State of sw India, formed 1956 from the former princely states of Travancore and Cochin
Area 38,900 sq km/15,015 sq mi
Capital Trivandrum
> Features most densely populated, and most literate (60%), state of India; strong religious and caste divisions make it politically unstable
Industries tea, coffee, rice, oilseed, rubber, textiles, chemicals, electrical goods
Population (1991) 29,011,200
Language Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil.