Located at a distance of 165 km from
Coimbatore, Salem is covered by the hills of Jeragamalai in the south, Kanjanamalai on the west and Godumalai on the east. Salem takes its name from ‘sela or shalya’ meaning ‘the country around the hills'. Salem is believed to be the birth place of Avvaiyar, the
Tamil poetess.
The Salem Steel Plant is one of the most important of its kind in India. Salem is famous for sago, bauxite, body building of trucks, handloom weaving and stainless steel. It is the headquarters of
Salem District.
The Sunganeswar temple, Mariamman temple, zoological park, government museum are the prime interests. Bose maidan, High school playfield, Krishnan, Rajendra Choudry, and Ramakrishna are minor parks in Salem. There are around 44 movie houses in Salem. The nearby attractions are
Hogenakkal falls,
Namakkal, Yercaud, and Mettur Dam.
The main languages spoken here are Tamil and Sourashtra Language.
Salem Airport is about 20 km from city center. Salem Junction Railway Station is a prominent railhead of Southern Railways.
