Malabar മലബാർ |
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Region | |
Kadalur Point Lighthouse near Koyilandy
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Malabar region in Kerala |
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Malabar region in Kerala | |
Coordinates: 11°15′N 75°46′E / 11.25°N 75.77°ECoordinates: 11°15′N 75°46′E / 11.25°N 75.77°E | |
Country | India |
State | Kerala |
• Density | 816/km2 (2,110/sq mi) |
Languages | |
• Official | Malayalam, English |
Time zone | IST (UTC+5:30) |
ISO 3166 code | IN-KL |
Vehicle registration | KL-09 to KL-14, KL-18, KL-49 to KL-60, KL-65 and KL-70 to KL-73 |
No. of districts | 6 (Kasaragod, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad, Wayanad) |
Largest city | Kozhikode |
Literacy | 91.74% |
Climate | Tropical (Köppen) |
Malabar region is an area of southern India lying between the Western Ghats and the Arabian Sea. The name is thought to be derived from the Malayalam words mala (hill) and pur (range, region), westernized into -bar.
The Malabar Coast, in historical contexts, refers to India's southwest coast, lying on the narrow coastal plain of Karnataka and Kerala states between the Western Ghats range and the Arabian Sea. The coast runs from south of Goa to Cape Comorin on India's southern tip. In ancient times the term Malabar was used to denote the entire south-western coast of the Indian peninsula. The region formed part of the ancient kingdom of Chera until the early 12th century. Following the breakup of the Chera Kingdom, the chieftains of the region proclaimed their independence. Notable among these were the Kolathiris, Travancore, Zamorins of Calicut, the Coylot Wanees Country of northeast and coastal Ceylon (including Puttalam), Valluvokonathiris of Walluvanad.
The Malabar Coast is sometimes used as an all-encompassing term for the entire Indian coast from the western coast of Konkan to the tip of the subcontinent at Cape Comorin. It is over 525 miles or 845 km long. It spans from the south-western coast of Maharashtra and goes along the coastal region of Goa, through the entire western coast of Karnataka and Kerala and reaches till Kanyakumari. It is flanked by the Arabian Sea on the west and the Western Ghats on the east. The Southern part of this narrow coast is the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests. Climate-wise, the Malabar Coast, especially on its westward-facing mountain slopes, comprises the wettest region of southern India, as the Western Ghats intercept the moisture-laden Southwest monsoon rains.