AREA: The main part of the city is 94.88 sq. kms, comprising mainland Ernakulam; Old Cochin including Mattancherry, Fort Cochin, Palluruthy, and Thoppumpady across the large Vembanad lake; the man-made Willingdon Island; the suburb of Edappally and the exurbia of Kalamassery, Thrikkakara and Kakkanad to the north-east, and Tripunithura to the south-east.
POPULATION: The Kochi metropolitan area has a population of 21,17,990 (per 2011 census).
LOCATION: Latitude, 9.939093° N; Longitude, 76.270523° E. The city lies at sea level between Tripunithura, the seat of the erstwhile Cochin royalty to its south-east and the Eloor-Kalamassery industrial belt to its north. To the west lies the Arabian Sea.
TIME: Indian Standard Time, GMT+5.30 hours.
ALTITUDE: Sea Level.
LANGUAGE: Malayalam is the official language of the state of Kerala. English is widely used in business circles.Hindi and other Northern and Eastern Indian languages are spoken by the workforce that migrated from outside the state.
RELIGION (PREDOMINANT): Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Jainism, Judaism, and Sikhism. Places of worship of these religions are seen in the city.
CLIMATE: Summers are hot and muggy, winters very mild. The summer temperatures (March to May) vary from a high of 37°C to a low of 27°C, with winter months from October to February having an average range of 23-33°C. Cochin experiences both monsoons, the south-west monsoon from June to September with heavy rains and the north-east monsoon from October to December. The average annual rainfall is 3099.1 mm, with 132 average annual rainy days.
SEASON: The best time to visit is between October and March, with excellent temperature ranges and mild showers.
CLOTHING: Light cotton clothes are comfortable for the warm tropical climate. Rain protection is advisable, especially during the monsoon seasons.
WATER: Drink only boiled or bottled water.
ELECTRICITY: 220 volts. Sockets are of three round-pin variety. Overseas visitors will require plug adaptors. Voltage stabilizers are essential for electronic equipment of a sensitive nature.
RADIO: Radio Mango 91.9 MHz (Timing: 24 hours), Club FM 94.3 MHz (Timing: 24 hours), Radio Mirchi 98.3 MHz (Timing: 24 hours), Red FM 93.5 MHz (Timing: 24 hours).
All India Radio (AIR) has a few stations like AIR Kochi 102.3 MHz, AIR FM Rainbow 107.5 MHz that has restricted timings. All these channels are in the local language, but predominantly broadcast light music.
NEWSPAPERS: Malayala Manorama, Mathrubhumi, and Deshabhimani in Malayalam; the Hindu, the New Indian Express, the Deccan Chronicle, and the Times of India in English are the major dailies from Cochin.
BANKING HOURS: (Weekdays) Generally banks are open for customer service on weekdays from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm, some banks from 9 am - 4 pm; banks are closed on Sundays, declared bank holidays and second and fourth Saturdays.
Internet and mobile banking and 24-hour ATM service are also available.
ACCOMMODATION: Hotels range from 5- and 4-star properties, fully air-conditioned with all luxury features, to 3-star hotels with air-conditioned rooms, and 2- and 1-star hotels which offer basic amenities. Tourist lodges and hostels provide a convenient and cheap base. Furnished apartments and homestays provide all the facilities and services of luxury hotels, with a homely environment.
SMOKING: Smoking in public places including on roads, bus stands (and buses), railway stations (and trains), and restaurants is prohibited by law.
SHOPPING: You have a wide range of good buys to choose from. Among Cochin’s best buys are metalware; camel-bone carvings; wood carvings; articles made of coconut shells, bamboo cane, and rattan; embroidered screwpine mats; grass mats; and several other kinds of handicrafts. Cochin also has several good antique dealers. The major shopping centres are M G Road (textiles, jewellery, consumer durables), Convent Rd (fashion boutiques), and the Marine Drive including Broadway (readymades, electronics, spices). Jew Town in Mattancherry is famous for its curio shops and spices. Shops open at 10 am and close around 8 pm.
Huge shopping malls with multiplex cinema, food courts and restaurants, entertainment and children’s play areas, and branded outlets are the major draw for youngsters and families alike. Lulu, Prestige, Oberon and Nucelus are the major malls in Kochi. 'A day at the mall' is a popular pastime today.
For inbound and outbound passengers, duty-free shopping is available at the international airport.
DINING: Cochin and its suburbs have a wide range to offer, from cheap street-side eateries to gourmet restaurants. In upmarket restaurants, it is a good idea to book in advance, particularly on weekends. There is also a booming fast-food cafe option. Restaurants open at 8 am, closing at 11 pm. Alcohol service is limited to few restaurants that are a part of hotels.
ENTERTAINMENT: Multiplex cinemas and theatres have daily shows in Malayalam, Hindi, English, and Tamil. Daily Kathakali shows at select cultural centres like Cochin Cultural Centre (Tel: 0484-2356366, 08484-2357153, 0484-4011445 Mob: 98470 49542) Timings: 6.30 PM to 7.30 PM), periodic classical dance performances and Carnatic music recitals at the Kerala Fine Arts Hall at Foreshore Road and the TDM, Hall; and a range of art galleries are increasingly popular, especially the biennial art festival called the Cochin Biennale. Disney-style amusement centres, kiddies fun parks, bowling alleys and pool tables are catching on as the in-thing. Annual events like the Tourism Week (Dec-Jan) featuring boat races, food festivals, flower shows, shopping festivals, etc. are all well worth seeing. Important events and their venues and timings are announced in the local newspapers.
MAJOR EXPORTS: Tea, cashew kernels, rubber, spices, coir products, betelnuts, copra, lemongrass oil, coffee, fish and prawns.
TOURIST INFORMATION CENTRES: Government of India Tourist Office, Willingdon Island; KTDC Tourist Reception Centre, Shanmugham Road Tourist Information Office, Old Collectorate.
VISA EXTENSION FOR FOREIGN NATIONALS: The Commissioner of Police, Cochin City. (Tel: 0484-239-4770, 0484-235-3516).