| Kerala | |
| Capital | Thiruvananthapuram |
|---|---|
| Residents | 34.523.726 (2017) |
| surface | 38,863 km² |
| website | kerala.gov.in |
no tourist info on Wikidata:  | |
| location | |
.svg/250px-Kerala_in_India_(claimed_and_disputed_hatched).svg.png) | |
Kerala is a Indian State on the west coast South india.
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The Indian state of Kerala extends from north to south for around 600 km between the state Karnataka in the north almost to the southern tip of the subcontinent am Cape Comorin. The mountains of the Western Ghats separate Kerala from Tamil Nadu, and the Malabar coast forms the natural border with the Arabian Sea. The elongated state is densely populated, its fertile plains enable up to three rice harvests a year. Between Kochi in the north and Kollam in the south there is an extensive system of lakes, rivers, canals and lagoons. These waters form the Backwaters. They are used intensively for agriculture, serve as traffic routes on which barges and houseboats operate. Tourism has also discovered this picturesque landscape for itself.
history
The Malabar Coast, on which Kerala is located, was called the “Pepper Coast” in early modern Europe because Calicut (today's Kozhikode) was an important center of the spice trade. Vasco da Gama landed here in 1498, trying to break the Arabs' monopoly on spices. In the following years the Portuguese founded several colonies along the Malabar coast (Cochin or "New Goa", Kollam = Coulão, Kannur = Cannanore, Calicut and Kodungallur = Cranganore). The hinterland was still ruled by local rulers, the Zamorines of Calicut. From 1603 the Dutch East India Company, in association with the Zamorines, tried to drive the Portuguese, whose power was in decline, from the Malabar coast, which ultimately succeeded until 1663. The Dutch remained the main European power in the region until the 18th century. At the same time, however, the British concluded trade agreements with the Zamorines, founded branches and increasingly gained influence. After the invasion of the neighboring princely state Mysore In the 1760s, the influence of the Dutch finally waned and the British established themselves as the only colonial power and incorporated Malabar into the Madras presidency in 1802. The southern Travancore, however, remained an autonomous princely state under British protectorate.
The forerunners of Kerala were the two princely states of Travancore and Cochin, which joined the Indian Union, which was granted independence in 1947, and united to form a federation in 1949. In 1956 the borders of the state were changed again to unite all areas where the majority of Malayalam is spoken. Almost 97% of the Keralese speak this language. Since then the state is called Kerala. The only exception was the former French colony of Mahé, in which Malayalam is predominantly spoken, but which is part of the Union territory Pondicherry was assigned. Since Mahé is completely surrounded by Kerala, but not geographically connected to the rest of Pondicherry, it is still dealt with in this travel guide.
religion
While almost all Keralese have the same mother tongue, the population is very diverse in religious terms. 55% are Hindus, 27% Muslim (especially in the northern part, as the legacy of the Arab and Persian traders who once lived here) and 18% Christians (especially in the central part, districts of Kottayam and Ernakulam). The latter see themselves in the tradition of St. Thomas, who is said to have brought Christianity to India in the middle of the 1st century AD. They celebrate their services according to rites similar to those of oriental Christians in Syria and Iraq. A large part is united with the Roman Catholic Church, i.e. recognizes the Pope as head, another part is in communion fellowship with the Anglican Church. In addition, there are “real” Anglicans and Catholics of the Latin (Western European) rite in Kerala.
Social
Although Kerala is not particularly strong economically, it is considered the model state of India when it comes to social development. The literacy rate, life expectancy, infant mortality and the birth rate are almost at the level of the “First World”. Discrimination against women is also much less pronounced than in other parts of India. According to Transparency International Kerala is also the Indian state with the lowest level of corruption.
places
- 1 Kannur
An important port for overseas trade since the Middle Ages, later a Portuguese, then Dutch base - 2 Kozhikode
(formerly: Calicut) Historical capital of Malabar and residence of the Zamorines - 3 Thrissure
- 4 Kodungallur
- 5 Kochi (formerly: Cochin) Second largest city in Kerala; former royal seat, first Portuguese, then Dutch colony; in the suburb of Ernakulam seat of the major archbishopric of the Syro-Malabar Church and a Roman Catholic archdiocese
- 6 Alappuzha
- 7 Kottayam Center for Kerala Christians: Seat of the Catholicos of the Indian Orthodox Church and the diocese of the Anglican Church of South India
- 8 Kollam
- 9 Thiruvananthapuram (formerly: Trivandrum) Capital of Kerala
- 10 Kovalam Well-known seaside resort on the west coast
- 11 Palakkad
- 12 Agali Hills
Other goals
- 13 Mahé Former French colony, the city is part of the Puducherry (Union Territory)
- Western GhatsWorld natural heritage: Of the 39 Western Ghats protected areas of various types with very high biodiversity, 19 can be found in Kerala.
In Kerala they are spatially distributed over five sub-clusters:- Talacauvery sub-cluster
- Nilgiri sub-cluster
- 2 Silent Valley National Park
- 3 New Amarambalam Forest Reserve
- 4 Kalikavu Range Forest Reserve
- 5 Attapadi forest reserve
- 2 Silent Valley National Park
- Anamalai sub-cluster
- 6 Eravikulam National Park
- 7 Parambikulam Wildlife Reserve
- 8 Chinnar Game Reserve
- 9 Mankulam Range Forest
- 10 Anamudi Shola National Park
- 6 Eravikulam National Park
- Periyar sub-cluster
- 11 Periyar National Park
- 12 Ranni Forestry Department
- 13 Konni forest department
- 14 Achankovil forest department
- 11 Periyar National Park
- Agasthyamalai sub-cluster
- 15 Shendurney Game Reserve
- 16 Neyyar Game Reserve
- 17 Peppara Wildlife Reserve
- 18 Kulathupuzha Range Forest Reserve
- 19 Palode Range Forest Reserve
- 15 Shendurney Game Reserve
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language
Is the official language Malayalam. The English language skills are slightly above average compared to India. The proportion of English speakers is estimated at 32%.
getting there
This is from Germany 1 Kochi Airport
(IATA: COK) by switching to near East reachable with some Arab airlines. Other notable airports are the 2 Trivandrum Airport(IATA: TRV) and the 3 Kozhikode Airport(IATA: CCJ), both of which can also be reached by international connections from the Gulf States.
You can take the train from Bengaluru (State of Karnataka), Salem, Erode, Tiruppur and Coimbatore (Tamil Nadu) as well Margao (Goa) and Mangalore (Karnataka) to travel to Kerala. From direction Mysore Coming you have to drive either via Bengaluru or Magaluru. From direction Madurai there is a connection via Nagercoil to the south and one via Erode to the center of Kerala.
The port of Kochi is the goal of Cruise ships.
mobility
There is a railway line along the entire coast of Kerala: Mangaluru - Kasaragod - Kannur - Mahé - Kozhikode - Tirur - Shoranur - Thrissur - Ernakulam (near Kochi) - Alapphuzha - Kollam - Thiruvananthapuram. At Shoranur the railway line branches off towards Palakkad Coimbatore so that there are also direct train connections between Ernakulam or Kozhikode and Palakkad.
Tourist Attractions
The main attractions are the 20 Kerala backwaters
, on which boat tours of a few hours to several days can be undertaken in houseboats. Kerala is also home to some interesting national parks like the Periyar National Park, the Eravikulam National Park and the 21 Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. In the mountains of the Western Ghats, e.g. at Munnar, impressive tea plantations can also be admired.
The city rich in history Kochi with the remains of the Portuguese fort from the 16th century (with the tomb of Vasco da Gamas), the palace of the Rajas, also dating from the 16th century, and various temples and churches is one of the most beautiful places in South India. Other cities worth seeing with a historical heritage are Kannur (historical port city with ruins of the Portuguese fort), Mahé, Kozhikode, Trichur, Kottayam, Kollam and of course the capital Thiruvananthapuram with the Padmanabhaswamy temple.
Another natural attraction are the cliffs of Varkala north of Thiruvananthapuram with the one in front 1 Varkala beach.
activities
- Boat race with giant canoes (Vallam Kali).Series of canoe races with around 100 paddlers per boat.
- Theyyam (तेय्यम्).Unique ritual dance theater of the Hindus in the north of Kerala.
kitchen
nightlife
security
climate
| Kochi | Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mean highest air temperature in ° C | 30.5 | 30.6 | 31.1 | 31.4 | 30.8 | 29.0 | 28.1 | 28.0 | 28.3 | 29.1 | 29.8 | 30.3 | O | 29.8 |
| Mean lowest air temperature in ° C | 23.1 | 24.2 | 25.6 | 25.9 | 25.7 | 23.9 | 23.7 | 23.9 | 24.1 | 24.1 | 24.1 | 23.4 | O | 24.3 |
| Rainy days in the month | 2 | 2 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 25 | 25 | 21 | 16 | 16 | 11 | 4 | Σ | 149 |
literature
Web links
- https://kerala.gov.in - Official website of Kerala
- Official Kerala Tourism Website (German)
- Travel clips from Kerala (English)
