Tourism: Tourism is an important industry in Kerala as it provides the livelihood for a big number of residents. Every year significant amounts of vacationers visit Kerala to enjoy its beaches, backwaters, hill stations, tropical forests, waterfalls, regal monuments, wildlife and festivals. With its unique geographic features, Kerala is a renounced tourist destination not only within India but also of the world.
Kerala is also known for its folk artistic representations and classical dance forms; which corresponds to a fundamental element of the local tradition and culture. Some of the popular classical dance forms include Chakyarkoothu, Bharatnatyam, Mohiniattam and Kathakali. Also worth noting is its already established lengthy tradition of fighting techniques (martial arts). The most recognized of these is Kalarippayattu. Some other not much known forms are Parisa Kali, Velakanni, Valeru, Puli Kali and Njaninmel Kali.
Crops: Kerala is a major producer of coconut, rubber, pepper, cardamom, ginger root, cacao, cashew, coffee, tea. Tree spices or herbs like nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves etc., are also cultivated. Rice wrain and tapioca are the essential food crops in the state.
Legends: According to Hindu legends, the state of Kerala emerged from underneath the ocean, when the warrior sage Parashurama threw his axe over it. The scriptures state that, Parashurama asked the gods to atone him from his previous sins and received two boons, from Varuna, the God of the Oceans and Bhumidevi, the Goddess of earth. He proceeded to Kanyakumari (southern tip of Indian peninsula), and threw his axe northwards, and the land that rose in the ocean in which the axe fell was known as the land of Parashurama.
Formation: Present day Kerala came to exist in 1956 underneath the States Reorganization Act once the princely states of Travancore, Cochin and Malabar merged into one. With the first elections, the communists, underneath the leadership of EMS Namboodaripad was elected; the very first time communists ever taken power through the democratic process.
Social Life: Kerala boasts a 91 percent literacy rate, the highest in India.
Geography: The Kerala State is a narrow strip of land situated along Arabian sea within the southernmost tip of Indian Peninsula on the west side. It has an area of 38,863 km2 (15,005 sq mi) and is defined by Karnataka towards the north, Tamil Nadu towards the south and also the east and also the Lakshadweep Ocean for the west. Thiruvananthapuram is the capital city of Kerala. Kochi and Kozhikode being the other major metropolitan areas.
The state is very well connected by numerous water bodies (commonly referred to as backwaters) and has created internal water vavigation pathways, which also are the main trade ways within the state. They have grown to be major tourist attraction points and one can easily find many companies offering luxurious houseboat services attracting tourists.
Language: Malayalam is the native language of Kerala. Along the border (to the neighboring state TamilNadu), we can find many who speak both Malayalam and Tamil (the native language of TamilNadu). You can also find that many people here can understand and speak English very well. This is mainly due to the fact that most schools teach English as a second language and almost all college's have English as the primary teaching medium.
Medicine: Kerala's tropical weather conditions are rich in a wealthy number of flora, including a majority of the medicinal herbal treatments employed by the Ayurveda (traditional Indian medicine) and Siddha Vaidya.
Transportation: The three international airports of Kerala are located at Trivandrum, Cochin and Calicut (also called Karipur). Kerala is also well connected via rail and road networks.