General Information

	Capital	:	Thiruvananthapuram
	Area	:	38,863 sq km
	Districts	:	14
	Total Population	:	31,838,619
	Population Male	:	15,468,664
	Population Female	:	16,360,955
	Population density	:	819 (people/sq.km)
	Urban Popl.	:	26.31%
	Sex Ratio	:	(females per 1000 males) 1040
	Total Literacy	:	90.92%
	Male Literacy	:	94.45%
	Female Literacy	:	86.93%
	PCI	:	Rs. 5065 (92-93)
	Governor	:	Sukhdev Singh Kang
	Chief Minister	:	A. K. Antony (Con(I) - UDF)
	Languages		Malayalam
	Literacy		Literacy is high in Kerala with 9 out of 10 children going to school.
	Major Towns and Cities		Kollam (Quilon), Alappuzha (Alleppy), Thrissur (Trichur), Palakkad (Palghat), Kanoor (Cannanore), Kochi (Cochin), Kozhikode (Calicut).(Names in the brackets indicate earlier names)
	Rivers & Backwaters		There are about 44 rivers traversing the state. Of these 41 flow westwards and three eastwards. There are innumerable tributaries. A unique feature of Kerala are its lagoons. These along with the rivers play a major role in providing economical transportation.
	Occupation		Agriculture is the main occupation of the people. Rice and tapioca are important food crops. Coconut and pepper are the most important cash crops.
	Climate		It is neither too cold in winter, nor too hot in summer. It is monsoon time between June and October, June and July being the rainiest months. Kerala also receives the northeast monsoons from October. But these are mild showers.
	Beaches		Kerala has some of the finest beaches in India. Some well-known beaches are Shankhumugham, Kovalam, Varkala, Kollam, Kozhikode, Kappad and Kanoor.
	Rivers and Backwaters		There are about 44 rivers traversing the state. Of these 41 flow westwards and three eastwards. There are innumerable tributaries. A unique feature of Kerala are its lagoons. These along with the rivers play a major role in providing economical transportation.