Koyikode District or Calicut district, in the central part of the former Malabar district, is a district of Kerala state, on the southwest coast of India. The city of Koyikode, also known as Calicut, is the district headquarters. The district is 38.25% urbanised. Koyikode district is bordered by the districts of Kannur and Mahé to the north, Wayanad to the east, and Malappuram to the south. The Arabian Sea lies to the west and Western Ghats stretches towards east. Vavul Mala is the highest peak in the district. It lies between latitudes 11° 08'N and 11° 50'N and longitudes 75° 30'E and 76° 8'E. In 2001 the district was divided into four taluks: Koyikode, Vatakara, Koyilandy and Thamarassery. By the 2011 census there are 12 block panchayats: Balusseri, Chelannur, Koduvally, Koyikode, Kunnamangalam, Kunnummal, Melady, Panthalayani, Perambra, Thodannur, Thuneri, and Vatakara.
According to the 2011 census Kozhikode district has a population of 3,086,293, roughly equal to the nation of Mongolia or the US state of Iowa. This gives it a ranking of 115th in India. Among this the population of the Hindus increased to 17,34,958 from the figure of 16,69,161 in the 2001 census. Muslim population grew rapidly to 12,11,131 from the 2001 figure of 10,78,759 while the Christian population stood at 1,31,516. Its population a decade ago was 1,27,468. The district has a population density of. Its population growth rate over the decade 2001-2011 was 7.31%. Kozhikode has a sex ratio of 1097 females for every 1000 males, and a literacy rate of 95.24%. The centuries of trade across the Indian Ocean has given Kozhikode a cosmopolitan population.
Religion
According to the 2011 census, Hindus constitute the majority of the population, followed by the Muslims and the Christians.In 2001,the proportion was 57.97% Hindus; 37.47% Muslims and 4.43% Christians. There is a small presence of Jains, Sikhs and Buddhists.
Climate
The district has a generally humid climate with a very hot season extending from March to May. The rainy season is during the South West Monsoon, which sets in the first week of June and extends up to September. The North EastMonsoon extends from the second half of October through November. The average annual rainfall is 3266 mm. The best weather is found in towards the end of the year, in December and January — the skies are clear, and the air is crisp. The highest temperature recorded was 39.4 °C in March 1975. The lowest was 14 °C recorded on 26 December 1975.
Kozhikode is served by Calicut International Airport located at Karipur, about from Kozhikode city. The airport started operation in April 1988. It has two terminals, one for domestic flights and second for international flights.
