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Malappuram At a Glance


               buttombr.gif (263 bytes)    History                buttombr.gif (263 bytes)    Nature's Gift
               buttombr.gif    Physiography                buttonbr.gif (263 bytes)   Local Body

History

Malappuram district was formed in June 1969 amalgamating the distant and backward areas of the erstwhile Kozhikode, Perintalmanna and Ponnani taluks of Palakkad. The Nilgiris (Blue Mountains) of Tamil Nadu in the east and the Arabian sea in the west, provide natural boundaries. In the north, it is bounded by Kozhikode and Waynad Districts and in the south, by Palakkad and Thrissur districts.

The land of great poets and writers, political and religious leaders, this district has carved a place of it's own in the history of Kerala. The Kings of Valluvanad, the Zamorins, the kings of Perumpadappu Swarupam and the Kings of Vettathunadu, were the early rulers. Portughese, Mysore Sultans and the Britishers, had their sway over this place, partly or wholly. But the unique social and cultural heritage is preserved.

Physiography

The location of Malappuram district is 75o to 77o east longitude and 10o to 12o north latitude, in the geographical map. Like most of the other districts of the state, Malappuram too consists of three natural divisions: lowland, midland and highland. The lowland stretches along the sea coast, the midland in the centre the highland region towards the east and north eastern parts. The topography of the district is highly undulating; starting from the hill tops covered with thick forests on the east along the Nilgiris, it gradually slopes down to the valleys and the small hills, before finally ending on the sandy flat of luxuriant coconut groves in the west.

Nature's Gift
Rivers

Four important rivers of Kerala, flow through Malappuram district. They are, Chaliyar (Beypore river) Kadalundipuzha, Bharathapuzha and Tirurpuzha. Chaliyar is 169 Kms. long and orginates from Illambaleri hills in Tamilnadu. Chaliyar traverses through Nilambur, Mampad, Edavanna, Areekode, Vazhakkad and flows into the sea at Beypore in Kozhikode district. Kadalundipuzha is formed by the confluence of two rivers, the Olipuzha and Veliyar. Bharathapuzha, the second longest river in Kerala, flows by the southern border of the district and drains into the sea at Ponnani. Tirurpuzha, 48 Kms. long originates from ....... deviates to encircle Tirur town and flows south west, parallel to the sea, until it joins the Bharathapuzha near Ponnani port.

Flora and Fauna

The district has a total forest area of 1,03,417 hectares, i.e., 28.47% of total geographical area. The major forest area is concentrated in Nilambur and Wandoor blocks and Melattur in the Western ghats. Of the forests, 80% is deciduous and the rest is evergreen. Teak, Rosewood, Venteak, Choropin, Mahogany, etc. are the important trees.


Elephants, deers, tigers, blue monkeys, bears, boars, rabbits, etc. are found in the forests along with a variety of birds and reptiles. Forests are the main source of raw material for a number of wood-based industrial units. Besides timber, firewood and green manure, forest produces are commodities like honey, medicinal herbs, spices etc.

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