Kochi

Kochi is one of India’s great maritime gateways, shaped by centuries of Indian Ocean trade. Arab, Jewish, Portuguese, and Dutch influences have created a layered urban identity rooted in pluralism and exchange. The city’s port, markets, and historic quarters illustrate how trade built cosmopolitan cultures long before modern globalisation.

In contemporary India, Kochi is an intersection of logistics, creative industries, digital media, and environmental debate. Its backwaters face ecological pressures even as the city emerges as a cultural hotspot through events like the Kochi-Muziris Biennale. Kochi becomes a living example of how port cities balance heritage, ecology, and global integration.