Kozhikode district is situated on the south west coast of India. The district is bounded on the north by Kannur district, on the east by Wayanad district, on the south by Malappuram district and on the West by Arabian Sea.

Kozhikode, the erstwhile capital of powerful Zamorins, is a historical town with a hoary past. The charming physical features and prosperity of the town attracted travellers from all over the world. Chinese were the first to establish commercial contact with Kozhikode. The famous traveller Ibn Batuta (1342-47 AD.) notes: "We came to Kalikut, one of the great ports of the district of Malabar, and in which merchants of all parts are found". Several other travelers who visited Calicut (Kozhikode) described it as a notable emporium of India. Kozhikode attained a position of pre-eminence in the trade of pepper and other spices, which made it India's emporium to international trade. Kozhikode still retians the glory and charm of the bygone era. The city continues to be a centre of flourishing domestic and international trade. It is also a marketing centre of commodities like pepper, coconut, coffee, rubber, lemon grass oil etc.

The political history of Kozhikode is a story of treacherous and ill conceirved conspiracies hatched by Western powers. The arrival of Vasco da Gama marked the advent of European powers in the east. Vasco da Gama landed at Kappad (16 Km. North of Kozhikode) in 1498, as the leader of a trade mission from Portugal and was received by the Zamorin himself. Kozhikode is an industrially developsed district. It has several large, medium and small-scale and traditional industries. Some of the more important large and medium scale industries are textiles, rayons grade pulp, soap and cosmetics, oil, wheat flour, steel products, tiles, sea food processing, allopathic medicines etc. The timber industry has a great influence ons the economy of this district. Kallai, is well known timber yard in the world. The traditional industries of the district include handloom, coir, cashew, bricks, tiles and handicrafts. The tiles from Kozhikode district are famous all over the country and commands an export market. Agriculture is the mainstay of districts economy. The main crops grown are coffee, tea, rubber, pepper , coconut, arecanut, tapioca, sugar cane etc. An agricultural research station at koothali and the coconut nursery at Thikkodi are the important institutions of their kind.