Nilgiri Mountains

The Nilgiri Mountains are a highland region of the Western Ghats in southern India, spanning parts of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. They are known for montane grasslands, shola forests, tea plantations, and the Nilgiri tahr.

Western Ghats: A mountain chain running along India's western edge, recognized as a global biodiversity hotspot. The Nilgiris form its southern high-elevation section.
Orographic precipitation: Rain or snow produced when moist air rises over terrain, cools, and condenses. The mountains influence rainfall as monsoon winds encounter their slopes.
Peninsular Gneiss: An ancient suite of gneissic rocks forming part of the crystalline basement of southern India. These old rocks underlie substantial parts of the Nilgiri massif.
Tea cultivation in India: The commercial growing of tea in India's humid and highland regions. Tea estates occupy extensive areas of the Nilgiri slopes and plateau.
Endemic species: Species native to and restricted to a particular geographic area. Isolation and varied habitats have produced distinctive Nilgiri and Western Ghats wildlife.
Nilgiri Plateau: A broad upland plateau in the Nilgiri Mountains, with elevations commonly above 1,800 metres. It is the high central tableland within the range.
Southwest monsoon: The seasonal wind system that brings most of India's summer rainfall from the southwest. Its moisture and shifting flow help set the region's wet and dry patterns.
Deccan Plateau: A large elevated region covering much of peninsular India, bounded by the Western and Eastern Ghats. The Nilgiris rise from the southern edge of this broad upland.
Toda people: An Indigenous pastoral community of the Nilgiri plateau, historically associated with buffalo herding. Their cultural practices and settlements are closely tied to the highland grasslands.
Biodiversity hotspot: A region with exceptional endemic biodiversity that has undergone extensive habitat loss. The Nilgiris lie within the Western Ghats hotspot, where conservation pressures are acute.

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Eastern GhatsCompared with: The Nilgiris mark a highland junction, unlike the separated eastern ranges.