Malabar Coast part of this narrow coast is referred to as the South Western Ghats moist deciduous forests. The Malabar Coast, throughout recorded history from about 3000BC, had been a major trading center in commerce with Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, Rome, Jerusalem and the Arab world. Its most famous ports (both defunct and functional) were 'Naura (Kannur), Balita (Vizhinjam), Kochi (formerly Ernakulam), Calicut (formerly Kozhikode [see List of renamed Indian cities and states]), and Mangalore, the most famous of them being Muziris, and the Oddeway Torre settlement (part of Danish India) have served as centers of the Indian Ocean trade, for centuries. Because
Malabar (Naval Exercise) ship and the nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine and a P-3C maritime patrol aircraft. Indian naval units included guided-missile destroyers and ; the guided-missile frigates , , , and ; the replenishment tanker ; and a "Shishumar"-class diesel-electric submarine. The Indian Navy, Japan Maritime Self Defense Force and U.S. Navy expanded their maritime partnerships during exercise Malabar 2009, held off the coast of Japan between 29 April and 3 May 2009. The features of Exercise Malabar 2009 were: • Visit, Board, Search & Seizure (VBBS) techniques • Surface warfare maneuvers • Anti-submarine warfare • Gunnery training • Air defense The ships involved