kerala at a glance

Location : Southwestern tip of India
Capital: Thiruvananthapuram
Area : 38, 863 sq km. (1.27% of India's land area)
Mother tongue: Malayalam
Other Languages: English, Hindi, Tamil etc
Religion : Hinduism, Christianity, Islam
Time : GMT +5:30
Currency : Indian Rupee (INR)
Climate : Tropical
Summer : February - May (24 - 330C)
Monsoon : June - September (22 - 280C)
Winter : October - January (22 - 320C)
Tourist Season: October - May Peak Season: November - January
The highest peak : Anamudi
Number of rivers : 44
The longest river : The Periyar
Number of Districts : 14
The largest District : Idukki
The smallest District : Alappuzha
Most Populous District : Malappuram
Least Populous District : Wyanad
Districts : Thiruvananthapuram(Trivandrum), Kollam (Quilon), Alappuzha(Alleppey), Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Ernakulam, Thrissur(Trichur), Palakkad(Palghat), Malappuram, Wayanad, Kozhikode(Calicut), Kannur(Cannanore), Kasaragod
Major Cities : Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi and Kozhikode
Taluks : 61
Revenue Villages : 1452
City Corporations : 5
Grama Panchayat : 991
Block Panchayat : 152
District Panchayat : 14
Population : 3,18,38,619
Density of Population : 819 per sq kms
Kerala's Share in the National Population : 3.1 per cent
District Average : 22.74 lakhs (2.274 millions)
Sex Ratio : 1058 women for 1000 men
Literacy Rate : 90.92 per cent
Male Literacy Rate : 94.20 per cent
Female Literacy Rate : 87.86 per cent
Educational Infrastructure:
Lower Primary Schools (First - Fourth classes) : 6712
Upper Primary Schools (Fifth - Seventh classes) : 2951
High Schools (Eighth - Tenth classes) : 2608
Total number of Schools : 12271
Higher Education:
Higher Education Universities : 7
Arts and Science Colleges : 286
Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI)
Physical Quality of Life Index (PQLI):
Kerala has had a commendable record in terms of the Physical Quality of Life Index. Indicators of PQLI like infant mortality (11%), female literacy (87.86%), and life expectancy at birth for males (68.23) and females (73.62), are well above all India levels. The major reason for this achievement is Kerala's focus on the service sector. About 37% of the total annual expenditure of the State is earmarked for health and education. Another reason for this is the existence of a larger network of hospital infrastructure under the Directorate of Health Services with 933 primary health centres and 5094 sub centres
Health Care Infrastructure: Immunisation has been near total in the year 2002 - 03.
T.T for Pregnant Women : 86.1%
T.T for 5 year old : 89.2%
T.T for 10 year old : 98.1%
T.T for 16 year old : 95%
DPT : 95.8% BCG : 103%
Polio : 95.3%
Anti-measles : 90.6%
Rate of Diseases per 1000 People - Leprosy : 0.66 Malaria : 0.36 Filaria : 1.28 Tuberculosis : 0.70

Transport: Air:
There are three international airports in the state. They are at Thiruvananthapuram, Kozhikode and Nedumbassery (Kochi) operates international flights and domestic flights.
Road and Rail : The state is well connected by rail and road.
Seaports:
Major : KochiMinor : Beypore (Kozhikode), Alappuzha, KollamMajor Beaches: Kovalam, Varkala, Fort Kochi, Kappad and BekalMajor Wild Life Sanctuaries: Thekkady (Periyar), Parambikkulam, Wayanad, Silent Valley, Aralm, Peechi-Vazhani, Chimani, Shenduruny, Idukki, Chinnar, Peppara, Neyyar.
Bird Sanctuary: Thattekad, Kumarakom
Major Hill Stations:Ponmudi, Peerumade, Thekkady, Munnar and Wayanad
Farm / Cash Crops: Rubber, Coffee, Tea, Spices, Pepper, Cashew, Coconut, Arecanut and riceExports: Marine, Coir, Handicrafts, Spices, Food and other ProductsMajor Industries: Tourism, Information Technology, Fertilizer, Oil Refining and Power Generation, Ship Buildings, Machine Tools, Electronics, Cables, Rubber.