Kanyakumari

Kanyakumari
Cape Comorin
Kanniyakumari
Vivekananda Rock Memorial, Kanyakumari
Nickname(s): 
Kumari, Thiruvenisangam
Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari, Tamil Nadu
Kanyakumari
Kanyakumari (India)
Coordinates: 8°05′18″N 77°32′19″E / 8.088300°N 77.538500°E / 8.088300; 77.538500
CountryIndia
StateTamil Nadu
DistrictKanyakumari
Named afterDevi Kanya Kumari
Government
  TypeMunicipality
  BodyKanyakumari Municipality
  District CollectorAlagumeena R, IAS
  Member of ParliamentVijay Vasanth
  Member of Legislative AssemblyThalavai Sundaram
  District Panchayath ChairmanS.Merliant Dhas
Area
  Total
25.89 km2 (10.00 sq mi)
Elevation
60 m (200 ft)
Population
 (2011)
  Total
29,761
  Density665/km2 (1,720/sq mi)
Languages
  OfficialTamil
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
629 702
Telephone code91-4652 & 91-4651
Vehicle registrationTN 74 & TN 75
Websitewww.kanniyakumari.nic.in

Kanyakumari (Tamil; /kəɳjɑkʊmɑɾiː/; lit.'The Unmarried girl(or Kanya)' referring to Devi Kanya Kumari, officially known as Kanniyakumari, formerly known as Cape Comorin) is a town and a municipality in Kanyakumari district in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. It is the southernmost tip of the contiguous Indian subcontinent and the southernmost city in mainland India, and thus it is informally referred to as "The Land's End". Kanyakumari town is about 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Thiruvananthapuram and 20 kilometres (12 mi) south of Nagercoil, the headquarters of Kanyakumari district.

Kanyakumari is a popular tourist destination and pilgrimage centre in India. Notable tourist spots include its unique sunrise and sunset points, the 41-metre (133 ft) Thiruvalluvar Statue, and Vivekananda Rock Memorial off the coast. Lying at the tip of peninsular India, the town is bordered on the west, south, and east by the Laccadive Sea. It has a coastline of 71.5 kilometres (44.4 mi) stretched along these three sides.

On the shores of the city is a temple dedicated to the goddess Kanya Kumari (the unmarried goddess), after which the town is named. Kanyakumari has been a town since the Sangam period and was referred to in old Malayalam literature and in the accounts of Ptolemy and Marco Polo.