Kochi

Kochi used to be known as Cochin. This large city is in the Kerala state. It is at times referred to as 'God's Country', the Queen of Arabian Sea, and the Gateway to the state of Kerala. With so many catch phrases associated with this one city, it is easy to see how influential this place has been throughout the centuries.

Throughout history, the Arabs, the Chinese, the British, the Dutch, and the Portuguese have all left marks. In fact, Kochi is virtually one big cultural melting pot because of the various migrations that have occurred here over several millennia. This city was the first European colonial settlement in all of India. Over the years, Cochin has come up as the industrial and commercial capital of Kerala and it can be nominated as the second most important city on the Indian west coast. It is only surpassed in importance by Bombay. Today, Kochi has world class airport as well as an international port.

This beautiful city has the Western Ghats to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is also located near the equator. These three factors all together help to make Kochi an outstanding place to visit.

Although Kochi itself is strictly speaking a small town, the area now resembles large metropolis that have many towns that have merged into one. Kochi now also includes Fort Kochi, Mattancherry, Ernakulum and many other nearby towns and villages.

Kochi was the first city to join the Indian Union when it gained independence in 1947.