Malabar 276358 224995597 2008-07-11T11:03:34Z S3000 2176304 Reverted 4 edits by [[Special:Contributions/203.200.148.49|203.200.148.49]] identified as [[WP:VAND|vandalism]] to last revision by [[User:Lightbot|Lightbot]]. using [[WP:TWINKLE|TW]] {{Refimprove|date=June 2008}} {{otheruses|Malabar (disambiguation)}} [[Image:Bekalfortbeach.JPG|thumb|right|250px|[[Bekal Fort]] Beach, Kerala]] '''Malabar''' ([[Malayalam language|Malayalam]]: മലബാര്‍ ) is a region of southern [[India]], lying between the [[Western Ghats]] and the [[Arabian Sea]].The name is thought to be derived from the [[Malayalam]] word '''Mala''' (Hill) and [[Persian language|Persian]] word '''Bar''' (Kingdom). This part of India was originally a part of the [[Honourable East India Company|British East India company]] controlled Madras State,when it was designated as Malabar District . It included the northern half of the state of [[Kerala]] and some coastal regions of present day Karnataka. The majority of Kerala's [[Muslim]] population known as [[Mappila]] live in this area.<ref>"Kerala." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2008. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 8 June 2008</ref> The name is sometimes extended to the entire southwestern coast of the peninsula, called the [[Malabar Coast]]. Malabar is also used by ecologists to refer to the [[tropical and subtropical moist broadleaf forests|tropical moist forests]] of southwestern India (present day Kerala). ==Malabar region== The '''[[Malabar region]]''' lies along the southwest coast of the [[India]]n [[peninsula]] and forms the northern part of present-day [[Kerala]] [[states and territories of India|state]]. [[Malayalam]] is the chief language of the region, and the ancestors of today's population have inhabited the region for centuries. The region formed part of the ancient kingdom of [[Chera dynasty|Chera]] for centuries. It became part of the [[Hindu]] [[Vijayanagara empire]] in the 15th century. with the breakup of the empire in the mid-16th century, the region came under the rule of a number of local [[tribal chief|chieftain]]s notably the [[Kolathiris]] of [[Kasaragod]], [[Zamorins]] of [[Calicut]] and the Valluvokonathiris of [[Walluvanad]]. The region came under [[United Kingdom|British]] rule in the 18th century, during the [[Anglo-Mysore Wars]]. At the conclusion of the Anglo-Mysore wars, the region was organized into a district of [[Madras Presidency]]. The British district included the present-day districts of [[Kannur]], [[Kozhikode]], [[Wayanad]], [[Malappuram]], much of [[Palakkad]] and a small portion of [[Thrissur]]. The administrative headquarters were at Calicut (Kozhikode). With India's independence, Madras presidency became [[Madras State]], which was divided along linguistic lines on [[November 1]] [[1956]], when Malabar district was merged with the [[Kasaragod]] district immediately to the north and the state of [[Travancore-Cochin]] to the south to form the state of Kerala. ==Malabar Coast== The '''[[Malabar Coast]]''', in historical contexts, refers to India's southwest coast, lying on the narrow coastal plain of [[Karnataka]] and [[Kerala]] states between the [[Western Ghats]] range and the [[Arabian Sea]]. The coast runs from south of [[Goa]] to [[Cape Comorin]] on India's southern tip. The Malabar Coast is also sometimes used as an all encompassing term for the entire [[India]]n coast from the western coast of [[Konkan]] to the tip of the subcontinent at [[Cape Comorin]]. It is over 525 miles or 845 km long. It spans from the South - Western coast of [[Maharashtra]] and goes along the coastal region of [[Goa]], through the entire western coast of [[Karnataka]] and [[Kerala]] and reaches till [[Kanyakumari district|Kanyakumari]]. It is flanked by the [[Arabian Sea]] on the west and the [[Western Ghats]] on the east. The Southern part of this narrow coast is the [[South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests]]. The Malabar Coast features a number of historic port cities, notably [[Kozhikode]] (Calicut), [[Kochi, India|Cochin]], and [[Quilon]], that have served as centers of the [[Indian Ocean]] trade for centuries. Because of their orientation to the sea and to maritime commerce, the Malabar coast cities feel very cosmopolitan, and hosted some of the first groups of [[Christians]] (now known as [[Syrian Malabar Nasranis]]), [[Jews]] (today called as [[Cochin Jews]]), and [[Muslim]]s (at present known as [[Mappilas]]) in India. Geographically, the Malabar Coast, especially on its westward-facing mountain slopes, comprises the wettest region of southern India, as the [[Western Ghats]] intercept the moisture-laden [[monsoon]] rains. [[Image:European settlements in India 1501-1739.png|thumb|European settlements in India]] ==Malabar rainforests== The term '''[[Malabar rainforests]]''' refers to one or more distinct [[ecoregion]]s recognized by [[biogeography|biogeographers]]: # the [[Malabar Coast moist forests]] formerly occupied the coastal zone to the 250 meter elevation (but 95% of these forests no longer exist) # the [[South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests]] grow at intermediate elevations # the [[South Western Ghats montane rain forests]] cover the areas above 1000 meters elevation The [[Monsooned Malabar]] [[coffee bean]] comes from this area. <br/> {{Western Ghats}} == References == {{reflist}} [[Category:Regions of India]] [[Category:Regions of Karnataka]] [[Category:Kerala]] [[de:Malankara]] [[fr:Malabar]] [[ml:മലബാര്‍ ജില്ല]] [[nl:Malabar]] [[pl:Wybrzeże Malabarskie]] [[sv:Malabar]] [[zh:马拉巴尔]]