Coastal Plains and Islands Life

Andhra pradesh

Located on the Malabar coast, Kerala has plains and the Nilgiri hills. The sea has formed many lagoons or backwaters, which are used for transportation and fishing. On the occasion of Onam, boatraces are held here. Farming and tourism are main occupations. The important crops grown here include coconut, tea, coffee, rice, cardamom, rubber etc. Coconut is an important part of food as well as occupation. Coir industry is based on coconut as the raw material. Kerala is visited by a large number of people for naturopathy. Kerala men wear lungi-shirt and women wear saree. They speak Malayalam, English and other South Indian languages. Rice is their staple food. The popular classical dance form is Kathakali.

Puducherry

Puducherry (Pondicherry) has been named after its district of the same name which is also its capital. It has a total of 4 districts. Farming, fishing and tourism are the chief occupations. Industries too have come up here. The important crops grown here are rice, millets, pulses and ragi in addition to some cash crops such as sugarcane, groundnut and cotton. There are textile mills, sugar mills, tile factories and distilleries. People in Puducherry speak Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and French. The famous places here are Aurobindo Ashram and Maitri Mandir.

                         Aurobindo Ashram