Geography
Location
Trichur town is situated 45 miles north of Ernakulam, 83 miles west of Coimbatore and 90 miles south of Calicut. It is the Headquarters of Trichur taluk and Trichur district.
Trichur District-influence region of Trichur Town
The function of a town can be fully assessed only with refernce to the hinterland or region it serves. The town is a concentration of people and activities, a collection and distribution centre and the hub of economic activities of the region. Considering Kerala State as awhole, Trichuris almost centrally situated. For purposes of this study the Trichur district is assumed to be the influence zone of Trichur town.
The trichur district lies between 100 10’ and 100 46’ North Latitude and 750 55’ and 770 05’ East Longitude. The area of the district is 1,137 sq. miles. The present district with the exception of Chowghat taluk formed part of the erstwhile Cochin State. The district at present consists of 5 taluks viz. Thalappally, Trichur, Mukundapuram, Crangannore and Chowghat.
Topography
The District may be divided into three well-defined Zones, Descending from the heights of the Western Ghats in the east, the land slopes towards the west, forming three distinct natural divisions-the high lands, the plains and the sea-board.
The high lands are thickly forested whereas the palins ,which are fertile, are cultivated for food and cash crops. Trichur town is located in the midland regions
Rivers
The Periyar, the Chalakudy, the Karuvannur and the Ponnani are the chief rivers in the district. All these rivers which have their origin in the mountains on the east, flow westwards and discharge into the sea.
Canals
The main navigable canals in the district are-
1. Ponnani canal in Chowghat Taluk,
2. Canoli canal lying between Chowghat Mukundapuram taluk and Puthenthodu in Trichur taluk.
Geology
Geologically the area is composed mostly of Archaean gneisses and crystalline schists with a narrow coastal belt of recent sediment and laterite. By and large, the major portion of Trichur district is covered by Archaean rocks.
Climate
The district has a tropical humid climate with an oppressive hot season and plentiful and fairly assured seasonal rainfall. The hot season from March to May is followed by the south-west monsoon season from June to September. October and November arethe post-monsoon season. The rains stop by the end of December and the rest of the period is generally dry.
The average annual rainfall is 31590 4mm. (1240 39”), the south-west monsoon generally sets in during the last week of May. After July the rainfall decreases. On an average, there are 124 rainy days (days with rainfall of 2.5mm or more in a year.
The average daily maximum temperature in March & April, which are generally the hottest months, is about 31 C(830 F) in the coastal regions and 360 C (970 F) in the interior.
The air is highly humid throughout the year, the relative humidity being generally over 70%, But in the interior regions, the afternoon humidity’s during the period of December to March, are between 40 to 50%.
Winds are generally lights to moderate and they strengthen in the monsoon season. In the south-west monsoon season the winds are mainly westerly or south westerly. During the rest of the year winds are mainly north easterly to easterly in the mornings and blow from direction between south-west and north-west in the afternoons.
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