Malappuram, the land atop the hills, and the four rivers that cross it

Background

Malappuram, whose name means the land atop the hills, is bounded by the Nilgiris on the east and the Arabian Sea on the west.
The district was formed on 16 June 1969, with Kozhikode and Wayanad districts to its north and Palakkad and Thrissur districts to its south.
Its geographical area is 3550 sq km, which is 9.13 per cent of the total area of the State, and it ranks third in Kerala.
The district has three natural divisions: lowland along the coast, midland in the centre and highland towards the east and north-east.
Four important rivers of Kerala flow through it: the Chaliyar, the Kadalundippuzha, the Bharathapuzha and the Tirurpuzha.
The Chaliyar is 169 km long, originates from the Illambaleri hills in Tamil Nadu and flows into the sea at Beypore in Kozhikode district.
Of these rivers only the Chaliyar is perennial, and the district is therefore prone to drought.
The Bharathapuzha, the second longest river in Kerala, runs along the district's southern border and drains into the sea at Ponnani.
Malappuram was the military headquarters of the Zamorins of Kozhikode and was the home of the Khilafat movement in Kerala.
The district's total forest area is 758.8684 sq km, of which 325.3261 sq km is reserve forest.