The <a href='http://www.madgoa.

com'>Kerala backwaters</a> are a chain of brackis h lagoons and lakes lying parallel to the Arabian Sea coast (known as the Malaba r Coast) of Kerala state in southern India. The network includes five large lake s linked by canals, both manmade and natural, fed by 38 rivers, and extending vi rtually half the length of Kerala state. The backwaters were formed by the actio n of waves and shore currents creating low barrier islands across the mouths of the many rivers flowing down from the Western Ghats range. The Kerala Backwaters are a network of interconnected canals, rivers, lakes and inlets, a labyrinthine system formed by more than 900 km of waterways, and somet imes compared to the American Bayou. The Kerala backwaters are home to many unique species of aquatic life including crabs, frogs and mudskippers, water birds and animals such as otters and turtles . Today, <a href='http://www.madgoa.com'>houseboat tourism</a> is the most popul ar tourist activity in the backwaters, with several large Kettuvallams (traditio nal rice boats, now converted into floating hotels)ply the waterways. The backwaters have a unique ecosystem freshwater from the rivers meets the seaw ater from the Arabian Sea. In certain areas, such as the Vembanad Kayal, where a barrage has been built near Kumarakom, salt water from the sea is prevented fro m entering the deep inside, keeping the fresh water intact. Such fresh water is extensively used for irrigation purposes. Many unique species of aquatic life including crabs, frogs and mudskippers, wate r birds such as terns, kingfishers, darters and cormorants, and animals such as otters and turtles live in and alongside the backwaters. Palm trees, pandanus sh rubs, various leafy plants and bushes grow alongside the backwaters, providing a green hue to the surrounding landscape. Vembanad Kayal is the largest of the lakes, covering an area of 200 km, and borde red by Alappuzha (Alleppey), Kottayam, and Ernakulam districts. The port of Koch i (Cochin) is located at the lake s outlet to the Arabian Sea. Alleppey, Venice of the East , has a large network of canals that meander through the town. Vembanad i s India s longest lake.