Kerala (Malayalam (Malayalam language): ????? (wikt:?????), IPA-allK?ra?ampronMl-Kerala.ogg) is a state (states and territories of India) in the south-western part of India. It was created on 1 November 1956, with the passing of the States Reorganization Act bringing together the areas where Malayalam is the dominant language.

The state has an area of 38,863 km2 and is bordered by Karnataka to the north, Tamil Nadu to the south and the east and the Lakshadweep SeaRef_labelAnotenone towards the west. Thiruvananthapuram is the capital and largest city of Kerala. Kochi (Kochi, India) and Kozhikode are other major cities.

From as early as 3000 BCE, Kerala had established itself as the major spice trade centre of the world. A 3rd-century-BC rock inscription by emperor Asoka the Great attests to a Keralaputra. Around 1 BC the region was ruled by the Chera Dynasty, which traded with the Greeks (ancient Greece), Romans (ancient Rome) and Arabs. The Tamil Chera dynasty, Ays and the Pandyan Empire were the traditional rulers of Kerala whose patriarchal dynasties ruled until the 14th century. The Cheras collapsed after repeated attacks from the neighboring Chola and Rashtrakuta kingdoms. Feudal Namboothiri Brahmin and Nair city-states subsequently gained control of the region. Contact with Europeans after the arrival of Vasco Da Gama in 1498 gave way to struggles between colonial and native interests. By early 16th century, the Portuguese established their domination. They were defeated by the Dutch in 1663, who in turn were forced out of the land by the British East India Company in 1795, bringing the area under British dominion. After independence, the state of Kerala was created in 1956 from the former state of Travancore-Cochin, the Malabar district of Madras State, and the Kasaragod taluk of Dakshina Kannada. Kerala is a popular tourist destination famous for its backwaters (Kerala Backwaters), Ayurvedic treatments (Ayurveda) and tropical greenery. Kerala has a higher Human Development Index than all other states in India. The state has a literacy rate of 90.92 percent, the highest in India. A survey conducted in 2005 by Transparency International ranked Kerala as the least corrupt state in the country. Kerala has witnessed significant migration of its people, especially to the Persian Gulf countries (Persian Gulf states), starting with the Kerala Gulf boom, and is uniquely dependent on remittances from its large Malayali expatriate community.