Coonoor is a hot spot for the tourists of India and the foreign countries as well. This place is located in Nilgiris District of Tamil Nadu. Coonoor is a hill station in South India, where one can find the peace in the abode of cloud. Coonoor is the second largest hill station in the Nilgiri hills after Ooty.
Location of Coonoor
Coonoor is a taluk and a municipality in the Nilgiris district in the state of Tamil Nadu. It is known for its production of Nilgiri tea. Coonoor is located at an altitude of 1,850 m above sea level. It is an ideal base for a number of trekking expeditions leading into the Nilgiris. The nearest airport is Coimbatore International Airport, which is about 56 kilometres from Coonoor town.
Latitudinal Extent of Coonoor
Coonoor is located at 11.35 degree north to 76.82 degree east. It has an average elevation of 1850 metres (6070 feet) above sea level.
Geography of Coonoor
Coonoor features a sub-tropical highland climate due to high altitude. Here, the frosts are very rare, unlike Ooty or Lovedale, which have higher altitude than Coonoor.
Demography of Coonoor
According to the population Census in the year 2011, Coonoor had a population of 45,494 with a sex-ratio of 1,058 females for every 1,000 males, much above the national average of 929. A total of 3,768 were under the age of six, constituting 1,871 males and 1,897 females. The average literacy of the city was 84.79%, compared to the national average of 72.99%. The city had a total of 12384 households.
Economy of Coonoor
The economy of Coonoor is dependant on seasonal tourist traffic during the summer months and on the tea industry year round. The local populace almost entirely depends on the tea trade. The massive private tea plantations that surround the hills produce fresh green tea leaves which are picked, processed and packaged in bulk in local factories, for sale at auction houses in Coonoor, Coimbatore and Cochin.
Tourism in Coonoor
Coonoor accompanies many nature tourism spots for its tourists. The main attraction within the town of Coonoor is Sim`s Park, a small well maintained botanical garden that has several varieties of plants. It is spread over 12 hectares of land. There are trekking trails leading out from the town. One of the popular trekking trails leading to Lamb"s Rock that is 9 km from Coonoor. Lamb"s Rock overlooks the Coimbatore plains, providing a spectacular view of the tea and coffee plantations in Coonoor.
Tourists can trek from Lady Canning"s Seat to Dolphin"s Nose, which is located 12 km from Coonoor. Nearby is Law"s Falls, which is located 5 km from Coonoor. Droog is also known as Pakkasuran Kottai. The ruins of a 16th-century fort can be seen in Droog. The fort is located at a height of 750 m. Coonoor has some Sericulture. The Government operates a Silk Farm, though this is largely a research facility. Recently, Floriculture and strawberry cultivation have taken root.
Visiting Information
Coonoor is easily connected by a metre gauge railway line in the world famous Nilgiri Mountain Railway (NMR) between Mettupalayam (Coimbatore) (28 km) and Ooty (17 km).