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Kerala
is a slender strip of land in the southern tip of Indian subcontinent.
Beautiful and benign, this Indian state lies along a sun
drenched coastline flanked by the Arabian Sea on the west and
the mountains of the Western Ghats on the east. Many
of the visitors enchanted by the beauty, termed her as the ‘God’s
own Country’, the
‘Green Gate way of India’
and much more ………….
|
Capital
|
:
|
Thiruvananthapuram;
formerly known as Trivandrum. |
Main
Language
|
:
|
Malayalam;
however English is widely written and spoken in the state |
Area
|
:
|
38,
864 sq kms ; which is 1.27 per cent of India's total land
area. |
Location
|
:
|
Southwest
tip of the India's main land. |
| Time |
: |
GMT
+5:30 |
| Currency |
: |
Indian
Rupee |
| Weather |
: |
Tropical. |
Summer
|
:
|
February
- May (24 - 33 degree Celsius). |
Winter
|
:
|
October
- January (22 - 28 degree Celsius). |
Monsoon
|
:
|
June
- September (22 - 28 degree Celsius). |
| High
Season |
: |
December
- May. |
| Monsoon
Rejuvenation Programmes |
:
|
June
- November. |
Number
of Districts
|
:
|
14
(A district is equivalent to a county in the U.S) |
|
Population
|
| Population |
: |
290.11
lakhs as per the latest 1991 Census
(29.011237 Millions) |
| Density
of Population |
: |
749
per sq kms; second largest in India. |
| Kerala's
Share in the National Population |
: |
3.44
per cent |
| District
Average |
: |
20.78
lakhs (2.078 millions) |
| Sex
Ratio |
: |
1036
women for 1000 men. |
| Study
Prediction |
: |
Zero
population growth in three decades. |
| Average
Size of Family |
: |
5.3
persons |
|
Literacy
|
| Literacy
Rate |
: |
89.81
per cent. |
| Male
Literacy Rate |
: |
93.62
per cent |
| Female
Literacy Rate |
: |
86.17
per cent |
|
Educational
Infrastructure
|
| Lower
Primary Schools (First - Fourth classes) |
: |
6726 |
| Upper
Primary Schools (Fifth - Seventh classes) |
: |
2968 |
| High
Schools (Eighth - Tenth classes) |
: |
2580 |
| Number
of Schools in 1997 |
: |
12274 |
| Percentage
of Girl Student Enrolment in 1997 |
: |
49% |
| Teacher
- Pupil Ratio |
: |
1:29
in the year 1997. |
|
Higher
Education
|
| Medium
of Instruction (Colleges\Universities) |
: |
English. |
| Universities |
: |
7 |
| Arts
and Science Colleges |
: |
186 |
| Enrolment
in Arts and Science Colleges |
: |
3.43
lakhs (0.343 millions) |
|
Physical
Quality of Life Index
|
|
Kerala
has had a commendable record in terms of the Physical Quality
of Life Index. Indicators of PQLI like infant mortality (13%),
female literacy (86%), and life expectancy at birth for males
(69) and females (72), 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 health
infrastructure with 961 primary health centres and 5094 sub
centres.
|
|
Health
Care Infrastructure
|
| Immunisation
has been near total in the year 1996 - 97. |
| T.T
for Pregnant Women |
: |
87% |
| DT
for 5 year old |
: |
63.9% |
| T.T
for 10 year old |
: |
61.4% |
| T.T
for 16 year old |
: |
59.1% |
| DPT,
BCG, Polio for Infants |
: |
100% |
| Anti-measles |
: |
91.5% |
| Availability
of beds in government sector, private sector and co-operative
sector taken together. |
: |
377
per 100,000 patients. |
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Transport
|
|
The
public transport system in the state consists of government
buses, private buses, taxis and autorickshaws. Almost every
nook and corner of the state is connected by a road network.
Three National Highways - NH 47, NH 17 and NH 49, link the
state with other parts of the country. There are around 200
railway stations and 101 train services connecting the state
to almost all major cities of India.
Inland
water transport system is available in the districts of Kollam,
Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam. Boats are used in certain
areas for public transport. Under consideration is an inland
waterways project for linking the southern and northern tips
of the state.
The
airports in the state are the Thiruvananthapuram International
Airport, the Kochi International Airport and the Karipur
Airport at Kozhikode. Along with Indian Airlines other private
airlines too operate services through these airports to
different destinations. Thiruvananthapuram boasts of a number
of international flight connections.
|
| Major
Seaport |
: |
Kochi |
| Minor
Seaports |
: |
Vizhinjam
(Thiruvananthapuram district), Neendakara (Kollam district),
Beypore (Kozhikode district) and Azheekkal |
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