Ernakulam district


 * For the town with the same name, see .

Ernakulam District (: എറണാകുളം ) is a district of the state of in southern. The district headquarters are at. The district includes the city of, an important seaport.

Statistics

 * Area : 2407 km²
 * Population (as per 2001 census) : 3,105,798
 * Language:, the official language of Kerala. English is widely used in business circles.
 * Religion: chiefly, with significant and  minorities. Kochi has also a small population of ,Sufi, s, and s.
 * Average rainfall (yearly) : 3432 mm
 * Temperature : between 23 and 32 °C

Geography
The District which has an area of 895 km² can be divided geographically into highland, midland and coastal area. The altitude of the highland is about 300 m. The borders of the district are the in the west,  in the north,  in the east, and  and  districts in the south. The, Kerala's second longest, flows through all the taluks except. The and a branch of  also flow through the district. The district has a moderate climate, and mostly falls within the ecoregion, while the highlands are part of the  ecoregion. Many types of sands, soil and also rocks which are geological importance is abundant here.

History
From ancient times, , , and  seafarers followed the sea route to  and left their impressions in the town. The word Ernakulam was drawn from the words Erayanar and kulam means abode of temple near pond.

Ernakulam District was formed on, , from the s of , Kunnathunadu, , Kanayannur, and Paravoor, which were formerly part of. Initially the district headquarters was at, which gave the district its name; the headquarters was later shifted to Kakkanad. When was formed on, ,  taluk was joined with Idukki and  taluk separated with to form  taluk.

The present Ernakulam District includes Paravur,, Kochi, Kanayannoor, , Kunnathunadu, taluks which come under Fort Kochi and  revenue subdivision. It is 47.56% urbanised. 

Topography
The district is divided into three well-defined parts - lowland, midland and the highland consisting of seaboard, plains and the hills and forests respectively. 20 percent of the total area is low land region. The midland consists mainly of plain land having natural facilities of drainage via backwaters and canals. The hilly or eastern portion is formed by a section of Western Ghats. Muvattupuzha, Kothamangalm and Aluva can be called the highlands.

Muvattupuzha and Periyar are the main rivers of which the latter flows through Thodupuzha, Muvattupuzha, Aluva, Kunnathunadu and Parur taluks. During rainy season these rivers are full and heavy floods affect the low-lying areas on the banks, but in the summer season they generally go dry and narrow. The Periyar is stretched over a length of 229 km.

People
The most important religious communities of the district are s, s and s. In addition to the major communities the Buddhists, the Jains, the Sikhs, and the Jews also form part of the cosmopolitan population. The ancestors of the Jews migrated from Jerusalem in 72 A.D. Now there are very few Jewish families in Cochin.

Festivals
The famous Sivarathri at the Siva Temple of Aluva attracts people from different parts of the country. The famous Christian pilgrim Center at Malayattoor is in this district. The festival here lasts for 10 days in April. St. George Church at Kadamattam is very old and was founded by Mar Abo Metropolitan in 5th Century A.D. He brought a cross from Persia, which is still preserved in the church. The festival at the church of Vallarpadam on September 24 attracts people belonging to all religions. The icon of Virgin Mary in this church is credited with many miracles. St. George Forane Church at Edappally, which was founded in 593 A.D., is considered to be the oldest church in Kerala after the 7 churches founded by St. Thomas. St. Antony’s church at Kannamaly is famous for the Feast of St. Joseph on March 19 where a large number of people are fed. One of the ancient mosques in Kerala is at Kanjiramattam.A Long island is located in near Ernakulam known as island about 25 km long. Pooram is famous festival in island.

Agriculture & Industry
Agriculture constitutes the most important segment of the district’s economy and it is the biggest source of employment. Of the geographical 235319 hectares, crops are grown in 210438 hectares. Coconut is the principal crop followed by rubber, paddy, and tapioca. A paddy cultivation system called pokkali is peculiar to the district.

Ernakulam district is bestowed with all the geographical factors, which help the development of industry, and it is in the vanguard of all other districts in Kerala in the field of industry. The availability of all types of transport facilities viz., road, rail, canal, sea, air is a factor which is unique to this district.

Education
Ernakulam occupies an important place among the districts of Kerala in the field of literacy and educational standards. Ernakulam District is the first district in the whole country to have 100 percent literacy by 1990.

Flora and Fauna
The flora of this district is tropical. The heavy rainfall combined with moderate temperature and fertile soil support abundant vegetation. Many of the common plants are found in the coastal area, which forms the low land region. Coconut is extensively cultivated here. The midland region is mainly occupied by coconut palms. Paddy, tapioca, pepper and pulses are also cultivated here. The lower slopes of the highland region are under teak, and rubber cultivation. The eastern part of the district has dense forests with their characterized fauna.

Fisheries and Ports
The sea along the entire coast of the district and the backwaters abound in fish of various kinds offering enormous natural facilities for both marine and inland fisheries. Kochi is an ideal place to provide support to fisheries in its various aspects like education, research and development.