# Coonoor

Coonoor (pronunciation), is a taluk and a municipal town of the Nilgiris district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. 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.

## History

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. The European settlement was located on the upper plateau, while the native quarter was situated on the lower slopes of the valley.

## Demographics

Religion :
| Religion | Religion | Percent(%) | Percent(%) |
| Hindu | Hindu | 61.81% | 61.81% |
| Christian | Christian | 23.99% | 23.99% |
| Muslim | Muslim | 13.01% | 13.01% |
| Other | Other | 1.19% | 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. 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%. 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.
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.

## Tourism

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. 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

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).

## Geography

Coonoor is located at 11°20′42″N 76°47′42″E﻿ / ﻿11.345°N 76.795°E﻿ / 11.345; 76.795. 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 (1991–2020, extremes 1928–2020) :
| 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) | 25.4 (77.7) | 25.6 (78.1) | 25.2 (77.4) | 25.6 (78.1) | 29.6 (85.3) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 20.5 (68.9) | 21.7 (71.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 24.5 (76.1) | 24.6 (76.3) | 23.0 (73.4) | 22.4 (72.3) | 22.2 (72.0) | 22.2 (72.0) | 21.3 (70.3) | 19.9 (67.8) | 19.9 (67.8) | 22.1 (71.8) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 10.2 (50.4) | 11.3 (52.3) | 13.4 (56.1) | 15.2 (59.4) | 16.0 (60.8) | 15.3 (59.5) | 15.2 (59.4) | 15.0 (59.0) | 14.7 (58.5) | 14.1 (57.4) | 13.0 (55.4) | 11.3 (52.3) | 13.7 (56.7) |
| 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) | 36.5 (1.44) | 54.3 (2.14) | 107.5 (4.23) | 103.7 (4.08) | 120.5 (4.74) | 71.6 (2.82) | 74.8 (2.94) | 101.7 (4.00) | 142.9 (5.63) | 345.3 (13.59) | 372.7 (14.67) | 136.2 (5.36) | 1,667.7 (65.66) |
| Average rainy days | 1.6 | 2.0 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 7.1 | 6.2 | 7.5 | 8.4 | 9.3 | 13.0 | 11.4 | 5.6 | 80.0 |
| Average relative humidity (%) (at 17:30 IST) | 72 | 62 | 60 | 68 | 76 | 79 | 81 | 83 | 84 | 87 | 88 | 83 | 77 |
| Source: India Meteorological Department ||||||||||||||

## 2021 Indian Air Force Mil Mi-17 crash

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.

## Gallery

* Coonoor Railway Station