Kochi formerly known as Cochin, it is a city in the Indian state of Kerala. The city is one of the principal seaports of the country and is located in the district of Ernakulum, about 220 kilometers north of the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. It has an estimated population of 600,000, with an extended metropolitan population of about 1.5 million, making it the largest urban agglomeration and the second largest city in Kerala after the capital.

In Kochi there are a number of industries, a large number of export produces, 100% literacy, highly developed social structure, and well laid-out communication facilities and transport infrastructure. These and a few other factors provide enormous scope for the growth of IT industry. The Kerala Government also recently announced an IT policy and created a separate IT department under the Chief Minister to promote IT in the state in a big way.

Since 1102 CE, Kochi was the seat of the Kingdom of Cochin, a princely state which traces its lineage to the Kulasekhara Empire. Heralded as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, Kochi was an important spice trading centre on the Arabian Sea coast from the 14th century onwards. Ancient travelers and tradesmen referred to Kochi in their writings, variously alluding to it as Cocym, Cochym, Cochin, and Cochi.

Occupied by the Portuguese in 1503, Kochi was the site of the first European colonial settlement in India. It remained the capital of Portuguese India until 1530, when Goa became the capital. The city was later occupied by the Dutch, the Mysore and the British. Kochi was the first princely state to willingly join the Indian Union, when India gained independence in 1947.

Kochi is a small town. But, it has outgrown its original bounds and is now the general name given to much of the region adjoining the original town, which now includes Cochin, Fort Kochi, Mattanchery, Ernakulum and many other nearby towns and villages. Kochi is situated in Ernakulum district in the state of Kerala.

Ernakulum is also the name of a town – the administrative capital of Ernakulum district – but, for all practical purposes Ernakulum and Kochi, generally, refer to the same place. Successive waves of migration over the course of several millennia have made Kochi a cultural melting pot. Despite the risk of overdevelopment, the city retains its distinct colonial heritage and a blend of tradition and modernity.