Geography of Kollam
City of Kollam or Quilon is a reputed business centre and an important Port city in South India. It is one among the ancient civilizations in India. Kollam was the capital city of historic Venad Kingdom and commercial capital of the Kingdom of Travancore.[1] Old Quilon city is a well-known Portuguese-Dutch-British enclave in South Asia. Now Kollam is the centre of the world's cashew trading and processing industry. It is situated on the Laccadive Sea coast of South Kerala. The city is known as the "Gateway to the backwaters of Kerala".[2] The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake, Kerala's second largest lake, on the Arabian sea coast.[3] Major parts of Kollam city are covered by Ashtamudi Lake.
Geographic Location
The city of Kollam lies at 8°53′13″N 76°35′26″E / 8.887082°N 76.590691°E with an average altitude of 3 metres. The average rainfall is 270 cm yearly.[4] The city is surrounded by Arabian Sea in the west, Ashtamudi Lake and panchayats of Neendakara and Thrikkaruva in north, Mayyanad panchayat in the south and Thrikkovilvattom and Kottamkara panchayats in east. The Kollam coast is a blessed coastal belt with the best mineral sand deposit of the country.[5] The backwaters of Ashtamudi, thick mangroves on its coasts, crowd-pulling beaches, estuaries, scattered islands and pleasant climate are making Kollam as the most beautiful city and one of the most favorable sea side tourist destinations in Kerala.[6][7]
Climate
The city's climatic condition makes Kollam a best city in India to live. The maximum average temperature of the city in the summer season is 31 degree Celsius and the minimum temperature recorded is 23 degrees Celsius. Under the Köppen climate classification, the city features a Tropical monsoon climate.[8]
| Climate data for Kollam | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 31 (88) |
31 (88) |
32 (90) |
32 (90) |
31 (88) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
29 (84) |
30 (86) |
29 (84) |
30 (86) |
30.2 (86.3) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 23 (73) |
23 (73) |
25 (77) |
26 (79) |
25 (77) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
24 (75) |
23 (73) |
24.1 (75.2) |
| Average precipitation mm (inches) | 18 (0.71) |
26 (1.02) |
53 (2.09) |
147 (5.79) |
268 (10.55) |
518 (20.39) |
381 (15) |
248 (9.76) |
209 (8.23) |
300 (11.81) |
208 (8.19) |
51 (2.01) |
2,427 (95.55) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm) | 1 | 2 | 4 | 8 | 11 | 21 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 3 | 117 |
| Source: Weather2Travel | |||||||||||||
Landforms and Waterbodies
The city of Kollam is widely known as the Prince of Arabian Sea. Kollam is a blessed city in India with the presence of beautiful beaches, estuaries, backwaters and islands. The city got selected as the least polluted city in India.[9] The mineral sand deposit in Kollam coasts worth several thousand crores of Indian rupee.[10]
Islands of Kollam
A good number of scattered islands are there in Ashtamudi Lake in Kollam. These islands are the real beauty of Kollam backwaters. Most of these islands are potential tourism spots in the state. Even Indian Railways also planning to develop one of the islands in Kollam for a tourism project.[11] There are big as well as small islands which are inhabited and uninhabited by human beings. The important islands in Kollam are:[12]
- Munroe Island
- Chavara Thekkumbhagom
- St. Sebastian Island
- San Thome Island
- Vincent Island[13]
- Our Lady of Fatima Island
- Pezhumthuruth
- Kakkathuruth
- Pattamthuruth
- Paliyanthuruthu (Palliyamthuruthu)
- Neettum thuruth
- Puthenthuruth
- Poothuruth
- Pannaykkathuruth
- Veluthuruth
- Neeleswaram thuruth
Beaches in Kollam
Kollam is land of serene beaches. The white sand beaches take the prime spot in Kollam’s tourism map. Popularly known Kollam Beach and Thirumullavaram Beach are the two important as well as crowd-pulling beaches in the city. Moreover, the whole coastline of Kollam city have several other beaches namely Tangasseri, Mundakkal, Vaddy, Thanni etc.[14]
Kollam Beach is on the south-west area of the city. The beach also features a park of international standard, the Mahatma Gandhi Park and an under construction Marine Aquarium.[15] Kollam beach is one among the few beaches in Kerala with a lifeguard outpost.[16]
Thirumullavaram Beach is on the north-west coast of Kollam city. The beach will give an estuary feel for the tourists as the area is full of coconut palms which makes the place a shady paradise and it is a very silent place. The beach is ideal for early morning walks[17] Thirumullavaram beach is very famous for conducting the Karkidaka Vavubali rituals.[17] Thousands of devotees arrive on the beach to perform the Vavubali Tharpanam every year. It is one of the most attractive beaches located in South India.
References
- ↑ "History of Swathi Thirunal's Lineage". Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ↑ "Kollam - Delhi Tourism". Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ↑ "Backwater stretches of Ashtamudi - DTPC Kerala". Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ↑ "Kollam, India Page - Fallingrain.com". Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ↑ "Indian Rare Earths Limited (IREL)". Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ↑ "Kollam - Maps of India". Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ↑ "Kerala Tourism - Kollam Beach". Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ↑ "Weather2travel.com - Kollam". Retrieved 28 December 2015.
- ↑ "The 4 Least Polluted Cities in India - India.com". 7 December 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ "Losing the sand beneath their feet - infochange". Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ "Bhushi dam area may get a holiday resort - Times of India". Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ "KOLLAM - THE PRINCE OF ARABIAN SEA - The Hindu". Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ "Select mangrove swathes to become EFL". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ "Kerala Holidays - Kollam/Quilon". The Hindu. Retrieved 30 December 2015.
- ↑ A home for marine life in Kollam
- ↑ Move to post lifeguards on Kollam beach
- 1 2 Thirumullavaram readying for Vavubali
