Kochi metropolitan area

The Kochi metropolitan area or Kochi urban agglomeration is a metropolitan area centered around the city of Kochi, in Ernakulam district, Kerala, India. With a population of more than 2.1 million within an area of 440 km², it is the largest and most populous metropolitan area in Kerala.[3]

Kochi Metropolitan Area
Metropolitan Area
Marine Drive, as seen from the Vembanad Lake
CountryIndia
StateKerala
DistrictErnakulam
Area
 • Total440 km2 (170 sq mi)
Population
 (2020)[2]
 • Total2,117,990
 • Density4,800/km2 (12,000/sq mi)
Languages
 • OfficialMalayalam, English
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
Telephone code0484
Vehicle registrationKL-7, KL-39, KL-40, KL-41, KL-42, KL-43,KL-63

Municipalities and Panchayaths

The area constituted on the basis of census data 2011, consists of Kochi Municipal Corporation, 9 municipalities, 15 Panchayaths and parts of 4 Panchayaths. The 9 municipalities are Aluva, Thrippunithura, Maradu, Thrikkakara, Kalamassery, Eloor, North Paravur, Perumbavoor and Angamali. The fifteen Panchayaths consists of Chengamanad, Nedumbassery, Cheranelloor, Varapuzha, Chennamangalam, Kadamakkudy, Mulavukad, Kadungalloor, Alengad, Chottanikkara, Choornikkara, Edathala, Kizhakkambalam, Kumbalam, Kottuvally and Vypin Island. .

The state government and the GCDA have plans to include Mala and Kodungallur in Thrissur district; Piravom and Kolenchery in Ernakulam district; Thalayolaparambu and Vaikom in Kottayam; and Cherthala in Alappuzha district within the Kochi metropolitan limits. The newly formed metropolis would be put under the charge of a new authority called Kochi Metropolitan Regional Development Authority.

History
Main article: History of Kochi

Kochi was the princely state under the Kingdom of Kochi which came into existence in 1102, after the fall of the Kulasekhara empire.[5] The princely state had the Kochi mainland as the capital. The state was ruled by Cochin Royal Family.

On the earlier days, the kingdom of Kochi was always under the shadow of the attacks from Samoothirippadu (often anglicised as Zamorin), the ruler of Malabar the northern neighbour. From 1503 to 1663, Kochi was allied to Portugal. Kochi hosted the grave of Vasco da Gama, the first European explorer to set sail for India, who was buried at St. Francis Church until his remains were returned to Portugal in 1539.[6] The Dutch, who had allied with the Zamorins in order to conquer Kochi, later became an ally of Kochi.

In the battle of Ambalapuzha (3 January 1754), the Dutch allied Kochi was defeated by Marthanda Varma of Travancore (who was allied with United Kingdom) after he defeated the Dutch in the Battle of Colachel-1741. In 1757 AD, a treaty was concluded between Travancore and Cochin, ensuring peace and stability on the Southern border. By 1773, the Mysore King Hyder Ali extended his conquest in the Malabar region to Kochi, forcing it to become a tributary of Mysore. The hereditary Prime Ministership of Kochi held by the Paliath Achans came to an end during this period. The Dutch, who feared an outbreak of war on the Dutch Republic signed a treaty with the United Kingdom, had left South India by then. This was in exchange for the island of Bangka as per the treaty.[7] Kochi was thus under the British rule, till India gained independence in 1947.

In 1949, Travancore-Cochin state came into being with the merger of Cochin and Travancore. After the King of Kochi refused to take any official position, The King of Travancore was made the Rajpramukh of the Travancore-Cochin Union from 1949 to 1956. Travancore-Cochin, was in turn merged with the Malabar district of the Madras State. Finally, the Government of India's States Reorganisation Act (1956) inaugurated a new state Kerala; incorporating Travancore-Cochin (excluding the four southern Taluks which were merged with Madras State), Malabar District, and the taluk of Kasargod, South Kanara.

The Kochi urban agglomeration was defined in 1998, with the corporation of Cochin, municipalities of North Paravur Aluva, Angamaly, Kalamassery, and 11 adjoining villages.

Economy
A night view of Marine Drive, Kochi
Main article: Economy of Kochi

Kochi is known as the financial and economic capital of Kerala.[8][9]

The economic growth gathered momentum after economic reforms in India introduced by the central government in the mid-1990s. Since 2000, the service sector has energized the economy. Over the years, the city has witnessed rapid commercialisation, and has today grown into the commercial capital of Kerala.[10]

References
  1. "Demographia World Urban Areas" (PDF). demographia.com. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 August 2011.
  2. "Urban Agglomerations/Cities having population 1 million and above" (PDF). The Registrar General & Census Commissioner, India. Retrieved 16 October 2011.
  3. http://www.citymayors.com/statistics/urban_2020_3.html
  4. "TABLE 7.2.11". mospi.gov.in. Archived from the original on 13 August 2008. Retrieved 23 June 2008.
  5. Kochi Kingdom Archived 20 June 2006 at the Wayback Machine Corporation of Cochin official site
  6. Vasco-Da-Gama Archived 1 November 2009 at WebCite Encarta encyclopedia. Archived 2009-11-01.
  7. "HISTORY OF BANGKA ISLAND". Archived from the original on 5 October 2012.
  8. "Setting a scorching pace: the metro saga". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  9. "Check out the 10 novelties onboard Kochi Metro". Malayala Manorama. Archived from the original on 23 October 2017. Retrieved 23 October 2017.
  10. Statistics of Ernakulam in 2001 Archived 28 May 2006 at the Wayback Machine Official site of Government of Kerala

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