North Malabar

North Malabar
Geographical / Historical Area
Map
Coordinates: 11°45′N 75°30′E / 11.750°N 75.500°E / 11.750; 75.500
Country India
StateKerala
Puducherry
Government
 • BodyNorthern Range, Kerala
Mahé Sub-Division, Puducherry
Area
 • Total
4,200 km2 (1,600 sq mi)
Population
 (2001)(approx.)[1]
 • Total
4,800,000
 • Density819/km2 (2,120/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialMalayalam
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
670***, 671*** and 673***
ISO 3166 codeIN-KL
Vehicle registrationKL-12, KL-13, KL-14, KL-18, KL-56, KL-58, KL-59, KL-60, KL-72, KL-77, KL-78, KL-79, KL-86 & PY-03
Literacy94.52%%
Vidhan Sabha constituency24
Civic agencyNorthern Range, Kerala
Mahé Sub-Division, Puducherry

North Malabar refers to the geographic area of southwest India covering the state of Kerala's present day Kasaragod and Kannur districts, Mananthavady taluk of Wayanad district, and the taluks of Vatakara and Koyilandy in the Kozhikode District of Kerala and the entire Mahé Sub-Division of the Union Territory of Puducherry. Traditionally North Malabar has been defined as the northern portion of the erstwhile Malabar District which lies between Chandragiri River and Korapuzha River.[2] The region between Netravathi River and Chandragiri River, which included the portions between Mangalore and Kasaragod, are also often included in the term North Malabar.[3][4]

The North Malabar region is bounded by Dakshina Kannada (Mangalore) to north, the hilly regions of Kodagu and Mysore Plateau to east, South Malabar (Korapuzha) to south, and Arabian Sea to west.[5] The greater part of North Malabar (except Mahé) remained as one of the two administrative divisions of the Malabar District (an administrative district of British India under the Madras Presidency) until 1947 and later became part of India's Madras State until 1956. Mahé remained under French jurisdiction until 13 June 1954. On 1 November 1956, the state of Kerala was formed by the States Reorganisation Act, which merged the Malabar District with Travancore-Cochin apart from the four southern taluks, which were merged with Tamil Nadu, and the Kasaragod taluk of South Kanara District. During British rule, North Malabar's chief importance laid in producing Thalassery pepper and Coconuts.[6]

North Malabar begins at Korapuzha in the south and ends at Manjeshwaram in the north of Kerala and traditionally comprises the erstwhile princely principalities and chiefdoms of Kolathu Nadu, Kingdom of Kottayam, Kadathanadu and southern part of Tulu Nadu. Wayanad, which forms a continuation of Mysore Plateau, was the only Plateau in North Malabar as well as Kerala. Indian Naval Academy at Ezhimala is the Asia's largest, and the world's third-largest, naval academy.[7][8][9] Muzhappilangad beach is the longest Drive-In Beach in Asia and is featured among the top 6 best beaches for driving in the world in BBC article for Autos.[10][11] North Malabar is home to several forts which include Arikady fort, Bekal Fort, Chandragiri Fort, Hosdurg Fort, St. Angelo Fort, and Tellicherry Fort. Bekal Fort is the largest fort in Kerala.

  1. ^ Census of India, 2001. Census Data Online, Population.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference DhTlc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ M. Vijayanunni. 1981 Census Handbook- Kasaragod District (PDF). Directorate of Census Operations, Kerala.
  4. ^ Sreedhara Menon, A. (2007). A Survey of Kerala History (2007 ed.). Kottayam: DC Books. ISBN 9788126415786.
  5. ^ Government of Madras (1953). 1951 Census Handbook- Malabar District (PDF). Madras Government Press.
  6. ^ Pamela Nightingale, ‘Jonathan Duncan (bap. 1756, d. 1811)’, Oxford Dictionary of National Biography, Oxford University Press, 2004; online edn, May 2009
  7. ^ "Navy-Training Academy-proposed Expansion". Deccan Herald. 11 August 2017.
  8. ^ "Asia's largest naval academy opened". Arab News. 10 January 2009.
  9. ^ https://www.facebook.com/IndianNavy/videos/390383354649864/ [user-generated source]
  10. ^ Gibson, David K. "The best beaches for driving". Retrieved 26 June 2016.
  11. ^ "Muzhappilangad wins BBC favour". Deccan Chronicle. 24 June 2016.