Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Pages: 237. Chapters: Gujarat, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Haryana, Delhi, Jammu and Kashmir, Sikkim, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Manipur, Jharkhand, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Nagaland, Tripura, Dadra and Nagar Haveli, Daman and Diu, Kerala, Punjab, India, Goa, Uttarakhand, Lakshadweep, Seven Sister States, ISO 3166-2: IN, Union Territory, National Public School. Excerpt: (.) or Keralam (Malayalam:, K ra am) is an Indian state, located south most on its west coast. It was created on 1 November 1956, by the States Reorganisation Act, combining various Malayalam speaking regions. The state has an area of 38,863 km (15,005 sq mi) and is bordered by Karnataka to the north and northeast, Tamil Nadu to the south and southeast and the Arabian Sea towards the west. Thiruvananthapuram is the capital city. Kochi and Kozhikode are other major cities. Stone age carving in Edakkal Caves had pictorial writings believed to be dating to at least 5000 BC, from the Neolithic man, indicating the presence of a prehistoric civilization or settlement in this region. From as early as 3000 BC, Kerala had established itself as a major spice trade center. Kerala had direct contact across the Arabian Sea with all the major Red Sea ports and the Mediterranean ports as well as extending to ports in the Far East. During the classical Sangam period the region was ruled by the Chera Dynasty, which traded with the Greeks, Romans and Arabs. The Tamil Chera dynasty, Ays and the Pandyan Empire were the traditional rulers of Kerala whose patriarchal dynasties ruled until the 14th century. The Cheras collapsed after repeated attacks from the neighboring Chola Empire and Rashtrakuta Empire. Feudal Namboothiri...