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Ooty short for Ootacamund or Udhagamandalam is perhaps one of South Indias most popular hill stations situated in the Nilgiri Hills at an altitude of 2240 mts. Spread out along a high plateau Ooty is set among the Nilgiris or Blue Mountains covered with green forests and valleys tea plantations streams and mountains. The term Nilgiri came about because of the blue haze which the hills seem to be enveloped in and Ooty is one of the best places to experience this sight.Apart from the thriving tourism industry the hill town also thrives on the oil extraction industry primarily from its eucalyptus trees and others like lemon grass geranium clove and camphor. The district on the whole gets its main income from the tea industry and an important annual Tea and Tourism festival is held at Ooty every year. One of the most charming ways to get to Ooty is by the mountain railway that chugs its way up the hill-side and lets you take in all the surrounding beauty. The name Oootacamund may have originated from the Toda word othakal-mundwhich means house in the mountains.
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