ABOUT KERALA
Kerala
is a green strip of land, in the South West corner of Indian peninsula. It
has only 1.1 8 per cent of the total area of the country but houses 3.43% of
the the country's population.
In 1956, when the states were
reorganized, Kerala was formed after tying the princely states of Travancore
and Cochin with Malabar, a province under Madras state.
Kerala may
be divided into three geographical regions: (1) High lands, (2) Midlands and
(3) Lowlands. The Highlands slope down from the Western Ghats which rise to
an average height of 900 m, with a number of peaks well over 1,800 m in
height. This is the area of major plantations like tea, coffee, rubber,
cardamom and other spices.
The Midlands, lying between the
mountains and the lowlands, is made up of undulating hills and valleys. This
is an area of intensive cultivation. Cashew, coconut, areca nut, cassava
(tapioca), banana, rice, ginger, pepper, sugarcane and vegetables of myriad
varieties are grown in this area.
It is a purified world in
Kerala, the land of trees. A big, spreading tree purifies as much air as a
room air-conditioner. And the former is never switched off. The prolific,
bustling, vegetation acts like a massive, biological, air-filtration plant
working round the clock, round the year. Hence spending days in Kerala
countryside is as if spending in an air- purified environ; some times better
than it. So is the rejuvenating effect of the lush greenery of the state.
The
wanton growth of trees makes Kerala a herbarium. The four month-long,
copious monsoon and recurrent flurry make this land a perfect nursery for
all living beings. Loitering under the canopy of the foliage, you will feel
blossoming the dreams. Thus, on a sojourn in Kerala, away from the rough and
tumble of cities, you're breathing freshly purified air all the time.
Another
piece de resistance of Kerala is the meandering rivers which criss-cross the
state physique like blood veins. Besides, water bodies tucked away in thick
forests also enhance the amazing beauty of the state. They fertilize the'
land, turn waste into the wealth of the rich, black, alluvial soil on which
the agrarian state thrive.
The Lowlands or the coastal area, made
up of river deltas, backwaters and the Arabian coast, is essentially a land
of coconuts and rice. Fisheries and coif industry constitute the major
industries of this area.
Kerala is a land of rivers and
backwaters. Forty-four rivers (41 west-flowing and 3 east-flowing}
criss-cross the state physique along with countless runlets. During summer,
these monsoon-fed rivers will turn into rivulets especially in the upper
parts of Kerala.
Backwaters are an attractive, economically
valuable feature of Kerala. These include lakes and ocean in lets which
stretch irregularly along the Kerala coast. The biggest among these
backwaters is the Vembanad lake, with an area of 200 sq km, which opens out
into the Arabian Sea at Cochin port.
The
Periyar, Pamba, Manimala, Achenkovil, Meenachil and Moovattupuzha rivers
drain into this lake.The other important backwaters are Veli, Kadhinam
kulam, Anjengo (Anju Thengu),Edava, Nadayara, Paravoor. Ashtamudi (Quilon)
Flora: Kerala has over 25% of India's 15,000 plant
species. Among them include endangered and rare species, flowering plants,
fungies, lichens and mosses. The state's forest wealth include tropical wet
evergreen, semi-green and tropical most deciduous. Teak, Mahagoney, Rosewood
and Sandalwood are common, the forests abound with orchids, anthirium,
balsam, and medicinal plants. banyan figs, bamboo as well as 40,000 years
old grasslands. Mangroves are seen in coastal areas and low, morass lands.
So fertile is the state, thanks to rivers and dams that are replenished by
copious rain in Western Ghats.
