Kochi

This article is about the city in India. For the city in Japan, see Kōchi, Kōchi. For the Japanese prefecture, see Kōchi Prefecture. For other uses, see Kochi (disambiguation).
"Cochin" redirects here. For other uses, see Cochin (disambiguation).

Kochi
Kōcci
Cochin
Metropolis
Marine Drive
Infopark Phase I
Chinese fishing nets
Hill Palace Museum
Kochi International Marina
Queen's Way
Bolgatty Palace
Skyline of Kochi from Cochin Shipyard
Nickname: 
Queen of the Arabian Sea[1][2]
Map
Map
Coordinates: 9°55′52.3″N 76°16′02.3″E / 9.931194°N 76.267306°E / 9.931194; 76.267306[1]
Country India
State Kerala
DistrictErnakulam
Formed1 April 1958[3]
Government
 • TypeMunicipal Corporation
 • BodyKochi Municipal Corporation,
Greater Cochin Development Authority
 • MayorM Anilkumar (CPI(M))
 • MPHibi Eden (INC)
 • City Police CommissionerC. H. Nagaraju IPS
Area
[4]
 • Metropolis
94.88 km2 (36.63 sq mi)
 • Metro
[5]
440 km2 (170 sq mi)
Elevation
26.02 m (85.37 ft)
Population
 (2011)[4]
 • Metropolis
677,381
 • Density7,100/km2 (18,000/sq mi)
 • Metro
[6]
2,119,724
Demonym(s)English: Kochite, Cochinite,[7][8]
Malayalam: Kochikaran (M), Kochikari (F)
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN (code)s
682xxx, 683xxx
Area code+91484xxxxxxx
Vehicle registration
Judicial CapitalHigh Court of Kerala
Coastline48 kilometres (30 mi)
Sex ratio1028 /♀ /1000♂
Literacy98.5%
International airportCochin International Airport
Rapid TransitKochi Metro
Official languageMalayalam, English[9][10]
GDP(2020)US$21.376 (equivalent to $25.17 in 2023) billion [11]
Development AgencyGCDA, GIDA
ClimateAm (Köppen)
Precipitation3,228.3 millimetres (127.10 in)
Websitecochinmunicipalcorporation.kerala.gov.in Edit this at Wikidata

Kochi (/ˈkoʊtʃi/, Malayalam: [kotˈt͡ʃi] ⓘ, ISO: Kōcci), also known by its former name Cochin (/ˈkoʊtʃɪn/ KOH-chin),[12] is a major port city along the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea. It is part of the district of Ernakulam in the state of Kerala. The city is also commonly referred to as Ernakulam. As of 2011, the Kochi Municipal Corporation had a population of 677,381[4] over an area of 94.88 km2, and the larger Kochi urban agglomeration had over 2.1 million inhabitants within an area of 440 km2, making it the largest and the most populous metropolitan area in Kerala. Kochi city is also part of the Greater Cochin development region[13] and is classified as a Tier-II city by the Government of India. The civic body that governs the city is the Kochi Municipal Corporation, which was constituted in the year 1967, and the statutory bodies that oversee its development are the Greater Cochin Development Authority[14] (GCDA) and the Goshree Islands Development Authority (GIDA).[15]

Nicknamed the Queen of the Arabian Sea, Kochi was an important spice trading center on the west coast of India from antiquity. The port of Muziris traded with the Romans, Persians, Arabs, and Chinese.[16] From 1503 to 1663, the Portuguese established Fort Kochi (Fort Emmanuel), before it was taken over by the Dutch in 1663. The Dutch then ceded the area to the United Kingdom. Kochi remained under the control of the Kingdom of Cochin, which became a princely state of the British. Today, Kochi has been described as the financial,[17][18] commercial[19][20] and industrial[21][22] capital of Kerala. Kochi is the only city in the country to have a water metro system, which has been described as the world's largest electric boat metro transportation infrastructure.[23] The Cochin International Airport is the first in the world to operate solely on solar energy.[24] Kochi was one of the 28 Indian cities among the emerging 440 global cities that will contribute 50% of the world GDP by 2025, in a 2011 study done by the McKinsey Global Institute.[25] In July 2018, Kochi was ranked the topmost emerging future megacity in India by global professional services firm JLL.[26][27]

Kochi's rich cultural heritage has made it a popular tourist destination among both domestic and international travellers. It has been hosting India's first art biennale, the Kochi-Muziris Biennale, since 2012, which attracts international artists and tourists.[28] The Chinese fishing nets, introduced during the 14th century by the Chinese, are a symbol of the city and a popular tourist attraction in themselves.[29] Other landmarks include Mattanchery Palace, Marine Drive, Venduruthy Bridge, Church of Saint Francis and Mattanchery Bridge.[30] The city ranks first in the total number of international and domestic tourist arrivals in Kerala.[31][32] The city was ranked the sixth best tourist destination in India according to a survey conducted by the Nielsen Company on behalf of the Outlook Traveller magazine.[33] In October 2019, Kochi was ranked seventh in Lonely Planet's list of top 10 cities in the world to visit in 2020.[34][35] In November 2023, the British Luxury travel magazine Condé Nast Traveller rated Kochi as one of the best places to go in Asia in 2024.[36]

  1. ^ K. C. Sivaramakrishnan (2006). People's Participation in Urban Governance. Concept Publishing Company. p. 156. ISBN 81-8069-326-0. Archived from the original on 8 February 2016.
  2. ^ Ganesh Kumar (September 2010). Modern General Knowledge. Upkar Prakashan. p. 194. ISBN 978-81-7482-180-5. Archived from the original on 6 February 2016.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference ernakulam.nic.in was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ a b c "Profile of Kochi". Kochi Municipal Corporation. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 15 August 2018.
  5. ^ "Demographia World Urban Areas" (PDF). demographia.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 5 August 2011.
  6. ^ "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 million and above" (PDF). Office of the Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Archived (PDF) from the original on 15 December 2011.
  7. ^ Sadasivan, S.N. (2005). Political and Administrative Integration of Princely States. Mittal Publications. p. 64. ISBN 9788170999683.
  8. ^ Menon, K.P.S. (23 January 1977). "My Kerala". Sunday. Vol. 4, no. 44. p. 31.
  9. ^ "The Kerala Official Language (Legislation) Act, 1969" (PDF). PRS Legislative Research. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  10. ^ "52nd Report of the Commissioner for Linguistic Minorities in India" (PDF). nclm.nic.in. Ministry of Minority Affairs. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 May 2017. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  11. ^ https://metroverse.cid.harvard.edu/city/7887/overview
  12. ^ S. Muhammad Hussain Nainar (1942). Tuhfat-al-Mujahidin: An Historical Work in The Arabic Language. University of Madras.
  13. ^ "Urban Sector Kerala" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 March 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2012.
  14. ^ "GCDA – Greater Cochin Development Authority". Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 5 April 2015.
  15. ^ "Indian Census 2011 list of cities" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  16. ^ "Muziris, at last?" Archived 19 October 2021 at the Wayback Machine R. Krishnakumar, www.frontline.in Frontline, 10–23 April 2010.
  17. ^ "Setting a scorching pace: the metro saga". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  18. ^ "Check out the 10 novelties onboard Kochi Metro". Malayala Manorama. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  19. ^ "Cochin Chronicle – Introduction". Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  20. ^ "Kochi emerging as tier-2 destination for corporates". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  21. ^ "Industrial areas in Kochi". Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. Archived from the original on 22 October 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  22. ^ "LNG the answer?". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 August 2020. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  23. ^ Kumar, V. Sajeev (9 January 2022). "Kochi becomes first city with water metro project". Business Line. Chennai. Archived from the original on 27 December 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  24. ^ "World's first solar-powered airport". BBC News. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  25. ^ "Urban world: Mapping the economic power of cities 2011". McKinsey Global Institute. Archived from the original on 29 March 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2013.
  26. ^ "Kochi rated as future mega city in India by JLL". The Economic Times. 1 August 2018. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  27. ^ "Kochi ranked topmost emerging city in country". The New Indian Express. 2 August 2018. Archived from the original on 2 August 2018. Retrieved 2 August 2018.
  28. ^ "Facts about Kochi Biennale Foundation". Kochi Biennale Foundation. Archived from the original on 31 October 2014. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
  29. ^ Rongmei, Precious. "The fast-disappearing act of Kochi's iconic Chinese Fishing Nets". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  30. ^ Culture and trade thrive in Kerala's Kochi, CNN, 28 January 2020, retrieved 17 November 2023
  31. ^ "Destnation [sic] Wide Number of Foreign Tourists Visited Kerala During 2010" (PDF). Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 11 July 2017. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  32. ^ "Tourist statistics – 2008" (PDF). Kerala Tourism Development Corporation. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 June 2010. Retrieved 22 October 2010.
  33. ^ "Nielsen retains top tourism destination grade for Kerala". Business Line. Chennai. Archived from the original on 13 September 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  34. ^ "Kochi included in list of Lonely Planet top 10 cities for 2020; the only name from India". The Week. 22 October 2019. Archived from the original on 6 November 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  35. ^ "Kochi seventh in top 10 cities to visit in 2020: Lonely Planet". The Indian Express. 23 October 2019. Archived from the original on 25 October 2019. Retrieved 6 November 2019.
  36. ^ "Condé Nast Traveller rates Kochi one of the best places to go in Asia in 2024; Here's why". onmanorama.com. Retrieved 17 November 2023.