Cochin or Kochi, is sobriquets as 'Queen of the Arabian Sea', is the commercial and industrial capital of Kerala. Being a strategically located natural harbor on the East-West trade route, Cochin is one of the major ports in India.
 
Cochin’s fertile land and richness brought Arabs, Chinese, Dutch, British and Portuguese to its shores. They came for spices, camphor, sandalwood, gold, and silks. These traders brought with them the culture and technology of other lands, making Cochin a global city.
 
Much of Kochi lies at sea level with a coastline of 48 km. The city has an estimated population of 650,000, with an extended metropolitan population of over 1.6 million, making it the largest urban agglomeration and the second-largest city in Kerala.
 
The current metropolitan limits of Kochi include the mainland Ernakulam, old Kochi, the suburbs of Edapally, Kalamassery, and Kakkanad to the northeast; Tripunithura to the southeast; and a group of islands closely scattered in the Vembanad Lake.
 
Influenced by successive waves of migration over the course of several millennia, the population of the city is a mix of people from all parts of Kerala and most of India. The pan-Indian nature is highlighted by the substantial presence of various ethnic communities from different parts of the country. Kochi has a diverse, multicultural, and secular community consisting of Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists among other denominations, all living in peaceful co-existence.
 
Keeping up with its multi-ethnic Diaspora, Kochi celebrates traditional Kerala festivals like Onam and Vishu along with North Indian Hindu festivals like Holi and Diwali with much gaiety. Christian and Islamic festivals like Christmas, Easter, Eid ul-Fitr, and Milad-E-Sherif are also celebrated. A merry-making feast called the Cochin Carnival is celebrated at Fort Kochi every year during the last ten days of December.
 
Kochiites (the locals) generally partake of typical Kerala cuisine, which is characterized by an abundance of coconut and spices. Other South Indian cuisines, as well as Chinese and North Indian cuisines, are popular. Fast food culture is also very prominent.

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