Map of Kerala
Kerala is a first-level division of India. Its largest mapped city is Kochi, with about 1.52 million people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Kerala, and the tables list its 5 mapped cities along with the lakes, ports nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 5
- Largest City
- Kochi
- Country
- India
Interactive Map of Kerala
About Kerala
Kerala, officially Keralam, is a state on the Malabar Coast of southern India. It was formed on 1 November 1956 under the States Reorganisation Act, which unified the country's Malayalam-speaking regions into a single state. Covering 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi), Kerala is primarily a strip of coastal plains sandwiched by the Western Ghats and the Laccadive Sea, bound by Karnataka to the northeast, Tamil Nadu to the east, and the Lakshadweep islands in the western vicinity. With 33 million inhabitants according to the 2011 census, Kerala is the 13th-most populous state in India. Thiruvananthapuram is the capital city while the Kochi metropolitan area is the state's most populated region. Malayalam is the most widely spoken language and, alongside English, serves as an official language of the state.
Kerala has been a prominent exporter of spices since 3000 BCE. The Chera dynasty, the first major kingdom in the region, rose to prominence through maritime commerce but often faced invasions from the neighbouring Chola and Pandya dynasties. In the 15th century, the spice trade attracted Portuguese traders to Kerala, initiating European colonisation in India. After Indian independence in 1947, the kingdoms Travancore and Cochin acceded to the newly formed republic and were merged in 1949 to form the state of Travancore-Cochin. In 1956, the modern state of Kerala was instituted by exchanging peripheral areas with the former Madras State; Malabar district and the Kasargod taluk of South Canara district were merged with Travancore-Cochin to form Kerala, while Kanyakumari district and parts of Shenkottai taluk were annexed to Madras State. Kerala consists of 14 districts since 1984.
Kerala has the highest Human Development Index, at 0.784 in 2018; the highest literacy rate, 96.2% in 2018; the highest life expectancy, at 77.3 years; and the highest sex ratio, with 1,084 women per 1,000 men and the lowest positive population growth rate in India (3.44%).
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Kerala (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Kerala in Depth
History
In stories of the Dashavatara from Hindu mythology, the lands of Kerala were recovered from the sea by the axe-wielding warrior sage Parashurama, the sixth avatar (incarnation) of Vishnu. As a result, Kerala is traditionally referred to as Parashurama Kshetram ("The Land of Parashurama"). According to legend, Parashurama threw his axe across the sea, and the water receded to the point where it landed. This land that emerged extended from Gokarna to Kanyakumari. The land that emerged was saline and uninhabitable, so Parashurama invoked the snake king Vasuki, who spat holy poison to purify the soil, transforming it into fertile land. Out of respect, Vasuki and all snakes were appointed as guardians of the land.
Geography
The state is wedged between the Laccadive Sea and the Western Ghats. Lying between northern latitudes 8°18' and 12°48' and eastern longitudes 74°52' and 77°22', Kerala experiences humid tropical rainforest climate with some cyclones. The state has a coast of 590 km (370 mi) and the width of the state varies between 11 and 121 kilometres (7 and 75 mi). Geographically, Kerala can be divided into three climatically distinct regions: the eastern highlands; rugged and cool mountainous terrain, the central mid-lands; rolling hills, and the western lowlands; coastal plains. Pre-Cambrian and Pleistocene geological formations compose the bulk of Kerala's terrain.
Economy
After independence, the state was managed as a social democratic welfare economy. The "Kerala phenomenon" or "Kerala model of development" of very high human development and in comparison low economic development has resulted from a strong service sector. In 2019–20, the economy of Kerala was the 8th-largest in India with ₹8.55 trillion (US$89 billion) in gross state domestic product (GSDP) and a per capita net state domestic product of ₹222,000 (US$2,300). In 2019–20, the tertiary sector contributed around 63% of the state's GSVA, compared to 28% by secondary sector, and 8% by primary sector. In the period between 1960 and 2020, Kerala's economy was gradually shifting from an agrarian economy into a service-based one.
Demographics
Kerala is home to 2.8% of India's population; with a density of 859 persons per km2, its land is nearly three times as densely settled as the national average of 370 persons per km2. As of 2011, Thiruvananthapuram is the most populous city in Kerala. In the state, the rate of population growth is India's lowest, and the decadal growth of 4.9% in 2011 is less than one-third of the all-India average of 17.6%. Kerala's population more than doubled between 1951 and 1991 by adding 15.6 million people to reach 29.1 million residents in 1991; the population stood at 33.3 million by 2011.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Kerala (CC BY-SA 4.0).
History of Kerala: Empires and States
The atlas records 14 polities whose mapped territory included part of Kerala, from Early Cheras in 291 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| Early Cheras | 291 BCE – 305 CE |
| Late Pallava Empire | 306–352 CE |
| Pandya Dynasty | 592–921 CE |
| The Imperial Chola Empire | 1000–1215 CE |
| Pandya Empire | 1220–1325 CE |
| The Vijayanagara Empire | 1344–1571 CE |
| Vassalage of Jaffna kingdom to Vijayanagara Empire | 1385–1501 CE |
| The Portuguese Empire | 1507–1669 CE |
| Portuguese Colonies | 1564–1669 CE |
| The Spanish Empire | 1582–1639 CE |
| Dutch Republic | 1670–1793 CE |
| The British Empire | 1796–1946 CE |
| British Raj | 1859–1946 CE |
| Republic of India | 1947–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Kerala
Kerala on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Kerala
Kerala, officially Keralam (Malayalam: കേരളം Kēraḷaṁ, keh-ruh-lluhm), is known as a tropical paradise of waving palms and wide, sandy beaches. The South Indian state is also known as God's own Country. It is a strip of coastal territory that slopes down the Western Ghats in a cascade of lush, green vegetation and reaches the Arabian Sea. Kerala borders the states of Tamil Nadu to the east and Karnataka to the north. It is also known for its backwaters, mountains, coconuts, spices and art forms like Kathakali and Mohini Attam.
It is one of India's most prosperous states, and a land of diverse religions, boasting Hindu temples, mosques, churches, and even synagogues. With world-class sporting options, Ayurvedic spas and treatments, eco-tourism initiatives, beautiful tall blue mountains, pristine rainforests, golden beaches and an enormous range of accommodation, Kerala has much to offer the visitor.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Kerala (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Kerala
5 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kochi | 1.52 million | Kerala | Populated place |
| 2 | Thiruvananthapuram | 954,000 | Kerala | Admin-1 capital |
| 3 | Kozhikode | 953,000 | Kerala | Populated place |
| 4 | Kollam | 394,163 | Kerala | Populated place |
| 5 | Alappuzha | 176,783 | Kerala | Populated place |
Largest Lakes in Kerala
1 lake mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vembanad Lake | 317 km² | Brackish Lagoon & Backwaters |
Ports in Kerala
6 ports mapped. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Azhikal (Azhikkal) | 56.7 m | Very Small | Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal | medium vessels |
| 2 | Beypore | 53 m | Very Small | Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal | medium vessels |
| 3 | Quilon (Kollam) | 42.1 m | Very Small | Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal | medium vessels |
| 4 | Kochi (Cochin) | 27.4 m | Minor | Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal | large vessels |
| 5 | Trivandrum | 20.1 m | Very Small | Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal | medium vessels |
| 6 | Calicut (Kozhikode) | — | Very Small | Arabian Sea & Bay of Bengal | medium vessels |
Kerala: Quick Answers
- Where is Kerala?
- Kerala is a first-level division of India, in Asia. Its mapped cities centre on 9.6344° N, 76.3756° E.
- What is the largest city in Kerala?
- Kochi is the largest city mapped in Kerala, with a metropolitan population of about 1.52 million.
- How many cities are in Kerala?
- YearMaps maps 5 cities and towns in Kerala, with a combined metropolitan population of about 4.00 million. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the largest lake in Kerala?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Kerala is Vembanad Lake, at about 317 km².