KERALA FACTS

Area: 38,863 sq km

Population: 31.8 million.

Languages Spoken: Malayalam, English, Hindi

Capital: Thiruvanathapuram

Climate: Kerala has tropical Climate and remains pleasant for most of the year. A few fast facts about the climate are that Kerala does not have a dry spell as is in rest of India. It is summer time from April to June. The maximum temperature remains around 33 degrees centigrade. The South West Monsoon touches the state in June and remains till September however not much difference in temperature can be felt, though humidity increases and rainfall can last for a couple of days at a stretch. Winter is from October to January and temperature drops a bit.

Temperature: The maximum temperature in Kerala rarely rises above 32 degrees while minimum temperature at sea level does not go below 20 degree centigrade. The weather is never too chilly in Kerala.

Literacy Rate (2001): 90.92%

Crops: Kerala is a major producer of coconut, rubber, pepper, cardamom, ginger, cocoa, cashew, coffee, and tea. Tree spices like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves etc., are also cultivated. Rice and tapioca are important food crops.

Festivals: Thrissur Pooram, Onam, Pongal, Jagannatha Festival, Oachira Kettukazcha.

Airports: Thiruvananthapuram International Airport, Nedumpassery International Airport (Kochi) and Karipur Airport (Kozhikode) provide entry points for tourists, who wish to travel to Kerala, India.

Industries: Coir products, marine products, handloom industry, Khadi and village industry which produce Khadi, fiber, pottery, lime, paper, matches, cane and bamboo.