Cochin, also known as Kochi, is a prominent Indian city in the state of Kerala. The city is located in the district of Ernakulam at about 220 kilometers north of state capital Thiruvananthapuram, and is noted for having an important seaport of the country. It has an estimated population of 6 lakhs and an extended metropolitan population of 1.5 million. Thus it is the second largest city in Kerala after the state capital.
 In geographical terms Kochi is located on the southwest coast of India at 9°58′N, 76°13′E, covering an area of 94.88 sq. km. (36.63 sq mi). Its strategic location is at the northern end of peninsula, which is about 19 kilometres long and less than one mile (1.6 km) wide. To the west of the city there is the Arabian Sea, and to the east are estuaries drained by perennial rivers originating in the Western Ghats. The majority of Kochi lies at sea level, with a coastline of 48 km. Nowadays the metropolitan limits of Kochi are comprised of the mainland Ernakulam, old Kochi, the suburbs of Edapally, Kalamassery and Kakkanad to the northeast; Tripunithura to the south east; and a group of islands closely scattered in the Vembanad Lake.
The maximum of these are very small in size, and varies from six square kilometre to less than a square kilometre (1,500 to less than 250 acres).
The city for long had been a prominent part of the Kingdom of Cochin. For its proximity to and opportunity to exploit the Arabian Sea once Kochi was known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea. The city was also an imporant trading center of spice from the 14th century onwards. It was occupied by the Portugese in 1503, and thus became the first place in India that came under foreign subjugation. In the subsequent period it was occupied by various foeign powers including Dutch, British. Kochi was the first princely state to willingly join the Indian Union, when India gained independence in 1947.
 For decades the economy of the city was in shambles and therefore was in a sorry state. This economic stagnation contiued till 2003, when the newly formed gobal economy took shape. This changed the fate of the city to a great extent. Nowdays, Kochi being a promising center of information technology, tourism and international trade has become a commercial hub in Kerala. The IT indsutry is enabling the city to dream more and NASSCOM has declared it as the second-most attractive city in India for IT-based services.
The administration of the city is under the Kochi Corporation, headed by the mayor. The city is moreover divided into 70 wards for the better execution of duty. The educational level of the city is quite high and the educatonal institutions are run the government or by private trusts.
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Cochin
