Coonoor (pronunciation), is a taluk and a municipal town of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu.[1][2] As of 2011, the town had a population of 45,494. The town sits at the south-east corner of the Nilgiri plateau, and at the head of the Coonoor Ghat, the principal pass connecting the Nilgiris to the plains. It is 363 miles (584 km) by rail from Chennai and 12 miles (19 km) from Ooty. The town is built within the picturesque Jackatalla valley (Jagathala), surrounded by wooded hills.

Coonoor
Kunnur
The view of Coonoor from Grey's Hill.
The view of Coonoor from Grey's Hill.
Coonoor is located in Tamil Nadu
Coonoor
Coonoor
Location in Tamil Nadu, India
Coordinates: 11°20′42″N 76°47′42″E / 11.34500°N 76.79500°E / 11.34500; 76.79500
Country India
StateTamil Nadu
DistrictNilgiris
Government
 • TypeMunicipality
 • BodyCoonoor Municipality
Elevation
1,650 m (5,410 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total45,954
Languages
 • OfficialTamil
Time zoneUTC+5:30 (IST)
PIN
643 10x
Telephone code91(0)423
Vehicle registrationTN-43

History

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Since the time of British rule, Coonoor has served as the terminus of the Nilgiri branch of the Southern Railway zone of the Indian Railways (formerly under the Madras South-Western Railway). In its early years, the town featured a sub-magistrate's court, a hospital, three churches, several schools, a library, as well as various shops and hotels catering to Europeans. Surrounded by tea and coffee estates, Coonoor is one of the principal hill stations of then Madras Presidency, second only to Ooty in natural advantages.[3] The European settlement was located on the upper plateau, while the native quarter was situated on the lower slopes of the valley.

Demographics

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Religion[4]
Religion Percent(%)
Hindu
61.81%
Christian
23.99%
Muslim
13.01%
Other
1.19%

According to 2011 census, 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.[5] A total of 3,768 were under the age of six, constituting 1,871 males and 1,897 females. Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes accounted for 27.92% and 23% of the population, respectively. The average literacy of the city was 84.79%, compared to the national average of 72.99%.[5] The city had a total of 12384 households. There were a total of 17,421 workers, comprising 50 cultivators, 152 main agricultural labourers, 266 in household industries, 15,790 other workers, 1,163 marginal workers, 6 marginal cultivators, 66 marginal agricultural labourers, 31 marginal workers in household industries and 1,060 other marginal workers.[6]

Coonoor has 61.81% Hindus, 23.99% Christians, 13.01% Muslims, 0.04% Sikhs, 0.06% Buddhists, 0.95% Jains and 0.08% Others. 0.05% of the respondents follow no religion or did not state their religion.[4]

Tourism

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Spread over an area of 12 hectares, Sim's Park has a collection of over 1,000 plant species. The botanical garden is partly developed in the Japanese style and derived its name from J. D. Sim, the secretary of the Madras Club in 1874. The key attraction of the park is the annual fruit show held in May.[7][8] Dolphin's Nose Viewpoint is 10 km from Coonoor.Tourists can trek from Lady Canning's Seat to Dolphin's Nose. Lamb's Rock, about 5½ km from Coonoor, is another vantage point.

Administration and politics

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Coonoor is a taluk headquarters, responsible for six Panchayat villages, namely, Bandishola, Bearhatty, Burliar, Hubbathalai, Melur and Yedapalli. The Coonoor block contains the revenue villages of Adigaratty, Burliar, Coonoor Town, Yedapalli, Hubbathalai, Hullickal, Ketti, Melur. Coonoor assembly constituency is part of Nilgiris (Lok Sabha constituency).[9]

Geography

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Coonoor is located at 11°20′42″N 76°47′42″E / 11.345°N 76.795°E / 11.345; 76.795.[10] It has an average elevation of 1,650 metres (5413 feet) above sea level. It features a sub-tropical highland climate (Koppen;Cfb) due to high altitude.

Climate data for Coonoor (1981–2010, extremes 1928–2012)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Record high °C (°F) 25.6
(78.1)
27.0
(80.6)
28.3
(82.9)
29.6
(85.3)
29.4
(84.9)
28.6
(83.5)
26.2
(79.2)
26.2
(79.2)
25.1
(77.2)
25.6
(78.1)
25.2
(77.4)
25.6
(78.1)
29.6
(85.3)
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 20.2
(68.4)
21.7
(71.1)
23.6
(74.5)
24.7
(76.5)
25.2
(77.4)
23.0
(73.4)
22.2
(72.0)
22.1
(71.8)
22.1
(71.8)
21.3
(70.3)
20.0
(68.0)
19.6
(67.3)
22.1
(71.8)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) 9.3
(48.7)
10.4
(50.7)
12.4
(54.3)
14.4
(57.9)
15.3
(59.5)
15.3
(59.5)
14.8
(58.6)
14.9
(58.8)
14.1
(57.4)
13.4
(56.1)
11.8
(53.2)
10.4
(50.7)
13.1
(55.6)
Record low °C (°F) 0.7
(33.3)
0.2
(32.4)
3.8
(38.8)
8.4
(47.1)
9.0
(48.2)
9.4
(48.9)
8.8
(47.8)
8.6
(47.5)
7.2
(45.0)
6.1
(43.0)
3.0
(37.4)
−0.5
(31.1)
−0.5
(31.1)
Average rainfall mm (inches) 52.4
(2.06)
56.9
(2.24)
111.6
(4.39)
109.9
(4.33)
85.7
(3.37)
61.3
(2.41)
79.5
(3.13)
89.0
(3.50)
148.9
(5.86)
309.3
(12.18)
296.2
(11.66)
180.0
(7.09)
1,590.7
(62.63)
Average rainy days 2.3 2.4 3.4 5.9 7.0 6.0 7.9 8.2 9.5 13.7 10.4 7.5 84.4
Average relative humidity (%) (at 8:30 IST) 64 63 56 64 63 70 74 73 73 78 79 74 69
Source: India Meteorological Department[11][12]

On 8 December 2021, a Mil Mi-17V-5 transport helicopter operated by the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed between Coimbatore and Wellington in Tamil Nadu, after departing from Sulur Air Force Station. The helicopter was carrying Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat and 13 others, including his wife and staff. Thirteen people on board were killed in the immediate aftermath, and Group Captain Varun Singh died from his injuries at a hospital seven days later.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rongmei, Precious RongmeiPrecious. "Coonoor, a tranquil retreat in the Nilgiris you need to explore". The Times of India. Tamil Nadu. Retrieved 13 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Elevation of Coonoor".
  3. ^ Hunter, William Wilson (1881). The Imperial Gazetteer Of India Vol. 2 (1 ed.). London: Trübner & Co. p. 500.
  4. ^ a b "Population By Religious Community - Tamil Nadu" (XLS). Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2011. Retrieved 31 January 2016.
  5. ^ a b "Census Info 2011 Final population totals". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  6. ^ "Census Info 2011 Final population totals - Coonoor". Office of The Registrar General and Census Commissioner, Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2013. Retrieved 26 January 2014.
  7. ^ Gopal, Madan (1990). K.S. Gautam (ed.). India through the ages. Publication Division, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India. p. 177.
  8. ^ "Arrangements on for fruit show in Coonoor". The Hindu: Mobile Edition. 26 April 2015.
  9. ^ "List of Parliamentary and Assembly Constituencies" (PDF). Election Commission of India. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 October 2008. Retrieved 9 October 2008.
  10. ^ "Maps, Weather, and Airports for Coonoor, India". fallingrain.com.
  11. ^ "Station: Coonoor Climatological Table 1981–2010" (PDF). Climatological Normals 1981–2010. India Meteorological Department. January 2015. pp. 209–210. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
  12. ^ "Extremes of Temperature & Rainfall for Indian Stations (Up to 2012)" (PDF). India Meteorological Department. December 2016. p. M193. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 February 2020. Retrieved 18 February 2020.
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  •   Coonoor travel guide from Wikivoyage
  • Conoor Official history and tourism page on www.nilgiris.tn.gov.in.