Salem is a city and a Municipal Corporation in Salem district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Salem, which is also called Mango city, is located about 160 kilometres (99 mi) northeast of Coimbatore and about 340 kilometres (211 mi) southwest of the state capital, Chennai in the North Central part of the state. Salem is the fifth largest city in Tamil Nadu in terms of population after Chennai, Coimbatore, Madurai, and Tiruchirappalli respectively. The area of the city is 100 km (39 sq mi). It is the fifth Municipal Corporation and Urban agglomeration commissioned in Tamil Nadu after Chennai (year 1919), Coimbatore (1971), Madurai (1981) and Tiruchirappalli (1994) respectively. Salem Corporation consists of 60 wards categorized under 4 Zonal Offices, namely Suramangalam Zonal, Hasthampatty Zonal, Ammapet Zonal, and Kondalampatty Zonal.
Salem is a part of Western Tamil Nadu and is located at the base of the popular tourist destination of the Yercaud hills
