(Calicut), a city in India, in Kerala State, on the Malabar coast. Population, 334,000 (1971). A port, Kozhikode is the center for the processing and export of products of tropical agriculture, including coffee, coconuts, cashews, and spices. There is also sawmilling, woodworking, and the production of building materials and textiles. In the past, Kozhikode was known for the handicraft production of calico fabric. Vasco da Gama went ashore in Kozhikode in 1498.