State Profile
Kerala - The God's Own Country
The state of Kerala, former princely states of Travancore, Cochin and Malabar, formed on the 1st day of November 1956. This small strip of land at the south west corner of Indian subcontinent represents only 1.86 per cent of the total area of India. But the state population is 3.43 per cent of the total population of the country. Having an area of 38863 Sq. Kms. in total, the state represents a unique geographical structure. Out of the total population of 31,838,619, 90.92 per cent are literates. There are 1058 females for 1000 males in the state. The decadal growth (1991-2001) of population is 9.42 per cent.
Kerala represents several top ranks in the national scenario is blessed with excellent communication facilities, tourism facilities and cultural diversities. Guarded by the Western Ghats in the east and Lakshadweep sea in the west, the state shares its boundaries with Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. The eastern landed part - hilly region - is rich in plantation of tea, coffee, rubber, cardamom and other spices. The middle land with hills and valleys, is an area of cultivation coconut, arecanut, tapioca, banana, rice, ginger, pepper, sugarcane and different varieties of vegetable products.
92 per cent of Indian rubber, 70 per cent of coconut, 60 per cent of tapioca and cent per cent lemon grass oil are owed to the state. Coir and cashew are the two largest traditional industries in the state and 1/3 of the total marine experts of the country account to the state credit.
Another unique geographical feature is the presence of rivers and their tributaries and backwaters. Out of the 44 overflowing rivers 41 flow to the west and 3 to the east. A navigable canal stretching 367 Kms. from Thiruvananthapuram to Thirur and deltas of the rivers interlinked by backwaters provide excellent water transportation in the low land of Kerala.
| Kerala at a glance | |
| Location | Southwestern tip of India |
| Area (in Sq.km) | 38,863 |
| Capital | Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) |
| Language | Malayalam;English is widely spoken. |
| Time | GMT +5:30 |
| Currency | Indian Rupee |
| Climate | Tropical |
| Summer | February - May (24 - 330C) |
| Monsoon | June - September (22 - 280C) |
| Winter | October - January (22 - 320C) |
| Population | 3,18,38,619 as per the latest 2001 Census |
| Density of Population | 819 |
| Kerala's Share in the National Population | 3.1 per cent |
| Sex ratio Females/1000 | 1058 |
| Birth Rate | 16.9 |
| Death Rate | 6.4 |
| Infant Mortality | 10 |
| Per Capital Income 2002-2003 (in Rs) | 25,764 |
| Literacy rate | 90.86% |
| Male | 94.24% |
| Female | 87.72% |
| Total number of Schools | 12271 |
| Higher Education Universities | 7 |
| No. of Post Offices | 5077 |
| No. of Telephone Exchanges | 1179 |
| Radio Station | 7 |
| Highest Mountain | Anamudi (2652.3 Metres) |
| Coastal line in km. | 590 |
| Water bodied area in ha. | 108,760 |
| Rivers | 44 |
| Forest area in ha. | 1,081,509 |
| Parliament Constituencies | 20 |
| Wild life Sanctuaries | 11 |
| Bird Sanctuaries | 1 |
| National Park | 2 |
| Assembly Constituencies | 140 |
| No of Districts | 14 |
| No of Taluks | 63 |
| No of Revenue Divisions | 21 |
| No of Rural Blocks (CD Blocks) | 152 |
| No. of Villages | 1467 |
| No. of Municipals Corporation | 5 |
| No. of Municipalities | 53 |
| Grama Panchayats | 999 |
| No. of Townships | 1 |
| No. of Cantonments | 1 |
Details of Districts, Area and Population
| Sl No. | District | Area Sq. Kms. | Population 2001 | Head Quarters |
| 1. | Alappuzha | 1256 | 2,105,349 | Alappuzha |
| 2. | Ernakulam | 2408 | 3,098,378 | Kochi |
| 3. | Idukki | 5019 | 1,128,605 | Painavu |
| 4. | Kannur | 2997 | 2,412,365 | Kannur |
| 5. | Kasargode | 4992 | 1,203,342 | Kasargode |
| 6. | Kollam | 2497 | 2,584,118 | Kollam |
| 7. | Kottayam | 2203 | 1,952,901 | Kottayam |
| 8. | Kozhikode | 2345 | 2,878,498 | Kozhikode |
| 9. | Malappuram | 3548 | 3,629,640 | Malappuram |
| 10. | Palakkad | 4480 | 261,702 | Palakkad |
| 11. | Pathanamthitta | 2642 | 1,231,577 | Pathanamthitta |
| 12. | Thiruvananthapuram | 2192 | 3,234,707 | Thiruvananthapuram |
| 13. | Thrissur | 3032 | 2,975,443 | Thrissur |
| 14. | Wayanad | 2132 | 786,267 | Wayanad |
Population by sex and decadal growth of population during 1981- 1991 and 1991-2001- Kerala
| Sl. No. | District | Population 2001 | Decadal growth rate | |||
| Persons | Males | Females | 1981-1991 | 1991-2001 | ||
| Kerala | 31,838,619 | 15,468,664 | 16,369,955 | 14.32 | 9.42 | |
| 1 | Kasaragod | 1,203,342 | 587,763 | 615,579 | 22.78 | 12.30 |
| 2 | Kannur | 2,412,365 | 1,154,144 | 1,258,221 | 16.63 | 7.13 |
| 3 | Wayanad | 786,627 | 393,397 | 393,230 | 21.32 | 17.04 |
| 4 | Kozhikode | 2,878,498 | 1,398,674 | 1,479,824 | 16.69 | 9.87 |
| 5 | Malappuram | 3,629,640 | 1,759,479 | 1,870,161 | 28.87 | 17.22 |
| 6 | Palakkad | 2,617,072 | 1,265,794 | 1,351,278 | 16.52 | 9.86 |
| 7 | Thrissur | 2,975,440 | 1,422,047 | 1,553,393 | 12.20 | 8.70 |
| 8 | Ernakulam | 3,098,378 | 1,535,881 | 1,562,497 | 11.42 | 9.09 |
| 9 | Idukki | 1,128,605 | 566,405 | 562,200 | 10.45 | 6.96 |
| 10 | Kottayam | 1,952,901 | 964,433 | 988,468 | 7.71 | 6.76 |
| 11 | Alappuzha | 2,105,349 | 1,012,572 | 1,092,777 | 7.28 | 5.21 |
| 12 | Pathanamthitta | 1,231,577 | 588,035 | 643,542 | 5.60 | 3.72 |
| 13 | Kollam | 2,584,118 | 1,248,616 | 1,335,502 | 10.68 | 7.33 |
| 14 | Thiruvananthapuram | 3,234,707 | 1,571,424 | 1,663,283 | 13.50 | 9.78 |
| Universities | 8 |
| Arts & Science Colleges | 181 |
| Medical Colleges | 7 |
| Dental Colleges | 3 |
| Nursing Colleges | 3 |
| Engineering Colleges | 32 |
| Pharmacy Colleges | 20 |
| Homeo Colleges | 4 |
| Poly Techniques | 59 |
| Food Craft Institutions | 7 |
| T.B. Institutions | 1 |
| RIO (Opthal) | 1 |
| Technical High Schools | 39 |
| Higher Secondary Schools | 931 |
| Vocational Higher Secondary Schools | 322 |
| High Schools | 2585 |
| Upper Primary Schools | 2966 |
| Lower Primary Schools | 6755 |
