was transferred to Mysore State. In 1979, Periyar district (Erode district) was formed after bifurcation of six taluks of Bhavani, Gobichettipalayam, Sathyamangalam, Erode, Perundurai, Kangeyam and Dharapuram. Further, Tiruppur district was formed in 2012 comprising parts of Erode district and Coimbatore district. With its strategic location in Southern India, Coimbatore has a notable presence of defence forces, with units of the Army, Navy, Air Force and para-military forces like the Central Reserve Police Force and Border Security Force stationed in the district. Geography and climate Coimbatore district is in the western part of Tamil Nadu, bordering the state of Kerala. It is surrounded by the Western Ghats mountain range on the west and north, with reserve forests and the (Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve) on the northern side. The Noyyal River runs through Coimbatore and forms the southern boundary of the old city limits. The city sits amidst Noyyal's basin area and has an extensive tank system fed by the river and rainwater. The eight major tanks/wetland areas of Coimbatore are Singanallur, Kallimadai, Valankulam, Ukkadam Periyakulam, Selvampathy, Narasampathi, Krishnampathi, Selvachinthamani, and Kumaraswami tanks. Sanganur pallam, Kovilmedu pallam, Vilankurichi-Singanallur Pallam, Karperayan Koil pallam, Railway feeder roadside drain, Tiruchy-Singanallur Check drain and Ganapathy pallam are some of the streams that drain the city. The eastern side of the Coimbatore district, including the city, is predominantly dry. The entire western and northern part of the district borders the Western Ghats with the Nilgiri biosphere as well as the Anaimalai and Munnar ranges. A western pass to Kerala, popularly referred to as the Palghat Gap provides its boundary. Because of its proximity to the Western Ghats, the district is rich in fauna. The Coimbatore urban wetlands harbours around 116 species of birds. Of these, 66 are resident, 17 are migratory and 33 are local migrants. Spot-billed pelican, painted stork, open billed stork, ibis, spot-billed duck, teal, black winged stilt are some of the migratory birds that visit Coimbatore wetlands regularly. Apart from the species common to the plains, wild elephants, wild boars leopards, tigers, bison, species of deer, Nilgiri tahr, sloth bear and black-headed oriole can be found. The Anamalai Wildlife Sanctuary in the Western Ghats at an altitude of 1,400 meters covers an area of 958 km2. More than 20% of the district is classified as forest, lying in the west and north. The forests here are abundant in commercially significant trees such as teak,