Alappuzha, the smallest district of Kerala and the only one with no highland or forest
Background
Alappuzha is the smallest district of Kerala and is a sandy strip of land intercepted by lagoons, rivers and canals.
It is the only district in Kerala where there is no high land and no forest area.
The district has a contiguous coastline of 82 Km, and 80% of it lies in the coastal region with the rest in the midland.
Water bodies make up 13% of the district, and the Kuttanad area lies below sea level.
The average rainfall in the district is 2763 mm, recorded through 8 rain gauge stations.
Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, lies here, and the present town owes its existence to Diwan Rajakesavadas in the second half of the 18th century.
The district administration records that the sobriquet “the Venice of the East” for the place came from a visit by Lord Curzon, then Viceroy of the Indian Empire.
In plain words
Kuttanad The low-lying paddy region around the Vembanad lake — Called the rice bowl of Kerala, it lies below sea level.
Lagoon A shallow water body separated from the sea by a sandy barrier — Alappuzha's land is a sandy strip cut through by lagoons, rivers and canals.