Kottayam (Malayalam: ) is a town and muncipality in the Indian state of Kerala, spread over an area of 55.40km and is the administrative capital of Kottayam district. Kottayam (pop. 1,72,878 according to the 2001 census) is located in south-central Kerala and is approximately 150km (93.2mi) from the state capital, Thiruvananthapuram. The town is an important trading center of spices and commercial crops, especially rubber. Major Kerala print media such as Malayala Manorama, Deepika and Mangalam are headquartered in the town. Also a pioneering center of modern education in Kerala, the town became India's first municipality to achieve 100% literacy in 1989 and the district became the first tobacco free district in India on September 28, 2008. The town of Kottayam is also known as "Akshara Nagari ( ) (City of Alphabets) in honor of its contributions to print media and literature. It is believed that the name "Kottayam" is derived from the [Malayalam / Tamil] words ...
