Thiruvananthapuram, also known as Trivandrum, is the capital city of the state of Kerala and the headquarter of the Thiruvananthapuram district. The exact location of the city is on the west coast of India and also near to the extreme south of the mainland.
The city is located at 8.5° N 76.9° E and is built on hills by the sea shore. Both of the city and its suburbs are spread over an area of 50 kilometers and remains between the Arabian Sea and Western Ghats at an average elevation of 16 ft from the sea level. There are two forms of geographical regions in the city, like the midlands and the lowlands. While the midland region is comprised of low hills and valleys adjoining the Ghats, the lowland happens to be a narrow stretch comprising shorelines, rivers and deltas, dotted with coconut palms.
 The city also has two rivers, Karamana river and Killi, that flow through the center of the city. Again, Thiruvananthapuram enjoys a tropical climate in general and as a result does not encounter any distinct season. The average maximum temperaure of the city remains at 34 °C , while the average minimum temperature at 21 °C. Besides a heavy rainfall of around 1700 mm per year is showered on the city. The receding north-east monsoons which hit the city by October also rain heavily.
The history of Thiruvananthapuram is ancient and dates back to 1000 BC. Even then the city was known for trading activities of commodities like spices, sandalwood, ivory and others. However, the ancient political and cultural history of the city was almost entirely independent from that of the rest of Kerala. The rise of modern Thiruvananthapuram commenced with the rise of Marthanda Varma in 1729. He was the founding ruler of the princely state of Travancore. From that time the city was slowly transformed into an eminent center of intellectual and artistic excellence. Nevertheless the city had its golden age during the reign of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal and Maharaja Ayilyam Thirunal in the mid 19th century.
In the early years the economy of the city was highly deendent on the tertiary sector with about 60% of the workforce being employed as government servants. The reason is that there has been large scale establishments in lesser numbers than other prominent south Indian cities. However, with the growth of IT, and Medical/Bio-Technology fields recently this scenario has largely changed and with the contribution of concerned professionals the economy is growing steadfastly. At present the city contributes 80% of software exports from the state. Besides the opening of many television channels and development of tourism have also strengthened its economy.
 Thiruvananthapuram is renowned for its culture, and also hub for education and scinentific research and development. |
Thiruvananthapuram
