Kerala at a Glance

Kerala at a Glance

Location	:	Southwestern tip of India.
Area	:	38, 863 sq km.
Population	:	3,18,38,619
Capital	:	Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum).
Language	:	Malayalam;English is widely spoken.
Religion	:	Hinduism, Christianity, Islam
Time	:	GMT +5:30
Currency	:	Indian Rupee
Climate	:	Tropical.
Summer	:	February - May (24 - 330C)
Monsoon	:	June - September (22 - 280C)
Winter	:	October - January (22 - 320C)
Names of Districts :
Old		New
Trivandrum	:	Thiruvananthapuram
Quilon	:	Kollam
Alleppey	:	Alappuzha
		Pathanamthitta
		Kottayam
		Idukki
		Ernakulam
Trichur	:	Thrissur
Palghat	:	Palakkad
		Malappuram
		Wayanad
Calicut	:	Kozhikode
Cannanore	:	Kannur
		Kasaragod
Major Cities	:	Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi (Ernakulam district) and Kozhikode.
Population :
Population	:	318.39 lakhs as per 2001 Census (31.839 Millions)
Density of Population	:	819 per sq kms
Kerala's Share in the National- Population	:	3.1 per cent
District Average	:	22.74 lakhs (2.274 millions)
Sex Ratio	:	1058 women for 1000 men
Literacy :
Literacy Rate	:	90.92 per cent.
Male Literacy Rate	:	94.20 per cent
Female Literacy Rate	:	87.86 per cent
Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI) :
Kerala has had a commendable record in terms of the Physical Quality of Life Index. Indicators of PQLI like infant mortality (11%), female literacy (87.86%), and life expectancy at birth for males (68.23) and females (73.62), are well above all India levels. The major reason for this achievement is Kerala's focus on the service sector. About 37% of the total annual expenditure of the State is earmarked for health and education. Another reason for this is the existence of a larger network of hospital infrastructure under the Directorate of Health Services with 933 primary health centres and 5094 sub-centres.
Seaports	:	Major : Kochi Minor : Beypore (Kozhikode), Alappuzha, Kollam.
Major Beaches	:	Kovalam, Varkala, Fort Kochi, Kappad and Bekal.
Major Wild Life Sanctuaries	:	Thekkady (Periyar), Parambikkulam, Wayanad, Silent Valley, Aralm, Peechi-Vazhani, Chimani, Shenduruny, Idukki, Chinnar, Peppara, Neyyar.
Bird Sanctuary	:	Thattekad, Kumarakom.
Major Hill Stations	:	Ponmudi, Peerumade, Thekkady, Munnar and Wayanad.
Farm / Cash Crops	:	Rubber, Coffee, Tea, Spices, Pepper, Cashew, Coconut, Arecanut and rice.
Exports	:	Marine, Coir, Handicrafts, Spices, Food and other Products.
Major Industries	:	Tourism, Information Technology, Fertilizer, Oil Refining and Power Generation, Ship Building, Machine Tools, Electronics, Cables, Rubber.