Cochin

Cochin, ‘Queen of the Arabian sea’ is the capital of Eranakulam district and the commercial hub of Kerala. The city is built up on a cluster of islands and peninsulas joined by the bustling town on the main land, Ernakulam. Past entwines hand with modernity. Ruins of colonial days make the history a pervasive presence here. Cochin is the only metro in Kerala that is located on Central Kerala. Airport, harbour, oil refinery, public and private sector industrial units and hill- produce trading centres make the city the biggest commercial hub in Kerala. Geographically, the district with coastal, midland and high ranges is a Kerala-in-miniature. The urban district accounts for 8123-hector forest.
The Fort Cochin area, where the Portuguese settled in the 16th century, has been declared as Heritage Zone.