Kasaragod district
Kasaragod (pronounced [kaːsɐrɡoːɖɨ̆] ⓘ and Malayalam: Kanhirakode, English: Kassergode, kannada: kasaragoodu, Arabic: Harkwillia ) is one of the 14 districts in the southern Indian state of Kerala. Its northern border Thalappady is located just 9 km south to Ullal, which is the southernmost portion of the major port city Mangalore, on the southwestern Malabar coast of India.
Kasaragod District
Kanhirakode District | |
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Clockwise from top: Ranipuram, Bekal Fort, Bekal beach, Chandragiri fort, Kavvayi Backwaters at Nileshwaram, Chandragiri River at Kanathur near Kasaragod | |
| Nickname: The Land of Seven Languages | |
Location in Kerala | |
| Coordinates: 12.5°N 75°E | |
| Country | India |
| State | Kerala |
| Region | North Malabar |
| Established | 24 May 1984 |
| Founded by | Government of Kerala |
| Headquarters | Kasaragod |
| Subdistricts | |
| Government | |
| • District Collector | Dr. D Sajith Babu IAS |
| • Superintendent of Police | P B Rajeev IPS |
| • MP | Rajmohan Unnithan (INC) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1,992 km2 (769 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 13th |
| Population (2018) | |
| • Total | 1,390,894 |
| • Density | 698/km2 (1,810/sq mi) |
| Demographics | |
| • Language (2011) | |
| • Religion (2011) |
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| Human Development | |
| • Sex ratio (2011) | 1080 ♀/1000 ♂ |
| • Literacy (2011) | 90.09% |
| Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
| PIN | 671121 |
| Telephone code | 0499 |
| ISO 3166 code | IN-KL |
| Vehicle registration | KL-14, KL-60, KL-79 |
| HDI (2005) | 0.760 (High) |
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| Website | kasargod |
Kasaragod is the northernmost district of Kerala and is also known as Saptha Bhasha Sangama Bhoomi
The district is situated on the rich biodiversity of the Western Ghats. It was a part of the Kannur district of Kerala until 24 May 1984. The district is bounded by Dakshina Kannada district to the north, Western Ghats to the northeast, Kodagu district to the southeast, Kannur district to the south, and the Arabian Sea to the west. Kasaragod district has the maximum number of rivers in Kerala - 12.
Kasaragod town is located on the estuary where the Chandragiri River, which is also the longest river in the district, empties into Arabian Sea. Kasaragod is home to several forts which include Arikady fort, Bekal Fort, Chandragiri Fort, and Hosdurg Fort (Puthiyakotta Fort). Bekal Fort is also the largest fort in Kerala. The historic hill of Ezhimala is located on the southern portion of Kavvayi Backwaters of Nileshwaram. Talakaveri, which is home to Talakaveri Wildlife Sanctuary where the 805 km long Kaveri River originates, is located closer to Ranipuram in Kerala-Karnataka border. Robert Caldwell describes the extent of Malayalam in the late 19th century as extending from Chandragiri fort and Chandragiri river in the north to Neyyar river beyond Thiruvanantapuram in the south.
Tulunad, where Tulu is traditionally spoken, is said to be bound on the south by the Chandragiri river and fort, thus including Kasaragod city within the Tulunad region. Historian N. Shyam Bhat states that at present, the Tulu nadu can linguistically be said to extend to the south up to the river Chandragiri or Payaswini, and culturally up to the Kavvayi river in the south, as the region between the Chandragiri and Kavai (Kavvayi) rivers presents the characteristics of a twilight zone between the Malayalam and Tulu speaking areas.
Kasargod is also the first district in India to have official symbols-official tree, flower, bird, species.