Physiography of Kerala

Kerala can be divided into 3 Geographical regions. 1) Highlands, 2) Midlands and 3)Low Lands . The High lands slope down from the Western Ghats which rise to an average height of 900 m, with a number of peaks well over 1,800 m in height. This is the area of major plantations like tea, coffee, rubber, cardamom etc. The midlands lying between the mountains and the lowlands, is made up of undulating hills and valleys. This is an area of intensive cultivations. Cashew, coconut, arecanut, cassava (tapioca), banana, rice, ginger, pepper, sugar-cane and vegetables of different varieties are grown in this area. The lowlands or the coastal area, which is made up of the river deltas, backwaters and shore of Arabian sea, is essentially a land of coconuts and rice., Fisheries and coir industry constitute the major industries of this area. Kerala is a land of rivers and backwaters., Forty-four rivers(41 west-flowing and 3 east-flowing) cut across Kerala with their innumerable tributaries and branches but these rivers are comparatively small and being entirely monsoon fed, practically turn into rivulets in summer, especially in the upper areas. The backwaters form a specially attractive and economically valuable feature of Kerala. They include lakes and ocean inlets which stretch water into the Vembanad Lake, some 200 sq.km. in area, which opens out into the Arabian Sea at Cochin Port. The Periyar, Pamba Manimala, Achenkovil, Meenachil, and Movattupuzha rivers drain into this lake. The other important lakes are AnjuThengu,Edava, Nadayaram Paravoor, Ashtamudi (Quilon), Kayamkulam, Kodungallor, (Cranganore) and Cheruva. The deltas of the rivers interlink the backwaters and provide excellent water transportation in the lowlands of Kerala. A navigable canal, 367 Km long, stretches from Thiruvananthapuram, the capital of Kerala, to Tirur in the far north.
Reference : Kerala Forest Website