The Nilgiris District (Tamil: ) is in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Nilgiri (Tamil : or Blue Mountains when translated into English) is also the name given to a range of mountains spread across the states of Tamilnadu as well as Karnataka and Kerala. The Nilgiri Hills are part of a larger mountain chain known as the Western Ghats. The highest point is the mountain of Doddabetta, with a height of 2,623 m. The district is mainly contained within this mountain range. The district headquarters is Ooty. It was ranked first in a comprehensive Economic Environment index ranking of districts in Tamil Nadu not including Chennai prepared by Institute for Financial Management and Research in August 2009.
