Kollam district is one among the 14 districts of Kerala state, India. Kollam or Quilon, an old sea port town on the Arabian coast , stands on the Ashtamudi lake. Kollam, the erstwhile Desinganadu, had a sustained commercial reputation from the days of the Phoenicians and the Romans. Fed by the Chinese trade, it was regarded by Ibn Batuta, as one of the five ports , which he had seen in the course of his travels during a period of twenty four years, in the 14th century.

The district is representative of all the natural attributes of Kerala, 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.

About thirty percent of this district is covered by the Ashtamudi Lake, thereby making it a gateway to the Kerala Backwaters. India’s most popular English magazine India Today has rated Kollam as the best district in the country in terms of law and order and social harmony.

Kollam District which is a veritable Kerala in miniature is gifted with unique representative features - sea, lakes, plains, mountains, rivers, streams, backwaters, forest, vast green fields and tropical crop of every variety both food crop and cash crop, so called 'The Gods Own Capital'.

Kollam district has five administrative sub-divisions (talukas), namely: Karunagappally, Kunnathur, Pathanapuram, Kottarakara, and Kollam.

The district is divided on geographical and functional basis for purposes of general administration. Geographically the district is divided into Revenue Divisions, five Taluks and 104 Villages. District administration is carried out through the various Departments of the State Government each of which has an office of its own the district level.

Kollam District is situated on the South west coast of kerala. The District is bound on the north by Alappuzha and north east by Pathanamthitta Districts on the east by Thirunelveli District of Tamilnadu, on the South by the Thiruvavanathapuram District and on the west by Arabian sea.

Two rivers Kallada and Ithikkara flows through this District. The Sasthamcotta lake, the only major fresh water lake in the state is in Kollam District.

General Information

District Area : 2491 Sq.Km.
District Population : 25,84,118
Climate : Tropical
Rainfall : 270 Cms. (Annual)
Mean Max.Temperature : 36.0 Deg.C.
Mean Min.Temperature: 22.4 Deg.C.

Clothing : Tropical
Tourist Season : August to March

The Soil of the District may be classified as sandy loams, larerite and forest soil. The costal belt has sandy loams and the forest soil is found in the eastern forest belt. The rest of the district is laterite soil.

The District has a tropical humid climate with an oppressive summer and plentiful seasonal rainfall. The hot season., lasting from March to May is followed by the South West Monsoon from June to September. The rest of the year is generally dry.

Kollam, 71 km away from Trivandrum is fairly important for the State's trade and commerce and is the centre of the country's cashew trading and processing industry.

It is also an important hub for the State's marine products industry, with the port of Neendakara being the centre for trawlers and ice plants.

Kollam District has a large area under forest. Pathanapuram, Anchal, Kottarakkara and Chadayamangalam are blocks having large areas of forest. The forest divisions are at Thenmala and Punalur. For all its natural gifts of wide rivers, dominant hills and forest, lakes and plains, there is the throb of a vibrant industrial activity that combines with equanimity the wonders of the modern age with the traces of a bygone era.

How to get there
Air --> The nearest airport, Thiruvananthapuram is 71 Kms away
Rail--> Kollam (Quilin) is connected by rail with several important cities.
Road--> Kollam (Quilon) is connected by road with many tourist centers in India.