Kerala is a state on the Malabar Coast of southwestern India. To its east and northeast, Kerala borders Tamil Nadu and Karnataka respectively;Kerala is one of the four states of South India. Natives of Kerala—Keralites or Malayalees—thus refer to their land as Keralam. Kerala's tourism industry, among others, also use the phrase "God's own country". In written records,Kerala was first mentioned in the Sanskrit epic Aitareya Aranyaka.Kerala is well within the humid equatorial tropics.

Generally ranging between elevations of 250–1,000 m (820–3300 ft), the eastern portions of the Nilgiri and Palni Hills include such formations as Agastyamalai and Anamalai.Muniyaras (Keralite dolmens or megalithic tombs) in Marayoor, erected by Neolithic tribesmen. Memorial of Veera Pazhassi Raja (the "Lion of Kerala") in Mananthavady, Wayanad. Pazhassi Raja launched a guerilla war against the British in the late 18th century.Kerala’s western coastal belt is relatively flat, and is criss-crossed by a network of interconnected brackish canals, lakes,estuaries, and rivers known as the Kerala Backwaters.A cheena vala (fishing net) in the Backwaters region of Kollam. Waterways bordering a farm in Kerala.The Technopark, located in Thiruvananthapuram.Kovalam beach,Trivandrum. A procession held before the Kumarakom Boat Race.

Kerala's fourteen districts are distributed among Kerala's three historical regions: Malabar(northern Kerala), Kochi (central Kerala), and Travancore (southern Kerala). Kerala's modern-day districts (listed in order from north to south) correspond to them as follows:
Malabar: Kasaragod, Kannur, Wayanad, Kozhikode, Malappuram, Palakkad
Kochi: Thrissur, Ernakulam
Travancore: Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha, Pathanamthitta, Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram.

Eastern Kerala’s windward mountains shelter tropical moist forests and tropical dry forests, which are common in the Western Ghats. Here, sonokeling (Indian rosewood), anjili, mullumurikku (Erythrina), and Cassia number among the more than 1,000 species of trees in Kerala. Other plants include bamboo,wild black pepper, wild cardamom, the calamus rattan palm (a type of climbing palm),and aromatic vetiver grass (Vetiveria zizanioides).

Living among them are such fauna as Asian Elephant, Bengal Tiger, Leopard (Panthera pardus), Nilgiri Tahr, Common Palm Civet, and Grizzled Giant Squirrel.[30][33] Reptiles include the king cobra, viper, python, and crocodile. Kerala's birds are legion—Peafowl, the Great Hornbill, Indian Grey Hornbill, Indian Cormorant, and Jungle Myna are several emblematic species. In lakes, wetlands, and waterways, fish such as kadu (stinging catfish and Choottachi (Orange chromide—Etroplus maculatus; valued as an aquarium specimen) are found. Tea gardens in eastern Kerala.

Much of Kerala's notable biodiversity is concentrated and protected in the Agasthyamalai Biosphere Reserve in the eastern hills. Almost a fourth of India's 10,000 plant species are found in the state. Among the almost 4,000 flowering plant species (1,272 of which are endemic to Kerala and 159 threatened) are 900 species of highly sought medicinal plants.Aside from ayurveda (both elite and popular forms),siddha, and unani, many endangered and endemic modes of traditional medicine, including kalari, marmachikitsa, and vishavaidyam, are practiced. These propagate via gurukula discipleship, and comprise a fusion of both medicinal and supernatural treatments, and are partly responsible for drawing increasing numbers of medical tourists.

Kerala's Human Development Index and standard of living statistics are the nation's best.[47] This apparent paradox—high human development and low economic development—is often dubbed the Kerala phenomenon or the Kerala model of development,[48][49] and arises mainly from Kerala's strong service sector.Other significant economic sectors are tourism, manufacturing, and business process outsourcing.Kerala, situated on the lush and tropical Malabar Coast, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in India. Named as one of the "ten paradises of the world" by the National Geographic Traveler magazine, Kerala is especially known for its ecotourism initiatives.

Aggressive marketing campaigns launched by the Kerala Tourism Development Corporation, the government agency that oversees tourism prospects of the state, laid the foundation for the growth of the tourism industry.The tag lineGod's Own Country, which was used in its tourism promotions, soon became synonymous with the state.In 2006, Kerala attracted 8.5 million tourists–an increase of 23.68% in foreign tourist arrivals compared to the previous year, thus making it one of the fastest growing tourism destination in the world.

The state has major international airports at Thiruvananthapuram, Kochi, and Kozhikode that link the state with the rest of the nation and the world. The Cochin international Airport at Kochi is the first international airport in India to be built without Central Government funds.The backwaters traversing the state are an important mode of inland navigation.The Indian Railways' Southern Railway line runs throughout the state, connecting all major towns and cities except the highland districts of Idukki and Wayanad. Kerala's major railway stations areTrivandrum Central, Kollam Junction, Ernakulam Junction, Thrissur, Kozhikode,ShoranurJunction, and Palakkad. Kerla is well connected to Coimbatore and Tirupur.