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Area
4950.675923 Sq. Km.
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Population
34,58,045
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District Head Quarters
Coimbatore
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Language
Tamil
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Visit Website
History And Geography
In 18th century, the Coimbatore region came under the Kingdom of Mysore, controlled by Hyder Ali and later Tipu Sultan. After defeating Tipu Sultan in the Anglo-Mysore Wars, the British East India Company annexed Coimbatore to the Madras Presidency in 1799. Coimbatore played a prominent role in the Second Poligar War against the British in 1801, as it was the area of operations of Dheeran Chinnamalai. In 1865, Coimbatore was established as the capital of the newly formed Coimbatore district and in 1866 it was accorded the municipality status. Sir Robert Stanes became the first Chairman of the Coimbatore City Council. Industrialisation of the region begin in 1888 and continued into the 20th century. The city experienced a textile boom in 1920s and 1930s due to the decline of the Cotton industry in Mumbai. The region played a significant role in the Indian independence movement.Post independence, Coimbatore has seen rapid growth due to industrialisation. In 1981, Coimbatore was constituted as a corporation. Coimbatore is situated in the extreme west of Tamil Nadu, near the state of Kerala. It is surrounded by mountains on the west, with reserve forests and the (Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve) on the northern side. The eastern side of the district, including the city is predominantly dry. The entire western and northern part of the district borders the Western Ghats with the Nilgiri biosphere as well as the Anaimalai and Munnar ranges. A western pass to Kerala, popularly referred to as the Palghat Gap provides its boundary. Because of its close proximity to the Western Ghats, the district is rich in fauna. Many lakes and ponds were constructed near the river in ancient times. The city of Coimbatore has nine lakes (wetlands). Singanallur Lake, Kuruchi Lake, Valankulam Lake, Krishnampatti Lake, Muthannan Lake and Seevagasintamani Lake are some of them. In most of the urban ecosystems, these wetlands are the major life-supporting component with high concentrations of birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish and invertebrate species. The Coimbatore urban wetlands harbours more than 125 species of resident and migratory birds, with August – October being the peak season. Spot-billed Pelican, Painted Stork, Open Billed Stork, Ibis, Spot-billed Duck, Teal, Black Winged Stilt are some of the migratory birds that visit Coimbatore wetlands regularly.
Agriculture
Transport
Air The city has an airport (Coimbatore Airport) at Peelamedu (11 km from the city) and an air-force base at Sulur (15 km). The Coimbatore airport caters to domestic flights to all the major Indian cities and international flights to Sharjah and Singapore. The Extended Runway is now ready at Coimbatore airport. It now runs to 9,760 feet (2,970 m) and is capable of handling wide-bodied and “fat-bellied” aircraft, such as are used for international flights. With the extended runway, airlines can operate aircraft types such as 747 SP, A 330, 747-300B, 747-300 ER, 747-400 and 747-200.[56] Rail New Railway Station Building Front View Trains first began serving Coimbatore in 1872, upon construction of the Podanur (Coimbatore South) -Madras line connecting Kerala and the west coast with the rest of India[citation needed]. Broad gauge trains connect Coimbatore to all parts of India and Tamil Nadu. Meter gauge line existed between Podanur and Dindigul got closed on May 2009 and is under gauge conversion. The Coimbatore Junction is well connected to major Indian cities like Chennai, Bangalore, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, New Delhi and Mumbai, besides the neighbouring State of Kerala. It is second highest revenue yielding station in the Southern Railway division of Indian Railways The Coimbatore Junction comes under the Jurisdiction of the salem Division and contributes 43.5% of its divisional income. Coimbatore North Junction is another important railway junction in the city. Road Dr. Nanjappa road opposite Gandhipuram Bus Stand D. B Road in R. S. Puram The city has six major arterial roads and three National Highways - NH-47 (Cochin–Salem), NH-67 (Mysore–Nagappattinam) and NH 209 (Bangalore–Dindigul). A new bypass highway built by Larsen and Toubro completed in 1998 has helped reduce truck traffic in the city. Coimbatore has several major bus stands. The town buses (intra-city) operate from the Town Bus Stand in Gandhipuram. Inter-city buses that connect Coimbatore operate from five different bus stands: Gandhipuram Bus Stand (for buses going to East and North East to Erode, Tirupur, Salem and surrounding areas), Singanallur Bus Stand (for buses to Madurai, Trichy and the towns around them), Thiruvalluvar or SETC Bus Stand at Gandhipuram (for buses to Karnataka, Kerala and Chennai), Ukkadam Bus Stand (for buses to Palakkad, Palani, Dindigul and Kodaikanal and other nearby places) and Mettupalayam Road Bus stand for buses going toward Mettupalayam and Ooty. Apart from these the Omni Bus Stand in Sathy Road, Gandhipuram caters to private bus operators.Main shopping area, Cross Cut Road in 2009 The city has a very high vehicle-to-population ratio. Town buses started operations in 1921. Town bus services serve most parts of the city, as well as other towns and villages in the district. Buses also connect the district with all towns in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, South and West Karnataka, Pondicherry and Tirupathi (Andhra Pradesh). The number of inter-city routes operated by Coimbatore division is 119 with a fleet of 500 buses. The number of town buses in the city is around 800 in 228 different routes.The city is also served by auto rickshaws. However, autorickshaw drivers have a reputation for fleecing passengers, resulting in the growth of call taxis.
Tourism
Coimbatore District is very much known for its tourist attractions. There are lots of places to visit in and around Coimbatore. Coimbatore district is one of the biggest districts in Tamil Nadu with lot of tourist attractions, shopping centres as well as religious places. Some of the major attractions of Coimbatore District are Aliyar Dam, Monkey Falls, Siruvani Dam, Cholayar Dam, Botanical Garden, Horticulture Farms and Vaitheki Falls. All these places are worth visiting. Coimbatore serves as an entry and exit point to neighbouring Kerala and the ever-popular hill station of Udhagamandalam (Ooty). It is the landing point for those who want to take the Mountain train that runs from Mettupalayam, just 35 kms from Coimbatore.