14 Districts of Kerala in Order — Complete List with Formation Year (2026)

Kerala has 14 districts as of 2026, reorganized from the original Travancore, Cochin, and Malabar regions. District-level facts are among the most frequently tested topics in Kerala PSC exams — expect 3-8 questions per paper.

How Many Districts Does Kerala Have? (2026 Update)

Kerala currently has 14 districts. The state was formed on 1 November 1956 with only 5 districts. Over the next 28 years, 9 more districts were carved out — the most recent being Kasaragod in 1984. No new district has been formed since 1984, so the count remains 14 in 2026.

14 Districts of Kerala in Order (North to South)

Listed from north to south along the coast:

1. Kasaragod (northernmost)
2. Kannur
3. Wayanad
4. Kozhikode
5. Malappuram
6. Palakkad
7. Thrissur
8. Ernakulam
9. Idukki
10. Kottayam
11. Alappuzha
12. Pathanamthitta
13. Kollam
14. Thiruvananthapuram (southernmost — state capital)

14 Districts of Kerala in Order of Formation (Oldest First)

Order	District	Formed	Carved From
1	Thiruvananthapuram	1949	Original (Travancore-Cochin)
2	Kollam	1949	Original
3	Kottayam	1949	Original
4	Thrissur	1949	Original
5	Malabar	1949–56	(Madras Presidency, became Kerala 1956)
6	Alappuzha	1957	Reorganization
7	Palakkad	1957	Reorganization
8	Kozhikode	1957	Reorganization
9	Kannur	1957	Reorganization
10	Ernakulam	1958	Thrissur
11	Malappuram	1969	Kozhikode + Palakkad
12	Idukki	1972	Kottayam + Ernakulam
13	Wayanad	1980	Kozhikode + Kannur
14	Pathanamthitta	1982	Kollam + Alappuzha + Idukki
15	Kasaragod	1984	Kannur (newest district)

First District Formed in Kerala

The first 4 districts of Kerala — Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, and Thrissur — were formed on 1 July 1949, when the State of Travancore-Cochin was created (predating Kerala’s own formation on 1 Nov 1956). These four are jointly the “oldest” districts.

If asked for the first district formed AFTER Kerala state itself was created, the answer is the 1957 reorganisation batch: Alappuzha, Palakkad, Kozhikode, and Kannur.

If asked for the first NEW district (carved from an existing one), it is Ernakulam, formed in 1958 from Thrissur district.

First 5 Districts of Kerala (in Formation Order)

When the Kerala State was constituted in 1956, it had only 5 districts:

1. Thiruvananthapuram (1949)
2. Kollam (1949)
3. Kottayam (1949)
4. Thrissur (1949)
5. Malabar (1949 — later reorganised in 1957 into Kozhikode, Palakkad, Kannur and Alappuzha)

14 Districts of Kerala in Malayalam (മലയാളം)

#	English	Malayalam
1	Thiruvananthapuram	തിരുവനന്തപുരം
2	Kollam	കൊല്ലം
3	Pathanamthitta	പത്തനംതിട്ട
4	Alappuzha	ആലപ്പുഴ
5	Kottayam	കോട്ടയം
6	Idukki	ഇടുക്കി
7	Ernakulam	എറണാകുളം
8	Thrissur	തൃശ്ശൂർ
9	Palakkad	പാലക്കാട്
10	Malappuram	മലപ്പുറം
11	Kozhikode	കോഴിക്കോട്
12	Wayanad	വയനാട്
13	Kannur	കണ്ണൂർ
14	Kasaragod	കാസർഗോഡ്

Complete District Table

#	District	Formed	HQ	Area (km²)	Population (2011)	Literacy (%)
1	Thiruvananthapuram	1949	Thiruvananthapuram	2,192	33,07,284	92.66
2	Kollam	1949	Kollam	2,491	26,35,375	94.09
3	Pathanamthitta	1982	Pathanamthitta	2,637	11,97,412	96.55
4	Alappuzha	1957	Alappuzha	1,414	21,27,789	96.26
5	Kottayam	1949	Kottayam	2,203	19,74,551	97.21
6	Idukki	1972	Painavu	4,358	11,08,974	92.20
7	Ernakulam	1958	Kochi	3,068	32,82,388	95.89
8	Thrissur	1949	Thrissur	3,032	31,21,200	95.32
9	Palakkad	1957	Palakkad	4,480	28,09,934	88.49
10	Malappuram	1969	Malappuram	3,550	41,12,920	93.57
11	Kozhikode	1957	Kozhikode	2,344	30,86,293	96.08
12	Wayanad	1980	Kalpetta	2,131	8,17,420	89.03
13	Kannur	1957	Kannur	2,966	25,23,003	95.41
14	Kasaragod	1984	Kasaragod	1,992	13,07,375	90.09

Key Superlatives — Most-Asked PSC Facts

Category	District	Detail
Largest area	Idukki	4,358 km²
Smallest area	Alappuzha	1,414 km²
Most populous	Malappuram	41,12,920
Least populous	Wayanad	8,17,420
Highest literacy	Kottayam	97.21%
Lowest literacy	Palakkad	88.49%
Highest density	Alappuzha	1,504/km²
Lowest density	Idukki	254/km²
Newest district	Kasaragod	1984
Oldest districts	TVM, Kollam, Kottayam, Thrissur	1949
Longest coastline	Kozhikode	~71 km (frequently asked)
Only landlocked	Idukki	No coastline

Mnemonic for formation order: “TKK-T” (1949: Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Thrissur) → then AEP-Ko (1957–58) → M (1969) → I (1972) → W-P (1980–82) → Ka (1984).

District-wise Major Rivers

District	Major Rivers
Thiruvananthapuram	Karamana, Neyyar, Vamanapuram
Kollam	Kallada, Ithikkara, Achankovil
Pathanamthitta	Pamba, Achankovil, Manimala
Alappuzha	Pamba (outflow), Manimala, Achankovil
Kottayam	Meenachil, Manimala, Muvattupuzha
Idukki	Periyar (origin), Thodupuzha
Ernakulam	Periyar, Muvattupuzha
Thrissur	Bharathapuzha (Nila), Chalakudy
Palakkad	Bharathapuzha, Gayathripuzha, Chitturpuzha
Malappuram	Kadalundipuzha, Chaliyar, Bharathapuzha
Kozhikode	Chaliyar, Korapuzha, Beypore
Wayanad	Kabani (Kabini), Panamaram
Kannur	Valapattanam, Anjarakkandy
Kasaragod	Chandragiri, Payaswini (Kariangode)

Notable Facts by District (PSC Favourites)

Southern Districts

Thiruvananthapuram — State capital. Padmanabhaswamy Temple. Technopark (largest IT park in Asia when established). Veli Tourist Village. Kovalam Beach. Home to Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC/ISRO).

Kollam — Former capital of Venad kingdom. Cashew capital of India. Ashtamudi Lake (Ramsar site). Kollam Era (Malayalam calendar/Kolla Varsham starts 825 CE). Thangassery lighthouse.

Pathanamthitta — Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple. Formed from parts of Kollam, Alappuzha, Idukki. Known as the “Headquarters of Pilgrimage Tourism.” Gavi ecotourism. Perunthenaruvi waterfall.

Alappuzha — “Venice of the East” (Lord Curzon). Nehru Trophy Boat Race (Punnamada Lake). Coir industry hub. Kuttanad — “Rice Bowl of Kerala” (below sea level farming). First coir factory in India.

Central Districts

Kottayam — First fully literate town in India. Rubber capital of India. CMS Press (first printing press in Kerala, 1821). Kumarakom Bird Sanctuary. St. Thomas Christians’ historic seat.

Idukki — Only landlocked district. Idukki Arch Dam (Asia’s first arch dam). Munnar hill station. Highest peak: Anamudi (2,695 m). Maximum forest cover. Spice plantations (cardamom, pepper).

Ernakulam — Commercial capital (Kochi). Willingdon Island (artificial island). Cochin Port. First metro in Kerala (Kochi Metro, 2017). Fort Kochi — St. Francis Church (first European church in India, 1503). Jewish Synagogue, Mattancherry (1568).

Thrissur — Cultural capital of Kerala. Thrissur Pooram. Kerala Sahitya Akademi. Kerala Kalamandalam (Cheruthuruthy). Vadakkunnathan Temple. Guruvayur Temple. Athirappilly Falls.

Northern Districts

Palakkad — Palakkad Gap (only major break in Western Ghats). Rice granary of Kerala. Malampuzha Dam. Victoria College. Silent Valley National Park (tropical evergreen). Lowest literacy among all districts.

Malappuram — Most populous district. Formed 1969 from Kozhikode and Palakkad. Nilambur teak plantations (first teak plantation in the world). Kadalundi Bird Sanctuary. Kondotty — Mappila uprising centre.

Kozhikode — Vasco da Gama landed here (1498). Former Zamorin capital. IIM Kozhikode. Beypore (historic shipbuilding — Uru boats). S.K. Pottekkad’s literary hometown. Kozhikode Beach. Kappad Beach (Vasco da Gama landing site).

Wayanad — Edakkal Caves (Neolithic petroglyphs). Wayanad Wildlife Sanctuary. Kuruva Island. Highest Scheduled Tribe population in Kerala. Banasura Sagar Dam (largest earth dam in India). Chembra Peak.

Kannur — Loom capital of Kerala (handloom). Theyyam homeland. St. Angelo Fort (Portuguese, 1505). Arakkal kingdom (only Muslim royal family in Kerala). Kannur airport. Parassinikadavu snake park. Ezhimala — Indian Naval Academy.

Kasaragod — Northernmost district. Bekal Fort (largest fort in Kerala). Seven languages spoken (most linguistically diverse). Ananthapura Lake Temple (only lake temple). Yakshagana performances. Hosdurg and Kasaragod taluks.

District Formation Timeline

Year	Districts Formed	Carved From
1949	Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Thrissur	Original
1957	Alappuzha, Palakkad, Kozhikode, Kannur	Reorganization
1958	Ernakulam	Thrissur
1969	Malappuram	Kozhikode + Palakkad
1972	Idukki	Kottayam + Ernakulam + Idukki taluk
1980	Wayanad	Kozhikode + Kannur
1982	Pathanamthitta	Kollam + Alappuzha + Idukki
1984	Kasaragod	Kannur

Key fact: Kerala had only 5 districts at state formation (1956). The number grew to 14 by 1984.

Quick-Fire Recall (Exam Practice)

• Which district has the Palakkad Gap? Palakkad
• Where is Sabarimala? Pathanamthitta
• Which district is called Venice of the East? Alappuzha
• Where is Silent Valley? Palakkad
• Which is the only landlocked district? Idukki
• Where is Edakkal Caves? Wayanad
• Largest fort in Kerala? Bekal Fort, Kasaragod
• First fully literate town? Kottayam
• Highest peak Anamudi is in? Idukki
• Nehru Trophy Boat Race? Alappuzha (Punnamada Lake)

FAQ — Kerala Districts

Q. How many districts are in Kerala in 2026? A. 14 districts. The number has been stable since 1984 when Kasaragod was formed. There has been periodic political demand for new districts (e.g., a separate Manjeri or Nilambur district), but none has been officially created.

Q. What is the smallest district in Kerala? A. Alappuzha by area (1,414 km²). By population, it is Wayanad (8,17,420 per 2011 census).

Q. What is the largest district in Kerala? A. Idukki by area (4,358 km²). By population, it is Malappuram (41,12,920 per 2011 census).

Q. Which is the only landlocked district in Kerala? A. Idukki — it has no coastline and is the only fully inland district.

Q. Which is the latest / newest district in Kerala? A. Kasaragod, formed on 24 May 1984, carved from Kannur. No new district has been formed since.

Q. How many districts had Kerala when it was formed in 1956? A. 5 districts — Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Kottayam, Thrissur, and Malabar. Malabar was later reorganised in 1957 into Kozhikode, Palakkad, Kannur, and Alappuzha.

Q. Which district has the highest literacy rate in Kerala? A. Kottayam — 97.21% (2011 census). It was also the first fully literate town in India (Kottayam municipality, 1989).

Q. Which district is called the Rice Bowl of Kerala? A. Alappuzha — specifically the Kuttanad region, where farming happens below sea level.

Q. Which district has the longest coastline in Kerala? A. Kozhikode — approximately 71 km. The full Kerala coastline is 590 km.

Q. In which district is the state capital located? A. Thiruvananthapuram — the southernmost district, hosting the Kerala State Secretariat, Raj Bhavan, and Kerala High Court Bench.

Q. Which district borders both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu? A. Wayanad — bordered by Karnataka (Mysore-Kodagu) to the north-east and tribal areas adjoining Tamil Nadu (Nilgiris) to the south-east.