Alappuzha

Alappuzha ആലപ്പുഴ
City
from left to right: Commercial canal, Alappuzha lighthouse, Government T D Medical College, Alappuzha, Backwaters of Alappuzha, Alleppey canal, Nehru Trophy Boat Race, Boating centre, Alappuzha Beach,
Nickname(s): "Venice of the East"
Alappuzha Show map of Kerala Alappuzha Show map of India
Coordinates: 9°29′N 76°20′E / 9.49°N 76.33°E / 9.49; 76.33Coordinates: 9°29′N 76°20′E / 9.49°N 76.33°E / 9.49; 76.33
Country	India
State	Kerala
Region	Central Travancore
District	Alappuzha District
Government
• District Collector	Veena Madhavan IAS
Area
• Total	46.18 km2 (17.83 sq mi)
Elevation	11 m (36 ft)
Population (2011)
• Total	174,164
• Rank	6th
• Density	4,466/km2 (11,570/sq mi)
Languages
• Official	Malayalam, English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	688001
Telephone code	0477
Vehicle registration	KL-04
Sex ratio	1079 ♂/♀
Website	alappuzha.nic.in

Alappuzha ( pronunciation ), also known as Alleppey, is the administrative headquarters of Alappuzha District of Kerala state of southern India. Alappuzha is a municipality in Kerala with an urban population of 174,164 and third among the districts having highest literacy rate in Kerala. In 2016, Centre for Science and Environment rated Alappuzha as the top cleanest town in India followed by Panaji & Mysuru. Alappuzha is considered to be the oldest planned city in this region and the lighthouse built on the coast of the city is the first of its kind along the Laccadive Sea coast (reference encyclopaedia of Kerala in Malayalam language).

Alappuzha is situated 28 km from Changanssery, 46 km from Kottayam and 53 from Kochi and 155 kilometres (96 mi) north of Trivandrum. A town with picturesque canals, backwaters, beaches, and lagoons, it was described as the one of the places known as the "Venice of the East" by Lord Curzon. Hence, it is known as the "Venetian Capital" of Kerala. Malayalam is the most spoken language. Hindi, English and Tamil are also spoken in the town.