Kochi (; Malayalam: കൊച്ചി [']); formerly known as Cochin') is the economic engine of the Indian state of Kerala, and one of the principal seaports of the country. Kochi, the commercial capital of Kerala, is located in the district of Ernakulam. The Kochi city corporation is spread over 94 sqkm and has an estimated population of 650,000, with an extended metropolitan population of over 1.6 million, making it the the largest urban agglomeration [1]. The city has the highest density of population in Kerala with about 6900 per sqkm.
Since 1102 AD, the city of Kochi was the seat of an eponymous princely state which traces its lineages to the Kulasekhara empire. Heralded as the Queen of the Arabian Sea''
Kochi was the centre of Indian spice trade for many centuries, and was known to the Yavanas (Greeks) as well as Romans, Jews, Arabs and Chinese since ancient times.
Kochi is located on the southwest coast of India at , spanning an area of 94.88 km². The city is located at the northern end of a peninsula, about 19 km long and less than 1.6 km wide. To the west lies the Arabian Sea, and to the east are estuaries that are drained by perrenial rivers originating in the Western Ghats. Much of Kochi lies at sea level with a coastline of 48 km.
Kochi is the commercial and economic capital of Kerala by volume of trade and industrial production and is tipped to be the next metro of the South after Bangalore, Chennai and Hyderabad . It is home to about 77% of Kerala's Industries.Greater Cochin generates more than 60% of Kerala's commercial tax revenues. However the general sluggishness of Kerala in industrial growth is adisadvantage for Kochi.
accessdate=2006-07-02 thus making it one of the fastest-growing second-tier metro cities in India The economy of the city can be classified as a business economy with emphasis on the service sector.{{cite web
title=Services sector fuels 9.2 pc growth in Kerala
accessdate=2006-05-23 Major business sectors include gold and textile retailing, seafood and spices exports, information technology (IT), tourism, health services, banking, shipbuilding, and the fishing industry. The economy is mostly dependant on trade and retail activities.{{cite news
Kochi is a major destination for IT and ITES companies, ranked by NASSCOM as the second-most attractive city in India for IT-based services.{{cite news
accessdate=2006-06-01 Availability of cheap bandwidth through undersea cables and lower operational costs compared to other major cities in India, has been to its advantage. Various technology and industrial campuses including the government promoted InfoPark, Cochin Special Economic Zone and KINFRA Export Promotion Industrial Park operate in the outskirts of the city. It is home to TCS, OPI, Wipro, ACS, 3I Infotech and Oracle. Wipro's 1 million sqft campus is under construction at Infopark. TCS is following the suit with a 50 acre campus. Hewlett Packard has also announced its entry into L&T Tejomaya Tech Park at Infopark recently. Leela group also has 800,000 sqft space under construction at Infopark. BPO major Sutherland has a mega campus under construction at Kalamassery. All these developments has happened just in a short span of 30 months making it the fastest growing IT hub. The establishment of a larger hi-tech business campus, the Smart City which encompasses the present InfoPark, is under final stages of discussion. {{cite news
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url=http://www.ameinfo.com/67119.html
title=Dubai Internet City signs MoU with Kerala Government for developing IT Business Campus
accessdate=2006-05-23 Moreover real estate majors like Parsvnath, Chakolas, Mather and Unitech have announced IT parks in Kochi. Other major IT infrastructure investments proposed include the mega IT parks by FACT at Ambalamugal and Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery.Biotechnology is another area where Kochi is emerging as a destination. A biotech park is underdevelopment by The Chatterjee Group in Kinfra Hi-tech park, Kalamassery. Another mega biotech park is being developed by FACT too. Sobha Developers have announced a mega Hi-tech park at Nedumbassery, for IT, Electronics and Biotech industries with an investment of about $1.1 bn. In terms of fresh investment in IT and related infrastructure, Kochi is the leading hub of Kerala.
accessdate=2006-05-23 The Cochin fishing harbour, located at Thoppumpady is a major fishing port in the state and supplies fish to local and export markets. To further tap the potential of the all-season deep-water harbour at Kochi, a marina{{cite news
accessdate=2006-05-23 are currently under construction. The ICTT at Vallarpadam is poised to be India's biggestcontainertransshipment terminal making it the gateway port of India.Exports and allied activities are also important contributors to the city's economy. Kochi's historical reliance on trade continues into modern times, as the city is a major exporter of spices and is home to the International Pepper Exchange, where black pepper is globally traded. The Spices Board of India is also headquartered in Kochi.
The city is administered by the Cochin Corporation, headed by a mayor. For administrative purposes, the city is divided into 70 wards, from which the members of the corporation council are elected for a period of five years. The Corporation has its headquarters in Ernakulam, and zonal offices at Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, Palluruthy, Edappally, Vaduthala and Vyttila. The general administration of the city is taken care of by the Personnel Department and the Council Section. Other departments include that of town planning, health, engineering, revenue and accounts. It is also responsible for waste disposal, sewage management and the supply of potable water, sourced from the Periyar River. Electricity is provided by the Kerala State Electricity Board.
A private bus speeding through the streets of Kochi.
Public transportation within the city is largely dependent on private buses. Kochi has the highest number of motor vehicles in Kerala. About one-fourth of Kerala's motor vehicles run in Kochi. Taxis and autorickshaws (called autos) are available for hire throughout the day. Narrow roads and the mix of vastly differing types of vehicles have made traffic congestion a major problem in the city. A Metro service, intended to considerably ease congestion, is planned for the city., which is about 25 km north of the city, handles both domestic and international flights. It is the largest airport of Kerala in terms of size, passenger and aircraft traffic. It is one of the top 8 airports of India in terms of traffic. It is the first international airport in India to be built without Central Government funds.
Pedestrians stroll along the Marine Drive, a waterfront promenade of Kochi
Influenced by successive waves of migration over the course of several millennia, the population of the city is a mix of people from all parts of Kerala and most of India. The pan-Indian nature is highlighted by the substantial presence of various ethnic communities from different parts of the country.
Schools and colleges in the city are either run by the government or by private trusts and individuals. The schools are each affiliated with either the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), or the Kerala State Education Board. English is the medium of instruction in most private schools; though government run schools offer both English and Malayalam. The schools in the city follow the 10+2+3 plan. Under the system, a student first undergoes ten years of schooling, followed by two years in Higher Secondary School (where they choose from one of three streams: Arts, Commerce or Science), upon completing which, the student can enroll in general or professional degree programmes.
* Ma Huan: Ying Yai Sheng Lan, The Overall Survey of the Ocean's Shores, translated by J.V.G. Mills, 1970 Hakluyt Society, reprint 1997 White Lotus Press. ISBN 974-8496-78-3 * Plunkett, R, Cannon, T, Davis, P, Greenway, P & Harding, P (2001), Lonely Planet South India, Lonely Planet, ISBN 1-86450-161-8 * Manorama Yearbook 2003 (English Edition) ISBN 81-900461-8-7 * Robert Charles Bristow - Cochin Saga, Paico Pub. House; [2d ed.] edition (1967), ASIN: B0006FFG4Y * Unemployment in Kerala at the turn of the century Insights from the CDS gulf migration studies - K. C. Zachariah , S. Irudaya Rajan * Kochi Rajyacharithram by KP Padmanabha Menon. P(1914) * Akhilavijnanakosam Mayalam Encyclopedia — D C Books Multimedia Series.
