Coimbatore (Tamil: கோயம்புத்தூர்), also known as Kovai (Tamil: கோவை), is the second largest city in the Tamil Nadu, after Chennai. It is the administrative headquarters of the Coimbatore District and a major textile and engineering hub of South India. It forms a part of the ancient Kongu Nadu region of South India, where its people were the first to establish a territorial state. Coimbatore city, including its suburban areas has a population of 2.4 million people.