city, west-central Tamil Nadu (Tamil Nādu) state, southeastern India. Coimbatore is located on the Noyil River, 300 miles (480 km) south of Chennai (Madras), on the Chennai-Kozhikode road. Long important as commanding the Palghat Gap through the Western Ghats to the west coast, it is a trade and processing centre for agricultural produce and a manufacturing centre for agricultural implements. Coimbatore houses agricultural and engineering schools, several colleges affiliated with the University of Madras, and an industrial and commercial museum and model centre.

The city's surrounding region is an important cotton-producing area, and coffee and tea are grown in the hills, in which timber such as teak and sandalwood is also produced. Deposits of limestone, mica, asbestos, and beryl are mined.

There is evidence of extensive prehistoric occupation in the Coimbatore region. Until the 9th century CE it was an autonomous territory known as Kongu Nad, but it was later conquered by Vijayanagar, Muslim, and British rulers. The Bhoodan (Gift of Land) movement for the redistribution of land to the landless peasants began in the region in the 1950s. Pop. (2001) city, 930,882; urban agglom., 1,461,139.