Willingdon Island | |
---|---|
Island | |
Country | ![]() |
State | Kerala |
Government | |
• Body | Kochi Municipal Corporation |
Languages | |
• Official | Malayalam, English |
Time zone | UTC+5:30 (IST) |
Willingdon Island is the largest artificial island in India, which forms part of the city of Kochi, in the state of Kerala. Much of the present Willingdon Island was claimed from the Vembanadu Lake, filling in dredged soil around a previously existing, but tiny, natural island. Willingdon Island is significant as the home for the Port of Kochi as well as the Kochi Naval Base, the Southern Naval Command of the Indian Navy, Plant Quarantine station, Custom House Cochin [1] and Central Institute of Fisheries Technology, a constituent unit of Indian Council of Agricultural Research.
The island is also home for other establishments associated with the port, namely, the Office of the Cochin Port Trust[2] (that controls the Port of Kochi), the Customs Office, the Mercantile Marine Department and more than two dozen export-import offices, warehouses, a few hotels and business centers. The Cochin Port Maritime Heritage Museum is located in the island.[3]