Idukki district

Idukki district ( :ഇടുക്കി ) is one among the 14 of ,. The district headquarters is located at Kuyilimala (earlier it was at Painavu).

Geography
Idukki has an area of and is the second largest District of Kerala. Rugged mountains and forests cover about 97 percent of the total area of the District. The district borders the Kerala districts of to the south,  to the southeast,  to the northeast and  to the north and,  and  Districts in  to the east. See:map.

, the highest peak in India south of Himalayas, is in the Kuttampuzha Panchayat of Adimali Block, in the K.D.H Village of Devikulam taluk. 13 other peaks in the district exceed a height of. The, and  are the important rivers of the district.



History
The High Range of Idukki attracted Scottish planters in the 19th century and they left behind some s in an around, which are quite notable for their architectural beauty. Perhaps the most visible one to the tourists is Ladbroke House,which is named after the in London. The, coniferous trees and dark green planter's cap are all contributions of those planters. Quite interestingly, Munnar had railway lines almost a century back! This started from the KDHP office at Munnar and extended up to near the Tamil Nadu border. The torrential rain and storm of 1924 destroyed the major part of the rail system and the Mattupetty dam still has the remains of the rail lines. Quite few of the rails are used as electric posts in Munnar. KDHP's tea factory has one of the wheels of the locomotives being kept there.

Idukki has the largest arch dam in India, the, constructed for the Idukki Hydro Electric Power Project in with the cooperation of the  Government. This single project powers almost half of the entire state and some parts of neighboring states. is also here.

Population
Idukki had a population of 1,129,221 as of 2001. Eminent persons from Idukki district include (Sports), ,(Sports),  (Sports),  (Politics). 11516 Scheduled tribal families are living in the district, including:, , , , , , , and

Protected areas
This district has several including:  in the south,  to the east,  to the north east,  and  to the north,  to the south and  in the west. These protected areas are especially known for several and  species including, , , , , , , and. ,

Idukki is known for the splendid green mountains, streams and spices. It is one of the a main tourist destinations in Kerala with its s, and, surrounded by lush hills, tea plantations and valleys. , is the headquarters of the Indo-Swiss Cattle Project, about 11 km away from Munnar.