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Mumbai (Bombay)
Marine Drive, Mumbai

Classification Metropolitan City
Country India
State Maharashtra
Languages English, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and others
Time zone GMT +5:30
Importance Largest metropolitan city in India
Population

- Total
- Density

- Sex Ratio

12,622,500 (2004)[1]
28,834/km2

811 females/1000 males
Literacy Rate

- Total
- Male

- Female

77.38 % (2001)
82.08 % (2001)

71.67 % (2001)
Area 437.77 km2
Coastal Length 140 km
Latitude
Longitude		 18.96 ° N
72.82 ° E
Altitude 8 metres average
Temperature

- Summer

- Winter

27 ° C to 36 °C

13 °C to 26 °C
Rainfall 1800 - 2400 mm

Mumbai (also known as Bombay), located in the western Indian state of Maharashtra is the most populous city (see list) and the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world (see list). A coastal city with a deep natural bay, Mumbai is a significant contributor to Indian trade and taxation. The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995, but the former name is still widely used in the West and by many of the city's inhabitants.

History

The city originally consisted of seven islands. These seven islands were Colaba, Mazagaon, Old Woman's Island, Worli, Mahim, Parel, and Matunga-Sion. It was called Mumba (after Mumbadevi) and part of the kingdom of Ashoka and then various Hindu rulers of the Silhara dynasty until 1343 when it was taken by the kingdom of Gujerat. In 1534 the Portuguese took the islands from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat and renamed the area Bom Baia which means ("Good Bay") in Portuguese (masculine form). The name was later corrupted to Bombaím.

The islands remained in their hands until 1661 when it was part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza to Charles II of England. He in turn leased it to the British East India Company in 1668 for £10 per annum. The company found the deep harbour at Bombay eminently suitable, the population rose from 10,000 in 1661 to 60,000 by 1675, and in 1687 the East India Company transferred their headquarters there from Surat.

1888 German map of Bombay, now Mumbai

Completed in 1784, the Hornby Vellard was the first of the engineering projects aimed at joining the seven islands. William Hornby, then Governor of Bombay, initiated the project in 1782 despite opposition from the directors of the East India Company. The vellard was to prevent floods at high tide in the low-lying areas of Bombay by blocking the Worli creek. The cost of the vellard was estimated at Rs. 100,000.

From 1817 the city was reshaped with large civil engineering projects merging the seven islands into one single mass of around 435 km² by 1845. In 1853 the first railway link in India was completed, between Bombay and Thana. The city remained in Company hands until after the Indian Mutiny (or First War of Independence) of 1857 when it was taken from the Company by the Crown. Flora Fountain, Victoria Terminus, Hanging Gardens and the lakes were built in this time period. The Bombay Municipal Corporation was founded in 1872. Gateway of India and Prince of Wales museum were built during the early 20th century under British rule.

Also see: Growth of Mumbai

Geography and climate

File:Mumbai.terra.300px.jpg
Satellite Image of Mumbai City

Mumbai spans over 438 km&sup2 in area and is a linear city along the coast of the Arabian Sea.The city has a warm and humid climate throughout the year and an average temperature of 32ºC/day and 25ºC/night. Mumbai is located at sea level. Some parts of the city are a few metres below sea level. The highest point in the city is about 450m in the Powai-Kanehri ranges.

The city being adjacent to water, the temperature changes are not as drastic as those inland. Mumbai enjoys its monsoon showers from June to September with the annual rainfall being 216cm. Light fog in the northern reaches of the city in Dec/Jan. Hail is rare. The lowest recorded temperature is 7°C (1962), the highest, 42°C. Temperatures (max/min): Jan: 26/13°C May: 35/28°C July: 30/26°C Oct: 38/23°C.

Street scene, Mumbai

Mumbai earlier was made of seven islands which are today called Colaba, Mahim, Mazgaon, Parel, Worli, Bombay and Little Colaba (Old Woman's Island). It was then merged with the surrounding islands Salcette and Trombay to get its present land form.

An important place in the city is the Marine Drive, a long road along the coast with a sweeping curve, often referred to as the Queen's Necklace because of the glittering lights of the multi-storeyed buildings visible at night.

Also see: PIN codes of Mumbai ; Breakup of Monthly weather

Government

See Administrative divisions of Mumbai

Economy

Mumbai is often referred to as the financial capital of India. It is the highest contributor to India's income tax as well as corporate taxes. It is also center of the largest film industry in the world (in terms of number of films produced), "Bollywood". Over 300 films are produced each year in Bollywood although only few of them turn out to be financial successes. Mumbai is also the location of the oldest stock exchange in Asia, The Bombay Stock Exchange established in 1875. (The average daily turnover of the exchange in 2002-03 was 1251.29 crore rupees (approx. 275 million US dollars) although two years ago the average daily turnover was much higher at 3984 crore rupees (US$ 870 millon). Average number of daily trade in 2002-03 was 563,000.) The Mumbai financial industry is based in Dalal Street, Fort, South Bombay.

Transportation

External Transportation

Internal Transportation

  • Suburban railway which runs over 200 km connecting the city with the suburbs.
  • BEST (municipal run) buses.
  • Yellow and black metered taxis.
  • 3 wheeled Auto rickshaws in the suburbs.
  • Ferry services to Uran, JNPT and Alibag.
  • Trams were abandoned on 31 March, 1964.
  • Hovercraft servies abandoned in the late 90's due to high costs.
  • Helicopter services from Bombay to Bombay High. Not used for intra city transportation due to noise pollution.

Also see: Railway stations in Bombay

People

A resident of the city may be called either a Bombayite (from the city's former name Bombay) or a Mumbaikar (from the new name Mumbai).

Within Mumbai (Bombay), areas correspond to the nearest railway station on the suburban railway network and people often associate themselves with the particular area where they live. People prefer to stay close to the railway station as the railways are the lifeline of Mumbai. Hundreds of people migrate to Mumbai every day in search of jobs. This has created a heavy strain on the city's resources and emerged as an issue of the local people residing here since long time.

While Marathi is the official language of Maharashtra, Hindi is perhaps the most commonly spoken language in the city. The dialect spoken in Mumbai, termed Bambaiya Hindi, is a mixture of Hindi with words imported from many other Indian languages and English. Because of a perceived sidelining of Marathi, some Maharashtrians (including the elite) emphasize that Marathi should be given due importance, Mumbai being a part of Maharashtra. Besides Hindi and Marathi, English is also spoken often in government offices and other public places; at home and in local groups, virtually all the languages of India are spoken by groups from all over India.

Mumbai is one of India's most cosmopolitan cities and bustles day and night. Its appeal includes a liberal work environment and a relatively dynamic night-life. However recent restrictions have dampened the famed night life. Nevertheless its night life is better than most other cities. According to surveys, Mumbai is perceived to be one of the safest Indian cities for women, a city where they feel free to wear the clothes they like and travel at any time alone.

Educational and cultural institutions

Mumbai city has a large number of premiere educational and cultural institutions. There are two universities. Mumbai University and the SNDT Uniersity open to women only. The Mumbai University has almost all the colleges in Mumbai affiliated to it. See: List of Bombay Colleges

Number of municipal primary schools: 1,188 (as of 1st September, 1999) Source: Municipal Corporation statistics.

Cultural, social, and miscellaneous institutions

Recreation and malls

Mumbai has several European-style shopping malls, recreation centers, pubs etc. Indian movies (Bollywood) are the chief recreation of the masses. Mumbai is also a center for various concerts of Hindustani music and other performing arts. The city also has an IMAX theater, the largest in Asia.

Mumbai is lately (from 2001) following the trend of multiplex theaters, movie theaters with normally more than 2-3 screens. The oldest multiplex theater in Mumbai is the G7 which is located at Bandra.

Industry and commerce

Mumbai is the economic capital of India. Major industries are chemicals, textiles, information technology and fisheries. India's film industry has a strong presence in Mumbai.

Also See: Telecom companies in Mumbai

Present problems

Population is the biggest problem facing Mumbai. Land is scarce, cost of living is high. Population explosion has put a tremendous strain on the basic infrastructure and transport facilities of this city. In fact, Mumbai is set to replace Tokyo as the world's most populous city by 2020 . Many local political activists demand that unemployed immigrants to the city after 1995 must vacate, so that the population in the city's slums is reduced.

City Quick Look

Gateway of India
File:Hutamna Chouk Flora Fountain.jpg
Flora Fountain
  
     
     


Trivia

  • Has a National Park within City Limits.
  • Has 3 lakes - Tulsi, Powai, Vihar.
  • Has 3 rivers - Mithi (Mahim), Dahisar, Oshiwara
  • Has 4 forts - Sewree, Bandra, Mahim & Worli plus reminants old the old fort in South Bombay.
  • Tallest building in India, The Shreepati Arcade (45 floors) is in Bombay.
  • Is situated on an island - Salcette Island.
  • In 1995, Nariman Point had the highest land price in the world.
  • City divided into 2 districts: Old Bombay (city) and Greater Bombay (Bombay suburbs). Capital of Suburbs is Bandra (East).
  • City contributes 6 Lok Sabha seats.
  • Headquarters of Central Railway and Western Railway
  • Coral Reef found near the city in 1997.
  • 2 airports & 1 aerodrome (former airport - Juhu)
  • Tel code: 022
  • PIN code: 400 0xx
  • Vehicle licence code: MH-01 (city), MH-02 (western suburbs), MH-03(eastern suburbs)
  • Local time is 39 mins behind IST. Local time was used from 1884 to 1905 and unofficially till 1955.

Events

Miscellaneous

Important phone numbers

  • 100 - Police
  • 101 - Fire
  • 102 - Ambulance
  • 108 - Disaster Report
  • 1916 - Civic Complaint
  • 28888888 - General phone number enquiry

Radio stations

Slum population

According to the results of Census of India, 2001, 5,823,510 people lived in the slums of Mumbai or 48.88% of the population of Mumbai. This is by far the largest slum population in any city of India. 72.48% of this slum population was literate. Also, Mumbai, Delhi and Kolkata are the only 3 cities in India where over 1 million people live in slums.

AIDS

With 4.7% of AIDS cases in India from Mumbai, Mumbai is subject 160% AIDS than the average prevalence in India.

Also see


Bombay is a 1995 Tamil/Hindi movie by Mani Ratnam starring Arvind Swamy and Manisha Koirala with music composed by A.R. Rahman.

Bombay Dreams is a musical produced by Andrew Lloyd Webber, composed by A.R. Rahman.

Bombay is the name of a town in Franklin County, New York in the USA.
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