Mahe, the Puducherry region that sits inside Kerala on the Arabian Sea

Background

Mahe (Mayyazhi) is a land titled as the Eye brow of Arabian Sea, which is very small and situated on the estuary of the Mayyazhi river and Arabian Sea. Mahe is a tiny point in the Geographical map of Kerala, 630 kms away from Puducherry, the capital of the Union Territory that administers it. This former small French Town covers an area of 9 Sq. Km., recorded as a geographical area of 868.76 Hectare. It is situated on the West Coast of the Indian Peninsula between 11 Degrees 42' and 11 Degrees 43' Northern Latitude, and between 75 Degrees 31' and 75 Degrees 33' Eastern Longitude, just between Badagara and Thalassery, 58 kilometers from Kozhikode, 24 kilometers from Kannur in Kerala State, and is a busy trade centre. Average rainfall is 3000 mm, falling mainly in the south-west monsoon season with a later north-east monsoon spell, and temperature ranges from 19 to 36 degrees. The region has 1 tehsil, 1 block and 5 villages. As per Census 2011 its total population is 41,934, the sex ratio is 1176 and the literacy rate is 98.35. Major crops are coconut, banana, tapioca, arecanut, pepper, jack fruit and mango, grown under a tier and mixed cropping system.