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Name of state
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Kerala
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General information
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Kerala is located in the Malabar coast of Southwestern India. Keralam was the original name of the state which was Anglicized and now called as Kerala and its capital is Thiruvananthapuram. Whereas, the Kerala Tourism department addresses the state as the ‘God’s own country’. Malayalam is the official language of the state which is a South Dravidian language. The traditional dance (or dance-drama) of the state is Kathakali (‘katha’ – story, ‘kali’ – performance). Onam, the harvest festival of Kerala, is the most celebrated festival of the state. The state is well known for its production of coconuts and challenging boat races. Besides being a center of attraction for the tourists for years, the state also has ventured into the IT industry.
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Population
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31,838,619 (As of 2001)
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Five of the largest cities
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Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, Kozhikkod, Kollam, Thrissur
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Official language
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Malayalam
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Major religions and percentages
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Hindus (56.21%), Muslims (24.72%), Christians (19.04%), Others (0.4%) (As of 2001)
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