Kochi is also known as Cochin which is a major port city on the Malabar Coast of India. Kochi is the most densely populated city in Kerala. It is called the "Queen of the Arabian Sea", Kochi was an important spice trading centre on the west coast of India from the 14th century onward and maintained a trade network with Arab merchants from the pre-Islamic era. Kochi is known as the financial, commercial and industrial capital of Kerala.