Kottayam district
The Kottayam District is a district in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Council is based in the eponymous city of Kottayam. Because of its high literacy rate, the numerous rubber plantations and its location in the backwaters of Kottayam District has the popular nickname land of letters, latex and lakes.
Geography
The Kottayam District is located inland in the southern half of Kerala and has an area of 2,208 square kilometers. Neighboring districts are Alappuzha in the west, in the north of Ernakulam, Idukki and Pathanamthitta in the east to the south. The Kottayam District is divided into five taluks Vaikom, Meenachil, Kottayam, Changanassery, and Kanjirappally.
The west of the district of Kottayam is part of the flat hinterland the Malabar Coast and is crossed by the backwaters, an extensive waterway network of canals, rivers and lagoons. To the west of the Vembanad Lake, part of the backwaters, the border of the Alappuzha District forms. In the east, the terrain rises to the Western Ghats to go.
The climate is influenced by its location near the coast tropical to temperate relative (inland). The humidity levels can increase to an average of 90 % during the rainy season. The main rainy season lasts from June to August during the southwest monsoon, it also brings the northeast monsoon from October to November rather heavy rainfall; the annual average is 1600 mm. The rest of the year, the weather remains dry. The annual average temperature is 27.5 degrees Celsius, January and February are cooler. From March to May, the temperature may rise to 38.5 ° C ( 6 April 1998); the minimum was measured on 13 December 2000 at 16 ° C.
History
The name Kottayam is derived from Malayalam " Kotta Akam ", meaning " inside the fort ." Prior to his inclusion in the state of Kerala Kottayam belonged to the Kingdom of Travancore.
Population
The Kottayam District has according to the 2011 census, a population of 1,979,384. The population density is 896 inhabitants per square kilometer, the average of the densely populated state of Kerala. The literacy rate is higher than the already high average of Kerala. With 96.4 %, it is the second highest in the state and one of the highest of all districts in India.
The main religions in Kottayam District are Hinduism and Christianity. According to the 2001 census, 49.3 % of the inhabitants of the district Hindus, 44.6 % profess Christianity. Thus, the Kottayam District has the highest Christian population of the districts of Kerala. Muslims are a small minority, at 6.0 %.
Economy
Benjamin Bailey, English missionary and founder of a mission station in Kottayam, led 1821, the printing press in Kerala and the first translated the Bible into Malayalam and printed them, just as in 1846 the first English- Malayalam. In 1829 he founded C.M.S. Press; Since then, the main town in the district of Kerala newspaper and publishing plays a leading role.
Attractions
Attractions in Kottayam town include mostly temples dedicated to Shiva as the Thirunakkara Mahadeva Temple, probably dating from the late 10th century Thazhathangadi Mosque ( Jama Masjid ) ( one of the oldest Muslim buildings in India) and two Christian churches, known as Cheriya Palli and Palli Valiya, from the 16th century. The St. Mary's Church in Kuravilangad should even go back to the year 355.