Nilgiri mountains

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The Nilgiris on the map of the Indian subcontinent.

The Nilgiri hills or short Nilgiris (Tamil நீலகிரி Nīlakiri [ ni ː ləɡiɾi ], literally " Blue Mountains " ) are a mountain range in the states of Tamil Nadu and Kerala in southern India. They are part of the Western Ghats, which run on the edge of the Deccan Plateau.

The highest point in the Nilgiris is the Doddabetta with a height of 2,637 m. The most important place is the location to over 2,200 m altitude Udagamandalam ( Ooty) with approximately 95,000 inhabitants. In the Nilgiri Mountains resettle the indigenous tribal peoples ( adivasis ) of the Badaga, Kota, Irula and Toda.

The climate of the Nilgiri mountains is due to the altitude much cooler than in the tropical lowlands of south India. The landscape is dominated by forests and meadows. The fauna of the Nilgiri hills is one of the endemic Nilgiri Tahr.

The most important economic factors in the Nilgiris have tea cultivation and tourism. Other attractions in the Nilgiris include the UNESCO World Heritage Site of railway Nilgiri Mountain Railway.