Basic information

| Characteristic | Detail | | --- | --- | | **Official Name** | State of Kerala | | **Common Name** | Kerala | | **Native Name(s)** | കേരളം (Kēraḷam) | | **Nicknames** | God's Own Country, The Spice Garden of India | | **Geographic Level** | State | | **Country** | India | | **State/Province** | Kerala | | **Capital** | Thiruvananthapuram (Trivandrum) | | **Government Type** | State Government (Parliamentary System) | | **Date Founded** | November 1, 1956 | | **Time Zone** | Indian Standard Time (UTC+05:30) | | **Latitude** | 10.8505° N | | **Longitude** | 76.2711° E | | **Elevation** | Sea level to 2,695 m (8,842 ft) | | **Total Area** | 38,863 sq km (15,005 sq mi) | | **Population** | ~34.6 million (2011 Census: 33,406,061) | | **Population Density** | 859 per sq km (2,220 per sq mi) | | **ZIP/Postal Codes** | 670xxx to 695xxx (PIN codes) | | **Official Languages** | Malayalam, English | | **Currency** | Indian Rupee (INR) | | **Demonym** | Keralite, Malayali |