Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 28. Chapters: Thiruvananthapuram, Varkala, Karamana, Kaniyapuram, Vizhinjam, Vizhinjam International Seaport, Neyyattinkara, Kovalam, East Fort, Nedumangad, Kadinamkulam, Nalanchira, Attingal, Kattakada, Poovar, Anchuthengu, St. Andrews, Kerala, Thattathumala, Puthiyakavu, Kallar, Trivandrum, Poothura, Puthenchantha varkala. Excerpt: Thiruvananthapuram (Malayalam: , IPA: ), formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital of the Indian state of Kerala and the third largest city in South India by area after Hyderabad and Bangalore . It is the headquarters of the Thiruvananthapuram District. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the "Evergreen city of India," the city is characterized by its undulating terrain of low coastal hills and busy commercial alleys. With almost 745,000 inhabitants per the 2001 census, it is the largest and most populous city in Kerala; the wider urban agglomeration has a population of more than one million. Apart from being the IT hub of the state with over 80% of the state's software exports, Thiruvananthapuram ranks first in the number of international tourists in Kerala. The city houses many central and state government offices and organizations. Apart from being the political nerve centre of Kerala, it is also a major academic hub and is home to several educational institutions including the University of Kerala, and to many science and technology institutions, the most prominent being the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Technopark, the Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), the Indian Institute of Information Technology and Management, Kerala, Indian Institute of Molecular Materials, Indian Institute of Science, Education and Research (IISER), and the Centre for Development Studies. It is also considered a...