southern uplands

The Southern Uplands refer to a hilly region in central Tamil Nadu state, southern India. This area spans approximately 15,200 square miles (39,000 square km) and is bordered by the Telangana plateau to the north, the Tamil Nadu Plains to the east, the Western Ghats to the south, and the Eastern Ghats to the west.1

Several rivers, including the Kaveri, Palar, Vaigai, Thamirabarani, and Periyar, flow eastward through the uplands into the Bay of Bengal. The Kaveri River and its tributaries have shaped the landscape into distinct areas like the Tamil Nadu Hills and the Coimbatore-Madurai Uplands. The average elevation decreases from about 1,485 feet (450 meters) in the west to around 500 feet (150 meters) in the east.1

Agriculture is the primary occupation, with crops such as rice, millet, oilseeds, pulses, cotton, and sugarcane being cultivated. The region is also an industrialized area, producing textiles, machine tools, and chemicals, and features plantations for coffee, tea, cinchona, and cardamom.1