Kerala

Kerala is a state in the south-west corner of India , formed in 1956 from former princely states of Travancore Cochin and Malabar.
Its capital is Thiruvananthapuram. It has a lot of unique aspects to its credit.
It one of the most densely populated state in India (819 persons /Square KM) ,
most literate state (89.8% according to 2001 Indian census) and is the home of Ayurveda (an ancient Medicine system) Kalarippayattu(an ancient system of Martial arts) Kathakali (a system of drama) Mohiniaattam (a dance form) and Sopana Sangeetham (the traditional Classical Music of Kerala).
It is a lush green state and is the land of Malayalam one of the 14 recognized languages of India. Kerala is also known as the land of spices and was visited by quite a number of travellers in ancient times. Vasco da Gama who was the first person to discover a sea route to India landed at Kappad in Kerala

Kerala lies at the foot of Sahya mountain range that separates the Indian main land from the southern state. Due to this natural divide, Kerala enjoys a distinct cultural development from the Indian main land. Kerala is bordered on its western side by ArabianSea - a portion of Indian Ocean . It is a land of rivers with 44 rivers running through it. The vegetation is predominantly rainforest. The cultivation is mainly paddy coconut and spices.

The main religions of Kerala are Hinduism , Christianity and Islam . Hinduism is further subdivided in this part of India into casts called Nair Ezhava and Namboothiri.

The political climate in Kerala though highly unstable due to the nearly equal mind share enjoyed by major political parties is relatively tension free when compared to the main land India

Kerala borders Karnataka and Tamilnadu - two other states of India

        On a map, Kerala is a tiny stretch of land along the Arabian Sea, snugly lying between it and the relatively enormous neighbouring state of Tamil Nadu. Nevertheless, it holds so many wonderful surprises for the tourist folk, that they fondly call it God's own country. How the name came into being is a mystery, and plausible explanations include it being a serene, beautiful landscape with greenery all around, which bring people so close to nature as to make them feel one with it. To feel in union with the creation by itself brings any believer closer to his God... hence the befitting name.

This peaceful land is inhabited by Malayalam speaking people who are not satisfied just by making ends meet. Survival is not everything for the well-informed folk of this thickly populated state. They keep abreast of latest developments in any field across the world and are quite eloquent on any subject matter put to them. Such is the state of affairs that in health parameters, they equal in standard with any developed country of the world. This unique distinction of Kerala that sets it apart from the overall appalling health status of India is attributed to one basic characteristic, viz., female literacy and a high female to male ratio in the state. The necessity of an educated female population cannot be overemphasized. In Kerala, girls are not considered a burden to be rid of as quickly as possible by marriage, but they are allowed equal opportunities to get education alongside their male siblings.