Trivandrum city

Thiruvananthapuram തിരുവനന്തപുരം Trivandrum
Metropolis
Clockwise from top right: Kovalam Beach, Infosys Kazhakoottam, Technopark, Niyamasabha Mandiram, Trivandrum East skyline facing the Western Ghats, Kallar
Seal
Nickname(s): The Evergreen City of India
Thiruvananthapuram Show map of Kerala Thiruvananthapuram Show map of India
Coordinates: 08°29′15″N 76°57′9″E / 8.48750°N 76.95250°E / 8.48750; 76.95250Coordinates: 08°29′15″N 76°57′9″E / 8.48750°N 76.95250°E / 8.48750; 76.95250
Country	India
State	Kerala
District	Thiruvananthapuram
Founded by	Marthanda Varma
Government
• Body	Thiruvananthapuram Corporation
• Mayor	V K Prasanth
• Deputy Mayor	Rakhi Ravikumar
• Police Commissioner	G Sparjan Kumar IPS
• Member of Parliament	Shashi Tharoor
Area
• City	214.86 km2 (82.96 sq mi)
• Urban	250 km2 (100 sq mi)
• Metro	2,192 km2 (846 sq mi)
Area rank	57
Elevation	10 m (30 ft)
Population (2011)
• City	957,730
• Rank	14
• Density	4,454/km2 (11,540/sq mi)
• Urban	957,730
• Metro	1,647,121
Demonym(s)	Keralite, Malayali
Languages
• Official Language	Malayalam, English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Postal Index Number	695 XXX
Area code(s)	0471
Vehicle registration	KL-01, KL-16, KL-19, KL-20, KL-21, KL- 22
HDI	Very High
Climate	Am/Aw (Köppen)
Website	www.corporationoftrivandrum.in

Thiruvananthapuram (Thiruvaṉantapuram, IPA: [t̪iruʋənən̪t̪əpurəm]), formerly known as Trivandrum, is the capital and the largest city of the Indian state of Kerala. It is located on the west coast of India near the extreme south of the mainland. It is officially the first metro city in Kerala. Referred to by Mahatma Gandhi as the "Evergreen city of India", it is classified as a Tier-II city by the Government of India.

Thiruvananthapuram was a trading post for spices, sandalwood and ivory. The city was ruled by the Ays and was captured by the rulers of Venad in the 10th century. In 1729, Marthanda Varma founded the princely state of Thiruvithamkoor and made Thiruvananthapuram the capital in 1745. It remained as a princely state ruled by Travancore under the loose governance of the British before joining the Indian Union in 1948.

With nearly 80% of the state's software exports, Thiruvananthapuram is a major IT hub with the Technopark and the Technocity. It is an academic and research focal point in the country with an array of premier institutions like Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Central Tuber Crops Research Institute, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, National Institute For Interdisciplinary Science and Technology, Centre for Development Studies, Kerala Technical University, Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, Regional Cancer Centre and the National Centre for Earth Science Studies.