🗺 State & UT profiles

Kerala

Population (2011)33,387,677

Density (per sq km)859

Urban population (%)47.72

Kingdoms and empires15

Events on the map3

🗺 Geography

⛰ Land and rivers

Physiographic divisions: The Coastal Plains (part of the state)

Mountains & hills: The Western Ghats (most of the state)

Peaks: Anaimudi, Dodabetta

Physical India →

⚠ Natural hazards

NCERT’s hazard maps do not name this state as a whole.

Natural hazards →

🌿 Protected areas and natural heritage

Biosphere reserves: Nilgiri (1986), Agasthyamalai (2001)

Natural World Heritage Sites: Western Ghats

Ramsar wetlands (3): Ashtamudi Wetland, Sasthamkotta Lake, Vembanad-Kol Wetland

Tiger reserves (2): Periyar, Parambikulam

Climate & life → · Water & protected areas →

🏭 Resources and economy

Crops: Tea, Coffee, Rubber

Minerals & energy: Nuclear minerals, Wind power

Industries: Aluminium smelting, Fertilisers

Major ports: Cochin

Resources & economy →

📜 History

👑 Who held this land

Kingdoms, empires and cultures whose territory, as drawn on our map, covered a large part of today’s Kerala, or that were based here. Extents are approximate, so treat this as a guide to who held the region — not as exact borders.

Early Cheras (Sangam era) c. 300 BCE – c. 300 CE · based here

Sangam-era Tamil Chieftaincies (Velir) c. 300 BCE – c. 300 CE

Kalabhra Interregnum c. 250 CE – c. 600 CE

Pandya Kingdom (First Empire) c. 590 CE – c. 920 CE

Chera Perumals of Makotai c. 800 CE – c. 1124 · based here

Chola Empire c. 848 CE – 1279

Kingdom of Cochin c. 1102 – 1949 · based here

Zamorins of Calicut c. 1124 – 1766 · based here

Pandya Empire (Second Empire) c. 1190 – 1345

Kingdom of Mysore 1399 – 1950

Portuguese Cochin 1503 – 1663 · based here

British East India Company 1600 – 1858

Dutch Malabar (Cochin) 1663 – 1795 · based here

Mahé 1721 – 1954 · based here

Travancore 1729 – 1949 · based here

300 BCE1950

📅 Events in Kerala

c. 52 CE St Thomas traditionally lands at Muziris · Kodungallur
c. 788 CE Adi Shankaracharya born (traditional) · Kalady
1498 ★ Vasco da Gama reaches Calicut · Kozhikode

🎨 People and culture

👥 2011 Census

Population: 33,387,677
Share of India’s population (%): 2.76
Density (per sq km): 859
Decadal growth 2001–11 (%): 4.86
Urban population (%): 47.72
Work participation rate (%): 34.8

People →

🎨 Art & culture

Classical dances: Kathakali, Mohiniyattam

UNESCO intangible heritage: Kutiyattam, Sanskrit theatre, Mudiyettu, ritual theatre and dance drama of Kerala

Art & culture →

Geography: features are those on our Geography map that cover a good part of the state (or that NCERT places in it); hazards, reserves, crops, minerals, industries and ports are where NCERT, UNESCO or the Ramsar list name or place them. Census figures are for 2011, as NCERT prints them.

How this is made: nothing here is new — it is YugMap’s own map data sorted by today’s states. A kingdom is listed if its territory on our map covered at least 40% of the state at some point, or if its centre or capital lies here; events and places are listed where their map point falls inside the state. State outlines follow India’s official map.