Tulu Nadu, also called as Tulunaad, is a region on the southwestern coast of India. The Tulu people, known as 'Tuluva' (plural 'Tuluver'), speakers of Tulu, a Dravidian language, are the preponderant ethnic group of this region. South Canara, an erstwhile district and a historical area, encompassing the undivided territory of the contemporary Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, and Kasaragod districts, forms the cultural area of the Tuluver.