The State of Kerala

 The privilege of being called God's own country , rightly belongs to the Indian state, Kerala. 

It is appropriately named for it is truly a marvel of unimaginable natural beauty, be it the undulating  

landscape, lush green forests, serene backwaters, tranquil sea shores, picturesque hill stations, quaint little towns and villages, fertile fields, majestic rivers, rich and diverse flora and fauna. 

The belief that it was made by an axe thrown by Lord Parsuram in the sea for his devotees to have a place to reside in peacefully seems quite believable on seeing such intense beauty all in one place. Home to the country's largest lake, Vembanad, here are a more few facts about this culturally rich southern state lying along the Malabar coast.

Kerala - India's 21st largest State as per area 

and the 13th as per population

Population - 34,630,192 as in 2018

Sex Ratio - 1084 Females / 1000 Males 

Geographical Size  - 38863 sq.km 

Date of Formation  - November, 1 1956

How - Reorganized from the State of Madras with Malayalam speaking regions of Cochin, Travancore, South Canara, Malabar as per the States Reorganization Act, 1956

Geographical borders - 

West - Lakshadweep Sea 

East - Western Ghats 

South and Southeast - Tamilnadu

North and Northeast - Karnataka

State Emblem - Two elephants with their trunks raised that are saluting and guarding the national emblem of India along with the conch of Shri Padmanabhaswamy

Climate of the State - Humid Tropical Rainforest 

Major Rivers - Pamba, Periyar, Ponnani, Chalakudi 

State Flower - Golden Shower Tree

State Tree - Coconut

State Fruit - Jackfruit

State Bird - Great Hornbill

State Animal - Indian Elephant

Major Religions followed are Hinduism, Christianity, Islam

Festivals - Thiruvonam, Cochin Carnival, Navarathri, Feast of Vallarpadathamma, Various Boat races like Payippad, Aranmula, Champakulam, Feast of Holy Cross Shrine etc

Administrative Divisions - 

Number of Districts - 14

Number of Cities - 93

Number of Villages - 1760

Capital City - Thiruvananthapuram

Language of Administration - Malayalam and English

Language Spoken in the State - Malayalam

GDP  - 11th in the country

GSDP -  ₹ 11.32 lakh crores

Major Primary Occupations - Fishing, Forestry and Agriculture

Major Crops - Tea, Coffee, Cashew nuts, Areca nuts,Rubber, Pulses, Rice, Spices like pepper, cardamon etc 

Oilseeds - Sunflower, Mustard, Castor 

Trees - The major trees in the State of Kerala are various varieties of Teak and Bamboo 

International Airports - Kozhikode, Kochi and Thiruvananthapuram 

Railway - Southern Railway Zone 

Waterways - Ports, canals and rivers 

Tourism - Forts, Museums, Monuments, Pilgrimage Centres, Ayurvedic Centres, Forests, Waterfalls and Wildlife, Mountains, Hill stations, Beaches, Coffee plantations etc 

Some Major Tourist Centres - Alleppey, Beypore, Chingoli, Kottayam, Kochi, Kumarakom, Kollam, Malappuram, Marayoor, Munnar, Sabarimala, Trivandrum, Wayanad etc 

Tourist Activities - Ayurvedic treatments, Temple visits, Houseboat cruises, Adventure sports like paragliding, scuba diving, canoeing, swimming, nature walk, treks, kayaking, mountain biking, enjoy feast of Sadya, Experience village life, Bird watching, Elephant rides, Visit coffee plantation, Laze around on the beaches etc 

Kerala cuisine includes a wide variety of vegetarian and non vegetarian fare such as Idli, Dosa, Uttapam, puttu and kadala curry, Noolappam, Erachi varutharacha curry, Nadan Kozhi Varuthathu along with various other meat and fish dishes.

Unique Arts and Crafts - 

Kalaripayattu, martial art form

Kathakali, classical dance form

Pictures source - 

Wikipedia

www.kerala.gov.in