Alappuzha District - General Information

• District Name : ALAPPUZHA (ALLEPPEY)
  
  
• State : KERALA
  
  
• Country : INDIA
  
  
• Geographical location
  
  
• North Latitudes : 9o 05' & 9o 54'
  
  
• East Longitudes : 76o 17' 30"& 76o 40'.
  
  
• Architect of modern Alappuzha : RAJA KESAVA DAS (1745-1799)
  

Carved out of the erstwhile Kottayam and Quilon districts, Alappuzha(Alleppey) district was formed on 17th August, 1957 and consisted initially of seven taluks, namely Cherthala, Ambalappuzha, Kuttanad, Thiruvalla, Chengannur, Karthikappally and Mavelikkara.

The name Alappuzha is derived from the geographical position and physical features of the place. It means the land between the sea and network of rivers flowing into it. The district is bounded on the north by Kochi and Kanayannur taluks of Ernakulam district, on the east by Vaikom, Kottayam and Changanassery taluks of Kottayam district and Thiruvalla, Kozhencherry and Adoor taluks of Pathanamthitta district, on the South by Kunnathur and Karunagappally taluks of Kollam district and on the west by Lakshadweep sea.

The present Alappuzha district comprises of six taluks namely Cherthala, Ambalappuzha, Kuttanad, Karthikappally, Chengannur and Mavelikkara. Total area of this district is 1414 sq. kms. The district head quarters is located at Alappuzha.

• Area - 1,414 Sq.Km. which constitutes 3.64% of the total state area.
  
  
• The population size - 2,105,349 which is 6.61 % of the state population.
  
  
• Population density - 1492 persons per Sq.Km, against 1415 in 1991- retains the first position in the state.
  
  
• Sex-ratio (No. of females per 1000 males) - 1079 , earning 4th position (5th position in 1991 with 1051)
  
  
• Literacy Rate - 93.66 % which earns it the 3rd position in the state.(State Average - 90.92%)
  
  
• Female Literacy rate - 91.14 which again earns 3rd position in the state.(State Average-87.86%)

The climate is moist and hot in the coast and slightly cool and dry in the interior of the district. The average monthly temperature is 250C. The district also gets the benefit of two outstanding monsoons as in the case of other parts of the state.

Hot season - March to May

South-west monsoon (Edavappathi) - June to September

North-east monsoon (Thulavarsham) - October to November

Dry weather - December to February

The district has 8 reporting rain gauge stations at Arookutty, Cherthala, Alappuzha, Ambalapuzha, Harippad, Kayamkulam, Mavelikkara and Chengannur as recorded in 1989. The average rainfall in the district is 2763 mm.

The two most important minerals which occur in large quantities in the district are glass and foundry sand. Lime shell is exploited commercially. High quality sand deposits occur between Alappuzha and Cherthala which form a stretch of 35 Km in length along the western side of Vembanad lake. Large quantities of sand are being mined at Pallipuram for manufacturing sand lime bricks. Vast deposits of lime shell occur in Vembanad lake covering an area of 15 Sq.Km. upto a depth of 8 metres between Pathiramanal and Vaikom. China clay and ordinary clay which occur in various places are used as building materials. The raw material required for granite carving is obtained from Chengannur.

The geological formations of the district are classified as :

• a belt of crystalline rocks of the archean group
  
  
• a belt of residual laterite
  
  
• a narrow belt of warkalli bed of tertiary group
  
  
• a western most coastal belt of recent deposits

The most relevant crystalline rock type is Charnokites. Residual laterite is the resultant product of the in situ alteration of the crystalline rocks. Warkalli beds consist of a succession of variegated clays and sand stone. The coastal belt consists of recent sediments like aluvium, marine and lacustrine.