (Macaca silenus),

16. BEACHES
 Flanked on the western coast by the Arabian Sea,
Kerala has a long coastline of 580 km (360 mi); all of
which is virtually dotted with sandy beaches.
 Boating at Paravur Lake nearKollam
 Kovalam beach near Thiruvananthapuram was among
the first beaches in Kerala to attract tourists.
Rediscovered by back-packers and tan-seekers in the
1960s and followed by hordes of hippies in the 1970s,
Kovalam is today the most visited beach in the state.
 Other popularly visited beaches in the state include
those at Kappad, Alappuzha, Nattika (Thrissur),
Vadanappilly beach (Thrissur), Cherai Beach, Beypore
beach, Marari beach, Fort Kochi, and Varkala.
The Muzhappilangad Beach beach at Kannur is the only
drive-in beach in India.

18. BACKWATERS
 The backwaters in Kerala are a chain of brackish lagoons
and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast (known as
the Malabar Coast). Houseboat or Kettuvallam rides in the
backwaters are a major tourist attraction. Backwater tourism is
centered mostly around Ashtamudi Lake, Kollam. Boat races
held during festival seasons are also a major tourist attraction
in the backwater regions.
 The backwater network includes large lakes such as
the Ashtamudi Lake, the largest among them, linked by
1500 km of canals, both man-made and natural and fed by
several rivers, and extending virtually the entire 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.

20. HILL STATIONS
 Eastern Kerala consists of land encroached upon
by the Western Ghats; the region thus includes high
mountains, gorges, and deep-cut valleys. The
wildest lands are covered with dense forests, while
other regions lie under tea and coffee plantations
(established mainly in the 19th and 20th centuries)
or other forms of cultivation.
 The Western Ghats rise on average to 1500 m
elevation above sea level. Some of the popular hill
stations in the region
are Munnar,Vagamon, Paithalmala, Wayanad, Nelli
yampathi, Elapeedika, Peermade , Thekkady and P
onmudi.

22. SEASONS
 Bestowed with a pleasant and equable climate
throughout the year, Kerala is a tropical land with
the coast running down its entire length and the
Western Ghats forming a protective barrier against
the dry winds from up north.
 The monsoons (June-September & October-
November) and summer (February-May) are the
seasons markedly experienced here, while winter is
only a slight drop in temperature from the normal
range of 28-32°C.

24. PEOPLE AND LIFE
 Kerala is one of India's most progressive states in
terms of social welfare and quality of life. The State
boasts of one of India's highest literacy rates,
highest life expectancy and lowest child mortality
rates.
 The literacy rate for women is one of the highest in
all of Asia. Enjoying a unique cosmopolitan
viewpoint, the people of Kerala, at all levels of
society, have greater access to services and
opportunities - as well as a greater say in their
governance.

26. MAJOR CITIES AND INTERNATIONAL
AIRPORT
Major Cities
 Thiruvananthapuram
Kollam
Kochi
Thrissur
Kozhikode
Airports
 Thiruvananthapuram International Airport
 Cochin International Airport (CIAL), Nedumbassery
 Calicut International Airport