THE DISTRICT OF COIMBATORE has an area of 7,225 sq. miles. It is a flat, open country, hemmed in by mountains on the north, west and south, but opening eastwards on to the great plain of the Carnatic ; the average height of the plain above sea-level is about goo ft. The principal mountains are the Anamalai hills, in the south of the district, rising at places to a height of between 8,000 and 9,000 ft. In the west the Palghat and Vallagiri hills form a connecting link between the Anamalai range and the Nilgiris, with the exception of a remarkable gap known as the Palghat pass. This gap, which completely intersects the Ghats, is about 20 m. wide. In the north the Cauvery chain extends eastwards from the Nilgiris, and rises in places to 4,00o ft. The principal rivers are the Cauvery, Bhavani, Noyil and Amravati. There are numerous canals, wells and tanks for irrigation. Coim batore district was acquired by the British in 1799 at the close of the war which ended with the death of Tippoo. In 1931 the population was 2,445,064. The principal crops are millet, rice, other food grains, pulse, oilseeds, cotton and tobacco, and raw silk is produced. Forests, yielding valuable timber, cover a large area. There are cotton mills and factories for pressing cotton, preparing coffee, making soap and dyeing. The south-west line of the Madras railway runs through the district and the South Indian railway (of metre gauge) joins this at Erode.