About Kerala: God's Own Country

Sandwiched between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea, Kerala is blessed with unmatched natural diversity. Within her 38,863 sq.km, this virtual paradise holds almost all natural habitats and ecosystems like the serene beaches, enchanting backwaters, mist clad hills stations, lush forests, diverse wildlife, exciting trekking trails, scintillating waterfalls, extensive plantations, tropical islands, invigorating monsoons, Ayurvedic health centres, historic monuments, sacred pilgrim centres, magical festivals, spectacular art forms, splendid cultural heritage, spectacular boat races, spicy cuisine …. and lots and lots more. A physical quality of life comparable to developed nations and almost fully literate population in this beautiful land are important factors that help transform Kerala into an important international tourist destination also. Moderate climate and the rich art and culture are also positive factors.

The State has very high density of Population (819 per sq.km.) and literacy rate (90.92%). It has a effective forest area of about 9400 sq.km. Kerala receives high rainfall with an average annual of 300cm. There are 44 rivers criss crossing the State and a coastline of about 590km. It has vast extent of wetlands (108,760 ha). The physiography is characterized by varied topography and undulating terrain blessed with lush green vegetation and having high range of biodiversity. Kerala has three international Ramsar sites – Ashtamudi, Sasthamkotta and Vembanad – Kol wetland system. There are 24 Important Bird Areas, 5 National parks and 13 Wildlife Sanctuaries.

Kerala’s fourteen districts are distributed among Kerala's three historical regions and the modern-day districts (listed in order from north to south) correspond to them. They are Malabar (northern Kerala) comprising of Kasargod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad; Kochi (central Kerala) including Thrissur, Ernakulam; and Travancore (southern Kerala) covering Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. Moreover, Kerala's 14 revenue districts are further divided into 62 taluks, 1453 revenue villages and 1007 Gram panchayats.