Kerala

This article is about the Indian state. For other uses, see Kerala (disambiguation).

Kerala
State
State of Kerala
Kerala backwaters
Athirappilly Falls
Munnar
Jatayu Earth's Center
Padmanabhaswamy Temple
Kerala Government Secretariat
Chinese fishing nets
Marine Drive, Kochi
Official emblem of Kerala
Emblem of Kerala
Etymology: Land of 'Cheras' or Land of coconut trees
Nickname: 
"God's own country"
Motto: 
Satyameva Jayate (Truth alone triumphs)
The map of India showing Kerala
Location of Kerala in India
Coordinates: 10°00′N 76°18′E / 10.0°N 76.3°E / 10.0; 76.3
CountryIndia
RegionSouth India
Before wasTravancore–Cochin
Malabar District
South Canara
Formation1 November 1956
Capital
and largest city		Thiruvananthapuram
Largest metroKochi
Districts14
Government
 • BodyGovernment of Kerala
 • GovernorArif Mohammad Khan
 • Chief ministerPinarayi Vijayan (CPI(M))
 • Chief secretarySharada Muraleedharan, IAS
State LegislatureUnicameral
 • AssemblyKerala Legislative Assembly (140 seats)
National ParliamentParliament of India
 • Rajya Sabha9 seats
 • Lok Sabha20 seats
High CourtKerala High Court
Area
 • Total
38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi)
 • Rank21st
Dimensions
 • Length560 km (350 mi)
 • Width70 km (40 mi)
Elevation
[1]
900 m (3,000 ft)
Highest elevation
(Anamudi[2])
2,695 m (8,842 ft)
Lowest elevation
(Kuttanad[3])
−2.7 m (−8.9 ft)
Population
 (2018)[4]
 • Total
34,630,192
 • Rank13th
 • Density890/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
 • Urban
47.7%
 • Rural
52.3%
Demonym(s)Keralite, Malayali
Language
 • OfficialMalayalam[5]
 • Additional officialEnglish[6][7]
 • Official scriptMalayalam script
GDP
[8]
 • Total (2023–2024)Increase₹11.60 lakh crore (US$140 billion)
 • Rank11th
 • Per capitaNeutral increase₹281,001 (US$3,400) (11th)
Time zoneUTC+05:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-KL
Vehicle registrationKL
HDI (2024)Neutral increase 0.814 High[9] (1st)
Literacy (2018)Neutral increase 96.2%[10] (1st)
Sex ratio (2011)1084♀/1000 ♂[11] (17th)
Websitekerala.gov.in
Symbols of Kerala
Emblem of Kerala
Foundation day1 November
BirdGreat hornbill[12]
ButterflyPapilio buddha[13]
FishGreen chromide
FlowerGolden shower tree[12]
FruitJackfruit[14]
MammalIndian elephant[12]
TreeCoconut Tree[12]
State highway mark
State highway of Kerala
SH KL1 – SH KL79
List of Indian state symbols
PersonMalayāḷi, Kēraḷīyaṉ
PeopleMalayāḷikaḷ, Kēraḷīyaṟ
LanguageMalayāḷam

Kerala (English: /ˈkɛrələ/ ⓘ/ KERR-ə-lə; Malayalam: [keːɾɐɭɐm] ⓘ), is a state on the Malabar Coast of India.[15] 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, South Canara, and Travancore.[16][17] Spread over 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi), Kerala is the 21st largest Indian state by area. It is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east and south, and the Lakshadweep Sea[18] to the west. With 33 million inhabitants as per the 2011 census, Kerala is the 13th-largest Indian state by population. It is divided into 14 districts with the capital being Thiruvananthapuram. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and is also the official language of the state.[19]

The Chera dynasty was the first prominent kingdom based in Kerala. The Ay kingdom in the deep south and the Ezhimala kingdom in the north formed the other kingdoms in the early years of the Common Era (CE). The region had been a prominent spice exporter since 3000 BCE.[20] The region's prominence in trade was noted in the works of Pliny as well as the Periplus around 100 CE. In the 15th century, the spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, and paved the way for European colonisation of India. At the time of Indian independence movement in the early 20th century, there were two major princely states in Kerala: Travancore and Cochin. They united to form the state of Thiru-Kochi in 1949. The Malabar region, in the northern part of Kerala, had been a part of the Madras province of British India, which later became a part of the Madras State post-independence. After the States Reorganisation Act, 1956, the modern-day state of Kerala was formed by merging the Malabar district of Madras State (excluding Gudalur taluk of Nilgiris district, Lakshadweep Islands, Topslip, the Attappadi Forest east of Anakatti), the taluk of Kasaragod (now Kasaragod District) in South Canara, and the erstwhile state of Thiru-Kochi (excluding four southern taluks of Kanyakumari district, and Shenkottai taluks).[17]

Kerala has the lowest positive population growth rate in India, 3.44%; the highest Human Development Index (HDI), 0.784 in 2018 (0.712 in 2015); the highest literacy rate, 96.2% in the 2018 literacy survey conducted by the National Statistical Office, India;[10] the highest life expectancy, 77.3 years; and the highest sex ratio, 1,084 women per 1,000 men. Kerala is the least impoverished state in India according to NITI Aayog's Sustainable Development Goals dashboard and Reserve Bank of India's Handbook of Statistics on Indian Economy.[21][22] Kerala is the second-most urbanised major state in the country with 47.7% urban population according to the 2011 Census of India.[23] The state topped in the country to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals according to the annual report of NITI Aayog published in 2019.[24] The state has the highest media exposure in India with newspapers publishing in nine languages, mainly Malayalam and sometimes English. Hinduism is practised by more than half of the population, followed by Islam and Christianity.

In 2019–20, the economy of Kerala was the 8th-largest in India with ₹8.55 trillion (US$100 billion) in gross state domestic product (GSDP) and a per capita net state domestic product of ₹222,000 (US$2,700).[25] In 2019–20, the tertiary sector contributed around 65% to state's GSVA, while the primary sector contributed only 8%.[26] The state has witnessed significant emigration, especially to the Arab states of the Persian Gulf during the Gulf Boom of the 1970s and early 1980s, and its economy depends significantly on remittances from a large Malayali expatriate community. The production of pepper and natural rubber contributes significantly to the total national output. In the agricultural sector, coconut, tea, coffee, cashew and spices are important. The state is situated between Arabian Sea to the west and Western Ghats mountain ranges to the east. The state's coastline extends for 595 kilometres (370 mi), and around 1.1 million people in the state are dependent on the fishery industry, which contributes 3% to the state's income. Named as one of the ten paradises of the world by National Geographic Traveler,[27] Kerala is one of the prominent tourist destinations of India, with coconut-lined sandy beaches, backwaters, hill stations, Ayurvedic tourism and tropical greenery as its major attractions.

  1. ^ "Kerala Physiography | Geographical location | Kerala | Kerala". Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  2. ^ "Anamudi – Peakbagger.com". www.peakbagger.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  3. ^ "Kuttanadan.com : Explore the Rice Bowl of Kerala". Kuttanadan Website. Archived from the original on 24 March 2023. Retrieved 24 March 2023.
  4. ^ Annual Vital Statistics Report – 2018 (PDF). Thiruvananthapuram: Department of Economics and Statistics, Government of Kerala. 2020. p. 55. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 May 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  5. ^ "52nd report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India (July 2014 to June 2015)" (PDF). Ministry of Minority Affairs (Government of India). 29 March 2016. p. 132. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017.
  6. ^ "Malayalam to be official language". The Hindu. 28 April 2017. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  7. ^ "Hindi is not an 'official' language in Kerala Assembly". The Hindu. 12 July 2014. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  8. ^ ":: FINANCE DEPARTMENT :: GOVERNMENT OF KERALA". finance.kerala.gov.in. Archived from the original on 16 June 2023. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference snhdi-gdl was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  10. ^ a b "Literacy Survey, India (2017–18)". Firstpost. 8 September 2020. Archived from the original on 2 November 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  11. ^ "Census 2011 (Final Data) – Demographic details, Literate Population (Total, Rural & Urban)" (PDF). planningcommission.gov.in. Planning Commission, Government of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 January 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  12. ^ a b c d "State Symbols of India". ENVIS Centre on Wildlife & Protected Areas. 1 December 2017. Archived from the original on 15 April 2021. Retrieved 3 June 2022.
  13. ^ Jacob, Aneesh. "'Budha Mayoori' to be named Kerala's state butterfly". Mathrubhumi. Archived from the original on 30 March 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  14. ^ "Jackfruit to be Kerala's state fruit; declaration on March 21". The Indian Express. PTI. 17 March 2018. Archived from the original on 22 March 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  15. ^ "Malabar Coast". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2021.
  16. ^ Cite error: The named reference Malabar was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  17. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference Kerala was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  18. ^ "Limits of Oceans and Seas, 3rd edition" (PDF). International Hydrographic Organization. 1953. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 October 2018. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
  19. ^ "Kerala – Principal Language". Government of India. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 27 November 2018.
  20. ^ Subramanian, Archana (December 2016). "Route it through the seas". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 March 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2024.
  21. ^ "SDG India – Index 2021–22 – Partnerships in the Decade of Action" (PDF). NITI Aayog. 2021. Archived from the original on 13 June 2021. Retrieved 29 September 2024.
  22. ^ "Handbook of Statistics on Indian Economy. Table 154 : Number and Percentage of Population Below Poverty Line. (2011-12)". Reserve Bank of India. Archived from the original on 13 September 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference ubn was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Gireesh Chandra Prasad (30 December 2019). "Kerala tops sustainable development goals index". Livemint. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
  25. ^ "MOSPI State Domestic Product, Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, Government of India". 15 March 2021. Archived from the original on 17 June 2021. Retrieved 23 June 2021.
  26. ^ Government of Kerala (2021). Economic Review 2020 – Volume I (PDF). Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala State Planning Board. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 May 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2021.
  27. ^ "Kerala: A vacation in paradise". The Times of India. 7 February 2014. Archived from the original on 25 November 2023. Retrieved 17 January 2023.