Geography
Kerala, one of the smallest states in the Republic of India, was formed in 1956. It has an area
of 15,005 sq. miles (38,863 sq. km) - about one percent of the total land area of India.
The state stretches for about 360 miles along the Malabar coast on the western side of the
Indian peninsula; its width varies from 20 to 75 miles. It is bordered by the states of
Karnataka on
the north, Tamil Nadu to the east and the Arabian sea to the west.
Geographically, Kerala can be divided into three climatically distinct regions: the eastern ?highlands
(rugged and cool mountainous terrain), the central midlands (rolling hills), and ?the western
lowlands (coastal plains).
Eastern Kerala lies immediately west of the Western Ghats's rain shadow; it consists of
high mountains, gorges and deep-cut valleys.
Here,
the Western Ghats form a wall of mountains interrupted only near Palakkad, where a pass
known as the Palakkad Gap breaks
through to provide access to the rest of India. The Western Ghats rise on average to
1,500 m (4921.26 ft) above sea level, while the highest peaks may reach to 2,500 m (8202.1
ft).
Just
west of the mountains lie the midland plains composing central Kerala; rolling
hills and valleys dominate.
Generally
ranging between elevations of 250–1,000 m (820.2-3280.84 ft),
the eastern portions of the Nilgiri and Palni Hills include such formations as Agastyamalai and
Anamalai.
Kerala’s western coastal belt is
relatively flat, and is criss-crossed by a network of interconnected brackish canals,
lakes, estuaries, and rivers known as the Kerala Backwaters.
Lake Vembanad—Kerala’s largest body of water—dominates the Backwaters;
it lies between Alappuzha and Kochi and is more than 200 km² in area.
Around
8% of India's waterways (measured by length) are found in Kerala. Forty-one
of Kerala’s west-flowing rivers—and three of its east-flowing ones—originate
in this region.
The
most important of Kerala’s
forty-four rivers include the Periyar (244 km), the Bharathapuzha (209 km), the Pamba
(176km), the Chaliyar (169
km), the Kadalundipuzha (130 km) and the Achankovil (128 km). The average length
of the rivers of Kerala is 64km. Most of the remainder are small and entirely fed by
monsoon
rains
The state has
14 districts and the capital is the coastal city of Thiruvananthapuram (once called Trivandrum).
