Ernakulam is a district of Kerala, India in the central part of that state. Spanning an area of about 3,068 km2, Ernakulam district is home to over 12% of Kerala’s population. Its headquarters is located at Kakkanad, a suburb of Kochi city. Ernakulam is known as the commercial capital of Kerala. The district is famous for its ancient temples, churches, and mosques. The district includes the largest metropolitan region of the state, Greater Cochin. Ernakulam district is the highest revenue yielding district in the state. It is the third most populous district in Kerala, after Malappuram and Thiruvananthapuram (out of 14). Ernakulam district also hosts the highest number of international and domestic tourists in Kerala state.

The language spoken in Ernakulam is Malayalam which is the mother-tongue of Kerala. English is widely used, especially in business circles. Ernakulam became India's first district having 100 percent banking or full 'meaningful financial inclusion' in 2012.

From ancient times Ernakulam district has played a part in the political history of south India. The Jews, Syrians, Arabs, Chinese, Dutch, British and Portuguese seafarers followed the sea route to Kingdom of Cochin and left their impressions in the town. In 1896, the Maharaja of Cochin initiated local administration by forming a town council in Ernakulam. Initially Ernakulam district's headquarters was at Ernakulam, which gave the district its name; the headquarters was later shifted to Kakkanad.

Demographics
According to the 2011 census Ernakulam district has a population of 3,282,388, roughly equal to the nation of Mauritania or the US state of Iowa. This gives it a ranking of 104th in India (out of a total of 640). The district has a population density of  . Its population growth rate over the decade 2001–2011 was 5.6%. Ernakulam has a sex ratio of 1028 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 95.68%.

This district is listed as the "most advanced" district in Kerala. It had a resident population of 3,105,798 as of 2001, excluding the huge commuter traffic from neighbouring districts. It is urbanised 68.07%. Hindus (46.53) accounts for the largest community followed by Christians (38.78 including Syrians and Latins) and Muslims (14.55). A small population of Jains, Jews and Sikhs are also residing in Kochi. Also, Ernakulam district has the highest number of Christian population in India.

The most important religious communities of the district are Ezhavas with 756,475 members, Nairs with 356,321 members  Jacobites with 474,572 members Syrian Catholics with 305,512 members, Latin Christians with 260,258 Malankara Orthodox Church with 54,568 and Muslims with 456,275 members. In addition to the major communities the Buddhists, the Jains, the Sikhs, and the Jews also form part of the cosmopolitan population. The ancestors of the Jews migrated from Jerusalem in 70 A.D. to India. Now there are very few Jewish families in Cochin as most of them were converted to Syrian Christians  (Nasranis), and the rest migrated to Israel in the 20th century. The 15.7% of the population are Malayalam speaking Sunni Shafi'i Muslims.

References

Other websites

Districts of Kerala