# Kollam

> City in Kerala, India

**Wikidata**: [Q321475](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q321475)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kollam)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/kollam

## Summary
Kollam is a city in the Indian state of Kerala, officially described as a city and an urban area located in India. It is known by many historical and local names (including Quilon and "Land of Cashewnuts"), has geographic coordinates 8.8852777777778 N, 76.586388888889 E, and had a recorded population of 397,419 in 2011.

## Key Facts
- Official classification: city; also described as a large human settlement, big city, and urban area.
- Country (current): India (country identifier: ; listed as preferred).
- Historical country affiliation: Portuguese Empire (value ) with qualifiers start_time 1518 and end_time 1661.
- Located in (structured): value  with qualifier start_time 1949-07-01; value  with qualifiers start_time 1856 and end_time 1949-07-01.
- District: Kollam district (a district of Kerala, India; inception +1835-00-00T00:00:00Z).
- Area: 73030000 (unit identifier ).
- Coordinates: latitude 8.8852777777778, longitude 76.586388888889.
- Population: 397,419 (point in time: 2011).
- Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Kollam_Collage.png.
- Aliases and alternate names: Quilon; Desinganadu; Tarshish; Land of Cashewnuts; Kollam, India; Kollam, Kerala; Coylang; Coylan; Kollam (Japanese: コーラム); Chinese forms 小葛兰, 故临, 俱兰, 俱蘭; Kollan; 퀼론.
- Related historical polity: Venad — late medieval Hindu feudal kingdom on the Malabar Coast, South India (inception +1100-00-00T00:00:00Z; country ).
- Related infrastructure: Kollam Airport (airport in India; country ).
- Related lighthouse: Kovilthottam lighthouse (inception +1953-00-00T00:00:00Z; country ).
- Notable neighborhood: Thrikkadavoor (neighborhood in Kollam; country ).
- Notable neighborhood: Tangasseri (neighborhood in Kollam; country , ).
- Cultural organization: Kalidasa Kalakendram (Indian theatrical group; inception +1963-01-25T00:00:00Z; country ; headquarters  and ).
- Key historical person associated: Rama Varma Kulashekhara — identified as the last king of the Chera dynasty.
- Website(s): http://kollam.nic.in/Default.htm and http://kollamcorporation.gov.in/ml.
- Authority and identifier data: VIAF ID 141896772; Freebase ID /m/03gxbh; GeoNames ID 1259091.
- Other identifiers and metadata: quora_topic "Quilon-Kerala-India-2"; store_id_google_play "Quilon"; sitelink_count 63; wikipedia_title "Kollam"; wikidata_description "City in Kerala, India".
- Wikipedia language presence: available in many languages (an, ar, arz, azb, bh, bn, bpy, ca, ceb, commons, cs, de, en, eo, es, eu, fa, fi, fr, gu, hi, hif, hu, id, it, ja, ka, kn, ko, lld, lt, mai, mg, ml, mr, ms, new, nl, no, oc, or, pam, pl, pnb, pt, ru, sa, sat, simple, sr, sv, ta, te, tr, uk, ur, vi, war, zh, zh_min_nan, zh_yue).
- Founding attribution: "founded_by" referenced (source :  and  link to an edit of the English Wikipedia page).

## FAQs
Q: Where is Kollam located?
A: Kollam is a city in India (country ), with coordinates 8.8852777777778 N, 76.586388888889 E, and is administratively associated with entities recorded under identifiers  (from 1949-07-01) and  (1856–1949-07-01).

Q: What population and area statistics are recorded for Kollam?
A: The recorded population is 397,419 as of 2011, and the structured area value is 73,030,000 with unit identifier .

Q: What are Kollam’s other names and historical labels?
A: Kollam is also known as Quilon, Desinganadu, Tarshish, Land of Cashewnuts, Coylang, Coylan, and appears in multiple language forms (including Japanese, Chinese variants, and Korean).

Q: What historical states and periods are connected to Kollam?
A: Kollam is connected to the late-medieval Venad kingdom (inception around +1100), and it was under Portuguese Empire association (value ) with a documented qualifier from 1518 to 1661.

Q: What transport, maritime, or navigational infrastructure is associated with Kollam?
A: Kollam has an associated airport (Kollam Airport) and the nearby Kovilthottam lighthouse (inception +1953-00-00T00:00:00Z).

Q: What cultural institutions or neighborhoods are notable in Kollam?
A: The theatrical group Kalidasa Kalakendram (inception 1963-01-25) is associated with Kollam, and neighborhoods explicitly listed include Thrikkadavoor and Tangasseri.

Q: Where can I find official online information about Kollam?
A: Official websites include http://kollam.nic.in/Default.htm and http://kollamcorporation.gov.in/ml.

## Why It Matters
Kollam matters as a multi-faceted urban center in Kerala with recorded demographic, geographic, administrative, historical, and cultural significance. The city’s many aliases reflect a layered identity shaped by local tradition ("Desinganadu", "Land of Cashewnuts"), historical international contact (Portuguese Empire association 1518–1661), and medieval regional polity ties (Venad, inception ~1100). As an urban area with a documented 2011 population of nearly 400,000 and formal identifiers across international authority systems (VIAF, Freebase, GeoNames), Kollam functions as a node in modern administrative structures and digital knowledge systems. Its listed infrastructure — an airport and a nearby lighthouse — and cultural institutions like Kalidasa Kalakendram demonstrate roles in transport, maritime navigation, and performing arts for the region. The collection of multilingual Wikipedia presence and many alternate names indicates broad global recognition and relevance for historical, cultural, and geographic research.

## Notable For
- Being a city and classified as a big urban area with a 2011 population of 397,419.
- Having multiple historical and local aliases, including Quilon and "Land of Cashewnuts".
- Documented geographic coordinates: 8.8852777777778 N, 76.586388888889 E.
- Historical connections to Venad (late-medieval kingdom; inception +1100) and a recorded Portuguese Empire association from 1518 to 1661.
- Associated transport and maritime facilities: Kollam Airport and Kovilthottam lighthouse (inception 1953).
- Hosting cultural organization Kalidasa Kalakendram (inception 1963-01-25) with listed headquarters identifiers.
- Presence in international databases and authority files: VIAF 141896772, Freebase /m/03gxbh, GeoNames 1259091.
- Extensive multilingual Wikipedia coverage (sitelink_count 63; titles present in many languages).

## Body

### Identification and classification
- Kollam is identified as a city and categorized as a large human settlement. It is additionally described as a big city (a city with a population of at least 100,000) and as an urban area.
- The Wikidata description labels Kollam as "City in Kerala, India" and its wikipedia_title is "Kollam".

### Names, aliases, and language forms
- Official and historical aliases include: Quilon; Desinganadu; Tarshish; Land of Cashewnuts; Coylang; Coylan; Kollan.
- Language or script variants provided: Japanese コーラム; Chinese forms 小葛兰, 故临, 俱兰, 俱蘭; Korean 퀼론.
- Digital and platform identifiers referencing the same common name include the Google Play store_id "Quilon" and the Quora topic "Quilon-Kerala-India-2".

### Location and administrative associations
- Country affiliation (current): India, listed as preferred in structured data.
- Historical affiliation: recorded association with the Portuguese Empire (value ) with qualifiers indicating a period from 1518 to 1661.
- Structured "located_in" entries include: value  with qualifier start_time 1949-07-01, and value  with qualifiers start_time 1856 and end_time 1949-07-01.
- The city is part of Kollam district, a district of Kerala which has an inception date recorded as +1835-00-00T00:00:00Z.

### Geography, area, and coordinates
- Coordinates are precisely recorded as latitude 8.8852777777778 and longitude 76.586388888889.
- The structured area value is 73,030,000 with unit identifier  (the unit identifier is preserved as given in the source data).

### Population and demographics
- The recorded population figure for Kollam is 397,419 with the point-in-time qualifier set to 2011.

### Historical connections and notable persons
- Kollam is connected to Venad, a late medieval Hindu feudal kingdom on the Malabar Coast, South India; Venad’s inception is noted as +1100-00-00T00:00:00Z.
- The city is associated with the historical figure Rama Varma Kulashekhara, identified here as the last king of the Chera dynasty.
- The Portuguese Empire is listed among related historical polities, with an inception date provided (+1415-08-21T00:00:00Z) in the sources.

### Infrastructure, transport, and maritime aids
- Kollam Airport is associated with the city and is categorized as an airport in India (country ).
- Maritime navigation infrastructure in the vicinity includes the Kovilthottam lighthouse, with an inception date +1953-00-00T00:00:00Z.

### Neighborhoods and local places
- Listed neighborhoods and localities associated with Kollam include Thrikkadavoor and Tangasseri (both identified as neighborhoods in Kollam; Tangasseri additionally linked with ).
- Tangasseri appears in the related list and has a dual country association in the provided data ( and ).

### Culture and institutions
- Kalidasa Kalakendram is an Indian theatrical group associated with Kollam; inception date is recorded as +1963-01-25T00:00:00Z and headquarters identifiers are  and .
- The presence of cultural organizations is explicitly recorded, indicating organized theatrical activity tied to the city.

### Governance, founding attribution, and online presence
- A "founded_by" reference exists in the structured properties (referenced by :  and  link to a specific Wikipedia edit), indicating source material cites a founding attribution though no single founder name string is listed in the provided data.
- Official online presences include the district/municipal URLs: http://kollam.nic.in/Default.htm and http://kollamcorporation.gov.in/ml.

### Authority files, identifiers, and digital listings
- Authority and database identifiers: VIAF ID 141896772; Freebase ID /m/03gxbh; GeoNames ID 1259091.
- Wikipedia and knowledge graph metadata: sitelink_count 63; listed in many language Wikipedias; store identifier on Google Play "Quilon"; quora topic string provided.

### Media and representation
- A representative image is provided at: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FilePath/Kollam_Collage.png (reference recorded in the structured data).

### Metadata notes from the source
- The structured data includes multiple property identifiers and references (e.g., , , ) for provenance; these are preserved in the source material.
- The compiled dataset presents Kollam with extensive cross-references to other entities (historical polities, infrastructure, cultural bodies) and multiple unique identifiers for integration into knowledge systems.

### Related entities (summary list)
- Venad (late medieval kingdom; inception +1100).
- Portuguese Empire (inception +1415-08-21; historical connection 1518–1661).
- Kollam district (inception +1835; administrative district).
- Kollam Airport (airport in India).
- Kovilthottam lighthouse (inception +1953).
- Kalidasa Kalakendram (theatrical group; inception +1963-01-25).
- Thrikkadavoor (neighborhood).
- Tangasseri (neighborhood).
- Rama Varma Kulashekhara (historically significant person, listed as last king of the Chera dynasty).

### References and data provenance
- The entry consolidates the provided structured properties, related-entity links, identifiers, and inception/qualifier dates exactly as supplied in the source material. No external facts or dates beyond those given have been introduced.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. GeoNames
4. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File