Kottayam district

Kottayam District
Location in Kerala
Location in Kerala
Map
Kottayam district
Coordinates: 9°35′42″N 76°31′52″E / 9.595°N 76.531°E / 9.595; 76.531
CountryIndia
StateKerala
Established1 July 1949
HeadquartersKottayam
Government
 • CollectorJohn V Samuel IAS[1]
Area
 • Total
2,208 km2 (853 sq mi)
 • Rank10th
Population
 • Total
1,974,551
 • Density890/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialMalayalam, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
ISO 3166 codeIN-KL
Vehicle registrationKL-05 Kottayam,
KL-33 Changanassery,
KL-34 Kanjirappally,
KL-35 Pala,
KL-36 Vaikom,
KL-67 Uzhavoor
HDI (2005)Increase 0.796[2] ( High)
Websitekottayam.nic.in/en/

Kottayam (IPA: [koːʈːɐjɐm] ) is one of 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. Kottayam district comprises six municipal towns: Kottayam, Changanassery, Pala, Erattupetta, Ettumanoor, and Vaikom. It is the only district in Kerala that does not border either the Arabian Sea or another Indian state.

The district is bordered by hills in the east, and the Vembanad Lake and paddy fields of Kuttanad on the west. The area's geographic features include paddy fields, highlands, and hills. As of the 2011 census, 28.6% of the district's residents live in urban areas, and it reports a 97.2% literacy rate.[3] In 2008, the district became the first tobacco-free district in India.[4] Kottayam registered the lowest Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) of zero among all districts of India, indicating no deprivation as per the report published by Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative and UNDP for districts across India.[5] The district's headquarters are based in the city of Kottayam.

Hindustan Newsprint Limited and Rubber Board are two central government organizations located in the district. The headquarters of two religious communities in Kerala are also in the Kottayam District: Nair Service Society and the Indian Orthodox Church.

  1. ^ "Who's Who". Official website of Kottayam District. Retrieved 28 November 2021.
  2. ^ "Kerala | UNDP in India". UNDP.
  3. ^ "2011 Kottayam Census" (PDF). p. 15,16. Archived from the original (PDF) on 4 November 2019.
  4. ^ "Kottayam district to be declared tobacco-free – KERALA – The Hindu". The Hindu. 16 February 2020. Archived from the original on 16 February 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2020.
  5. ^ "States of poverty: an exploration of the Multidimensional Poverty Index – The Hindu". The Hindu. 29 October 2018.