Today, cotton textile production is a major industry. In the 1930's, the government developed hydroelectric power in the hills of the southwest, and Coimbatore rapidly became a major industrial center for the textile industry. Tamil Nadu has since become an engineering center, producing a range of products that includes automobiles, buses, motorcycles, precision tools, and trucks. The state also has cement, fertilizer, sugar, and oil-refining industries. Tamil Nadu's more traditional industries remain important.
Leather especially is one of India's major exports.
Tamil Nadu has extensive mineral deposits. Tamil Nadu is located in southeastern India. To the east and south is the Bay of Bengal and the Indian Ocean. Across the Palk Strait in the southeast lies the island country of Sri Lanka. To the north and west are the Indian states of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala.