Kerala, a state on the Arabian Sea in southwestern
INDIA,is bordered on the north by Karnataka (formerly Mysore) and on the east by
Tamil Nadu (formerly Madras). Kerala has a population of 25,453,680
(1981) and an area of 38,855 sq km (15,005 sq mi); it thus has the highest
population density in the country: 604 persons per sq km (1,565 per sq mi). The
capital is Trivandrum and the leading ports are COCHIN and Quilon. Most of the
population speaks Malayalam, the official language, and most are Hindus. Kerala
has a large and ancient Christian community (21%), as well as a substantial
Muslim minority (20%). The land rises from the 580-km-long (360-mi) Malabar
Coast to an alluvial plain, where crops of rice, coconuts, cassava, and cashew
nuts are grown. To the east, tea, rubber, coffee, and pepper plantations extend
in the foothills of the Western GHATS. The mountains have forests of teak,
ebony, and rosewood and a wide variety of wildlife. Kerala became a powerful
state during the 9th century, and its history from the 15th to the 20th century
was marked by Arab, Portuguese, Dutch, and British intervention. In the state
elections of 1957, the Communist party won a majority, giving Kerala the first
Communist government in the nation. The Communists have participated in several
government since
