Geography and climate
The district has an area of 2,452.50 km2 The district is basically a hilly region, situated at an elevation of 2000 to 2,600 meters above MSL. Its latitudinal and longitudinal dimensions being 130 KM (Latitude : 10 - 38 WP 11-49N) by 185 KM (Longitude : 76.0 E to 77.15 E). The Nilgiris district is bounded byMysore district of Karnataka and Wayanad district of Kerala in the No
rth, Malappuram and Palakkad districts of Kerala in the West, Coimbatore district of Tamil Nadu in the South andErode district of Tamil Nadu and Chamarajanagar district of Karnataka in the East. About 60% of the cultivable land falls under the slopes ranging from 16 to 35%. The altitude of the Nilgiris results in a much cooler and wetter climate than the surrounding plains, so the area is popular as a retreat from the summer heat. During summer the temperature remains to the maximum of 25°C and reaches a minimum of 10°C. During winter the temperature reaches a maximum of 20°C and a minimum of 0°C.The rolling hills of the Downs look very similar to the Downs in Southern England, and were used for similar activities such as hunting.The Nilgiris was preferred by the British for its 'English-like' climateThe district usually receives rain both during South West Monsoon and North East Monsoon. The entire Gudalur and Pandalaur, Kundah Taluks and portion of Udhagamandalam Taluk receive rain by the South West Monsoon and some portion of Udhagamandalam Taluk and the entire Coonoor and Kotagiri Taluks are benefited by the rains of North East Monsoon. There are 16 rainfall registering stations in the district The average annual rainfall of the district is 1,920.80 mm. The principal town of the area is Ootacamund, or Udhagamandalam, which is the district capital.
