Nick Names : God’s Own Country, Spice Garden of India, Land of Coconut Trees
Government of Kerala
- Chief Minister : Oommen Chandy
- Governor : Former Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam
- Capital : Thiruvananthapuram
- Kerala High Court : Headquartered at Kochi, Ernakulam. It is also the highest court in the Union Territory of Lakshadweep.
- Chief Justice : Justice Ashok Bhushan
State Symbols
- State Animal : Indian Elephant
- State Bird : Great Hornbill
- State Fish : Pearl Spot
- State Flower : Golden Shower Tree Flower
- State Tree : Coconut Tree
Wildlife Sanctuaries (WLS)
- Aralam WLS
- Chimmony WLS
- Chinnar WLS
- Chulannur Peafowl WLS
- Idukki WLS
- Kottiyoor WLS
- Kurinjimala WLS
- Malabar WLS
- Mangalavanam Bird WLS
- Neyyar WLS
- Parambikulam WLS
- Peechi-Vazhani WLS
- Peppara WLS
- Periyar WLS
- Shendurney WLS
- Thattekad Bird WLS
- Wayanad WLS
National Parks
- Anamudi Shola National Park
- Eravikulam National Park
- Mathikettan Shola National Park
- Pambadum Shola National Park
- Periyar National Park
- Silent Valley National Park
Bio Sphere Reserves
- Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve
- Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve
UNESCO Heritage Site in Kerala
- Western Ghats – Includes Sahyadri Sub-Cluster, Kudremukh Sub-Cluster, Talakaveri Sub-Cluster, Nilgiri Sub-Cluster, Anamalai Sub-Cluster, Periyar Sub-Cluster and Agasthyamalai Sub-Cluster.
Other Famous Sites
- Pallakad Fort
- Napier Museum
- Koyikkal Palace
- Koder House
- Krishna Menon Museum
- Thalassery Fort
Religion
The population is nearly equally divided among the three communities. Christianity came to this land quite early. Many believe that St. Thomas, the disciple of Jesus, came to Kerala in AD 52 and founded Christianity here.
Major Cities
- Thiruvananthapuram
- Kollam
- Kochi
- Thrissur
- Kozhikode
Seats
- Assembly Seats : 140+ 1 Anglo Indian Nominee
- Lok Sabha Seats : 20+ 1 Anglo Indian Nominee
- Rajya Sabha seats : 9
Major Dances – Kathakali, Mohiniattam, Theyyam, and Thullal.
Main Festivals – Onam and Vishu
Thermal Power Plants
- Brahmapuram Power Station
- Kozhikode Power Station
- Kayamkulam Power Station
Famous Waterfalls – Athirrapally, Vazhachal, and Palaruvi
Backwaters – Alapuzha, Kollam, Veli, Kochi, and Kumarakom
Lakes – Vembanad, Kayamakulam, and Ashtamudi
Major Rivers
- Bharathapuzha
- Chalakkudy
- Kallada
- Karamana
- Karuvanoor
- Keecheri
- Kuttiadi
- Neyyar
- Pamba
- Periyar
- Thodupuzha
Ports in Kerala
- Kochi Port – an all-weather natural harbour, is the major port present in Kerala.
- Other minor ports include Kollam Port and Vizhinjam International Seaport.
Random Facts
- Kerala is the only state in India where Ayurveda is still a main stream medicine.
- Female to male sex ratio is highest in India
- Kerala is a state where you can see Asian elephants very commonly.
- National Highway 47A, also known as NH 47A, is the shortest highway in the Indian Highway network. It covers a distance of 6 km (3.7 mi) between Kundannoor and Willingdon Island in Kochi, Kerala
- Elephants are entwined with Kerala’s culture from ancient times.
- Life expectancy rate in Kerala is the highest in India.
- Kerala is the single largest producer of a number of other crops like banana and ginger, besides tea and coffee in abundance.
- Worlds first Teak Plantation was in Kerala, built by the British.
- World’s Largest and Longest Teak are in Kerala.
- World’s Only Teak Museum is in Nilambur, Kerala.
- First Recorded Kingdom: Empire Chera Ruled Kerala from Vanchi.
- Coir and cashew are two large industries in Kerala. Hand-loom and bamboo-based industries are well developed.
Famous Personalities of Kerala
- Sree Narayana Guru – Great Saint of India.
- Vaikom Mohammed Basheer – Famous Writer
- V K Krishna Menon – Former Defence Minister of India and renowned Statesman.
- Kumaran Asan – Famous poet of Kerala
- Kocheril Raman Narayanan – Former President of India
- Adoor Gopalakrishnan – One of the leading lights of the New Indian Cinema
- PT Usha – Athlete
- Dr. Verghese Kurien – Father of the white revolution
- Raja Ravi Varma
- P. Krishna Pillai – One of the first freedom fighters of Kerala.
- Arundhati Roy – writer awarded the Booker Prize in 1997 for The God of Small Things, located in Kerala. Born in Kerala
