Kollam, also known by its former name Quilon, is an ancient seaport and city on the Malabar Coast of India bordering the Laccadive Sea, which is a part of the Arabian Sea. It is 71 km (44 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. The city is on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake and the Kallada river. Kollam is the fourth largest city in Kerala and is known for cashew processing and coir manufacturing. It is the southern gateway to the Backwaters of Kerala and is a prominent tourist destination. Kollam is one of the most historic cities with continuous settlements in India. Geographically, Quilon formation seen around coastal cliffs of Ashtamudi Lake, represent sediments laid down in the Kerala basin that existed during Mio-Pliocene times.
Kollam district, is one of 14 districts of the state of Kerala, India. The district has a cross-section of Kerala's natural attributes; it is endowed with a long coastline, a major Laccadive Sea seaport and an inland lake. The district has many water bodies. Kallada River is one among them, and land on the east bank of the river is East Kallada and that on the west bank is West Kallada.
The economy of Kerala is the 9th largest in India, with an annual gross state product (GSP) of ₹9.78 lakh crore in 2020–2021. Per-capita GSP of Kerala during the same period is ₹257,711 (US$3,200), the sixth largest in India. In 2019–20, the tertiary sector contributed around 63% of the state's GSVA, compared to 28% by secondary sector, and 8% by primary sector.
The importance and antiquity of education in Kerala are underscored by the state's ranking as among the most literate in the country. The educational transformation of Kerala was triggered by the efforts of the Church Mission Society missionaries, who were the pioneers that promoted mass education in Kerala, in the early decades of the 19th century. The local dynastic precursors of modern-day Kerala—primarily the Travancore Royal Family, the Nair Service Society, Sree Narayana Dharma Paripalana Yogam and Muslim Educational Society (MES)—also made significant contribution to the progress on education in Kerala. Local schools were known by the general word kalaris, some of which taught martial arts, but other village schools run by Ezhuthachans were for imparting general education. Christian missionaries and British rule brought the modern school education system to Kerala. Ezhuthu palli was the name used in earlier times. The word was derived from the schools run by the Buddhist monasteries. For centuries villages used to set up an ezhuthupally or ashan pallikoodam with one or two teachers. Students used to go this school from nearby areas and learn languages, literature, mathematics, grammar etc. After completing this students may continue study about specific subjects such as ayurveda, astrology, accounting etc. Censuses during 1800 shows that Travancore, Cochin, Kannur areas have many such schools. Even name list of ashans were used to be published along with the census.
Perinad is a village in Kollam district in the state of Kerala, India. As of 2001 India census, Perinad had a population of 32,864 with 16,032 males and 16,832 females.
Chandanathope is a town located in Kollam district, Kerala. It lies 23 kilometres (14 mi) from Paravur town and 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) from Kollam city centre on the Kollam–Thirumangalam National Highway 744. In Malayalam, the name denotes a place with sandalwood plantations. It is also known for cashew processing and its exports two major cashew exporters of Kollam namely VLC Cashews and MARK has their facilities in the town.
Kerala Minerals and Metals Ltd is an integrated titanium dioxide manufacturing public sector undertaking in Kollam, Kerala, India. Its operations comprise mining, mineral separation, synthetic rutile and pigment-production plants. Apart from producing rutile-grade titanium dioxide pigment for various types of industries, it also produces other products like ilmenite, rutile, zircon, sillimanite, synthetic rutile etc. It is one of the best performing Public Sector Units in India. The company manufactures titanium dioxide through the chloride route. The different grades are produced by KMML under the brand name KEMOX.
Migrant labourers in Kerala, India's southernmost state, are a significant economic force in the state; there were around 2.5 million internal migrants in Kerala according to a 2013 study by the Gulati Institute of Finance and Taxation. Every year, the migrant worker population in Kerala increases by 2.35 lakh (235,000) people. The study, based on long-distance trains terminating in Kerala, does not cover migrants from the neighbouring states who use other modes of transport. Assuming that the estimation is rigorous and extrapolating it, taking into account the net annual addition, possible growth in migration rate, as well as accounting for the migration from the neighbouring states, Kerala is likely to have 5 to 5.5 million inter-state migrant workers in 2020. Despite their importance and despite many of them praising the state for its welfare schemes and environment, they are often ignored in comparison and suffer from comparatively poor living conditions.
Government Medical College, Kollam, formerly ESIC Medical College, Parippally, is the first Government medical college in Kollam district, Kerala, India. It is situated 21 km (13 mi) south of Kollam city and 9.6 km (6.0 mi) east of Paravur town. The College was initially established by the Employees State Insurance Corporation, a Government of India establishment, and later acquired by the Government of Kerala.
The Kollam City Police is the law enforcement agency concerned with the maintenance of law and order in the Indian city of Kollam and the municipalities of Karunagappalli and Paravur(Chathannoor division) along with several towns in Kollam district. Kollam City Police is the first ISO 9001 certified law enforcement agency in Kerala state and second one in India. The Kollam City Police has about 2,200 officers and handles an average of 35000 cases per year.
Kollam or Quilon is an old seaport and a city on the Laccadive Sea coast in Kerala, India, on Ashtamudi Lake. The city remains notable as the ancient commercial capital of Kerala and the southwestern Indian coast, in addition to its fame as the "Cashew Capital of the World". The Kollam Municipal Corporation has the second largest budget in Kerala in terms of revenue and expenditure.
B. Ravi Pillai is a Dubai-based Indian billionaire businessman. He is the founder and chairman of the RP Group. As of May 2023, his net worth is estimated at US$3.1 billion.
Transport in Kollam includes various modes of road, rail and water transportation in the city and its suburbs. State-owned Kerala State Road Transport Corporation buses, private buses, Indian Railways, state-owned Kerala State Water Transport Department boats & ferry, taxis and auto rickshaws are serving the city of Kollam. The city had a strong commercial reputation since the days of the Phoenicians and Romans. Ibn Battuta mentioned Kollam Port as one of the five Indian ports he had seen during the course of his twenty-four year travels.
Kerala State Institute of Design (KSID) , a design institute under Department of labour and Skills, Government of Kerala, is located at Chandanathope, about 8 Kilometers from Kollam city. It was established in 2008 with the support of NID Ahmedabad and is one of the first state-owned design institutes in India. The faculty development programme and curriculum development for the design programmes of KSID are provided by NID Ahmedabad. KSID currently conducts Post Graduate Diploma Programs in Design developed in association with National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad.
City of Kollam or Quilon is a Port city in South India and was the commercial capital of erstwhile Kingdom of Travancore. It is situated on the Laccadive Sea coast of South Kerala. The city is known as the "Gateway to the backwaters of Kerala". The city lies on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake, Kerala's second largest lake, on the Arabian sea coast. Major parts of Kollam city are covered by Ashtamudi Lake.
Kerala Maritime Institute is a premier institute for Maritime education in the state established by the Government of Kerala at Neendakara in Kollam city, India. The institute was created by the Port Department of Kerala state to give quality training for students in Kerala. The campus is located on 10 acres of land attached to the Neendakara Port. More than 5,000 students have been trained at Neendakara maritime institute under the Boat Crew training programme. The institute has played a major role in reducing the number of state-wide inland navigation accidents. The headquarters of the institute is at Neendakara.
Kollam district, earlier called Quilon district, is one of the 14 districts of Kerala state, India. The district is representative of all the natural attributes of Kerala states, and is endowed with a long coastal region, a major sea port on the Arabian Sea, plains and the mountains, lakes, lagoons and Kerala Backwaters, forests and the farm land, and rivers and streams. The area had mercantile relationship with Phoenicians and the Romans.
Kollam District has four types of administrative hierarchies:
