COIMBATORE

town, administrative headquarters of Coimbatore district, Tamil Nadu state, southeastern India. Coimbatore is located on the Noyil River, 300 mi (480 km) south of Madras, on the MadrasCalicut (now Kozhikode) road. Long important as commanding the Palghat Gap to the west coast, it is a trade and processing centre for agricultural produce and a manufacturing centre for agricultural implements. Coimbatore houses agricultural and engineering schools, 16 colleges affiliated with the University of Madras, and an industrial and commercial museum and model centre. Coimbatore district (2,900 sq mi [7,500 sq km]) comprises a fertile, undulating plateau 3,000 ft (900 m) above sea level. Surrounded by the Nilgiri (northwest) and Anaimalai and Palni (south) ranges of the Western Ghats, it has a warm, dry climate and has been subject to famines. The plateau is an important cotton-producing region, and coffee and tea are grown in the hills, in which timber such as teak and sandalwood is also produced. Deposits of limestone, mica, asbestos, and beryl are mined. There is evidence of extensive prehistoric occupation in the Coimbatore region. Until the 9th century AD it was an autonomous territory known as Kongu Nad, but it was later conquered by Vijayanagar, Muslim, and British rulers. The Bhoodan (Gift of Land) movement for the redistribution of land to the landless peasants began in the district in the 1950s. Coimbatore is the second most highly industrialized district in Tamil Nadu state after Madras city. Industries include cotton milling, food processing, and the manufacture of transport equipment. Pop. (1981) town, 704,514; metropolitan area, 920,355; district, 3,060,184.