Kerala

Kerala ); (Malayalam: കേരളം^?; Kēraḷaṁ) is a union state located in the southwestern part of India. With an Arabian Sea coastline on the west, it is bordered on the north by Karnataka and by Tamil Nadu on the south and east. Major cities areThiruvananthapuram (the capital), Kochi, and Kozhikode. The principal spoken language is Malayalam but many other languages are also spoken.

Kerala is mentioned in the ancient epic Mahabharata (800 BC) at several instances as a tribe, as a region and as a kingdom. The first written mention of Kerala is seen in a 3rd-century-BC rock inscription by emperor Asoka the Great, where it is mentioned asKeralaputra. This region formed part of ancient Tamilakam and was ruled by the Cheras. They had extensive trade relations with the Greeks,Romans and Arabs. In the 1st century AD Jewish immigrants arrived, and it is believed that St. Thomas the Apostle visited Kerala in the same century. The Chera Kingdom and later the feudal Nair and Namboothiri Brahmin city-states became major powers in the region.Early contact with Europeans gave way to struggles between colonial and native interests. The States Reorganisation Act of 1 November 1956 elevated Kerala to statehood.

Late-19th-century social reforms by Cochin and Travancore were expanded by post-independence governments. The state is known for achievements such as the literacy rate 89.9%, which is among the highest in India, although still behind developing countries such asChina (93%) or Thailand (93.9%).. Kerala is one of the five states which receive "serious" malnutrition situation rating from Global Hunger Index, slightly ahead "alarming" ratings received by most states.A survey conducted in 2005 by Transparency International ranked Kerala as the least corrupt state in the country. The state confronts comparatively high suicide, alcoholism, and unemployment rates. A large proportion of the population has moved away and Kerala is uniquely dependent on remittances, mainly from the Gulf countries.