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Kerala
is a state in the Indian Union
located at the southern part of
the Indian peninsula. It is
bordered on the north by
Karnataka, south and east by
Tamil Nadu, and west by the
Arabian sea. Thiruvananthapuram,
the capital, Kochi and Kozhikode
are the major Cities. The
principal spoken language is
Malayalam though other languages
are also spoken. Kerala is one
of the most densely populated
states in India and ranks 12th
among states in terms of
population.
Social and educational reforms
enacted in the late 19th century
by Cochin and Travancore were
expanded upon by
post-independence governments,
making Kerala one of the most
literate, healthiest, and
gender-equitable regions in
India. Kerala has one of the
most advanced educational
systems in India. Though the
state's basic human development
indices are roughly equivalent
to those in the developed world,
the state is substantially more
environmentally sustainable than
Europe and North America. A
survey conducted in 2005 by
Transparency International
ranked Kerala as the least
corrupt state in the country.
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