Thiruvananthapuran, the capital of Kerala, is popularly known as Ananthapuri in ancient days. The name Thiruvananthapuram means the abode of sacred snake god ‘Ananthan’. The modern era begins with Marthanda Varma, the father of modern Travancore. It was a great epoch of intellectual as well as cultural centres, and it reached zenith during the era of Maharaja Swathi Thirunal (1829-1847 AD). The beginning of English education by opening an English School, observatory and charity hospital during the period of Swathi Thirunal is an epoch making in the history of the District. One of the significant contributions of Sri.Moolam Thirunal was the inauguration of the Legislative Council in 1888, the first Legislative Chamber in an Indian state.

Geographical Features

Location:North latitudes 8⁰ 17’ and 8⁰ 54’ and east longitudes 76⁰   41’ and 77⁰ 17’.

Boundaries:

 North- Kollam District

 East – Thirunalveli (Tamilnadu)

 South – Kanyakumari (Tamilnadu)

 West – Arabian Sea

Physiography

                The district stretches along the shores of Arabian Sea for a distance of 78 kms.  On geographical ground the district can be divided into three: highland midland and lowland.  Thiruvananthapuram, Chirayinkeezhe and Varkala taluks lie in the midland and lowland regions. Nedumangad taluk and Kattakada taluks lie in the midland and highland regions. While Neyattinkare taluk stretches all the three regions.

Rivers:

 Neyyar  (56kms) the southernmost river of kerala

 Karamana River (67 kms)

 Vamanapuram River

Back Waters:

There are 10 major back waters in the district. The major lakes are Veli, Kadinamkulam, Anchuthengu (Anjengo),Kaappil, Akathumuri and the Edava- Nadayara lakes. Besides these, there is a fresh-water lake at Vellayani in Thiruvananthapuram taluk, which has the potential to become the major water source of Thiruvananthapuram city in the future.

Administration

The head-quarters of the district administration is at Kudappanakkunnu, Thiruvanathapuram 10 kms away from the Central Railway Station, Thampannor. The administrative details of the district are as follows.

Demography

Thiruvanthapuram District serves as the nodal district of 5 Hon’ble Members of Parliament.

·         Dr. Shashi Tharoor MP (Lok Sabha-Thiruvananthapuram HPC)

·         Dr. A Sampath MP (Lok Sabha-Attingal HPC)

·         Sri. MP Achuthan MP (Rajya Sabha)

·         Dr. T N Seema MP (Rajya Sabha)

·         Sri. C P Narayanan MP (Rajya Sabha)

Economy    

More than 50% of the workforce of the district is engaged in service sector. With the establishment of Technopark in 1995, Thiruvananthapuram has steadily grown into a competitive IT centre. There are 490 branches of 40 commercial banks and 70 branches of DCB are functioning in the district. The Indian Overseas Bank is the Lead Bank in the District.

    Agriculture

 The total geographical area of the district is 2.187 lakhs hectares. Agriculture is the primary occupation of the people of the district. More than 15% of the total population of the district depends on Agriculture for their livelihood. Paddy is the most important crop cultivated in the wet lands. In Garden lands Coconut and Rubber, Banana and vegetables are the main crops. The fisheries sector has importance in the District due to the existence of 78 Km coastal line, reservoirs and inland water bodies.  

Land Utilization (Ha)

Education, Science and Technology

Thiruvananthapuram is an academic hub. The University of Kerala, the regional headquarters of Indira Gandhi National Open University, fifteen engineering colleges, three medical colleges, three Ayurveda colleges, two Homeopathy colleges, six other medical related colleges, and two law colleges are located in the district.

Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC), Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology (IIST), Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology (RGCB), Jawaharlal Nehru Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (JNTBGRI), ER&DC – CDAC, CSIR – National Institute of Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Free Software Foundation of India (FSFI), Regional Cancer Centre (RCC), Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology (SCTIMST), Centre for Earth Science Studies (CESS), Central Tuber Crops Research Institute (CTCRI), Kerala Science and Technology Museum, Priyadarsini Planetarium, Kerala Highway Research Institute and Kerala Fisheries Research Institute are the major science and technology institutions in Thiruvananthapuram.

Tourism

There are many tourist destinations in the district. Kovalam beach, Sanghumukham Beach, Napier museum and Zoo,  Agasthyarkoodam peak, Neyyar Wildlife Sanctuary and Neyyar Dam, Sree Padmanabha Swamy temple, Ponmudi, Poovar, Varkala Cliffs and beaches etc are prominent tourist destinations.

(Kovalam beach)