Vembanad Lake

No lake in India is longer than Vembanad, which is also Kerala's largest, running 96.5 kilometres across Alappuzha, Kottayam and Ernakulam districts. With its surrounding wetlands it covers more than 2,000 square kilometres, the biggest wetland system in the country. Different stretches carry local names: Vembanad Lake around Kottayam and Vaikom, Punnamada Lake at Alappuzha and Kochi Lake in the north, where islands such as Vypin, Vallarpadam and Willingdon lie, the last two home to Kochi Port.

Only a narrow barrier island separates the lake from the sea, and canals tie it to other coastal lakes. To the south lies Kuttanad, the rice bowl of Kerala, where rice grows below sea level. Islands such as Pathiramanal and Perumbalam sit in the lake, and the Nehru Trophy Boat Race is rowed on part of it. Pollution is a concern in places, and the wetland is part of a national conservation programme.