Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay, is the capital of the state of Maharashtra, and
the most populous city of India, with an estimated population of about 13 million
(as of 2006)[1]. Mumbai is located on Salsette Island, off the west coast of Maharashtra.
Along with its neighbouring suburbs, it forms the world's 4th most populous metropolitan
area, with a population of about 20 million. The city has a deep natural harbor
and the port handles over half of India's passenger traffic and a significant amount
of cargo.
Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment capital of India, and houses important
financial institutions, such as the Reserve Bank of India (RBI), the Bombay Stock
Exchange (BSE), the National Stock Exchange of India (NSE) and the corporate headquarters
of many Indian companies. Mumbai has attracted migrants from all over India because
of the immense business opportunities, and the relatively high standard of living,
making the city a potpourri of various communities and cultures. The city is home
to India's Hindi film and television industry, known as Bollywood. Mumbai is also
one of the rare cities to accommodate a national park, the Sanjay Gandhi National
Park, within its city limits.
History
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Present-day Mumbai was originally an archipelago of seven islands. Artifacts found
near Kandivali, in northern Mumbai indicate that these islands had been inhabited
since the Stone Age. Documented evidence of human habitation dates back to 250 BC,
when it was known as Heptanesia (Ptolemy) (Ancient Greek: A Cluster of Seven Islands).
In the 3rd century BCE, the islands formed part of the Maurya Empire, ruled by the
Buddhist emperor, Asoka. The Hindu rulers of the Silhara Dynasty later governed
the islands until 1343, when the kingdom of Gujarat annexed them. Some of the oldest
edifices of the archipelago the Elephanta Caves and the Walkeshwar temple complex
date from this era.
In 1534, the Portuguese appropriated the islands from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat, naming
them Bom Baia, Portuguese for "good bay". They were ceded to Charles II of England
in 1661, as dowry for Catherine de Braganza. These islands, were in turn leased
to the British East India Company in 1668 for a sum of 10 per annum. The company
found the deep harbour on the east coast of the islands to be ideal for setting
up their first port in the sub-continent. The population quickly rose from 10,000
in 1661, to 60,000 in 1675; In 1687, the British East India Company transferred
its headquarters from Surat to Bombay. The city eventually became the headquarters
of the Bombay Presidency.
From 1817 onwards, the city was reshaped with large civil engineering projects aimed
at merging all the islands in the archipelago into a single amalgamated mass. This
project, known as the Hornby Vellard, was completed by 1845, and resulted in the
total area swelling to 438 km.In 1853, India's first passenger railway line was
established, connecting Bombay to the town of Thane. During the American Civil War
(1861-1865), the city became the world's chief cotton trading market, resulting
in a boom in the economy and subsequently enhancing the city's stature. The opening
of the Suez Canal in 1869 transformed Bombay into one of the largest seaports on
the Arabian Sea.
Over the next thirty years, the city grew into a major urban centre, spurred by
an improvement in infrastructure and the construction of many of the city's institutions.
The population of the city swelled to one million by 1906, making it the second
largest in India after Calcutta. It later became a major base for the Indian independence
movement, with the Quit India Movement called by Mahatma Gandhi in 1942 being its
most rubric event. After independence, the city expanded to its present limits by
incorporating parts of Salsette Island. It also became the capital of the State
of Bombay, the successor to the Bombay presidency. After 1955, when the State of
Bombay was being reorganised along linguistic lines into the states of Maharashtra
and Gujarat, there was a demand that the city be constituted as an autonomous city-state,
independent of both. However, the Samyukta Maharashtra movement opposed this, and
insisted that Mumbai be declared the capital of Maharashtra. The most violent episode
in this agitation occurred when 105 people died from police firing at Flora Fountain,
now renamed Hutatma Chowk in their memory. The movement achieved its goals on May
1, 1960, when Maharashtra was formed with Bombay as its capital.
The late 1970s witnessed a construction boom and a significant influx of migrants,
which saw Bombay overtake Calcutta as Indias most populous city. The city's secular
fabric was torn apart in 1992, after large scale sectarian violence caused extensive
loss of life and property. A few months later, on March 12, simultaneous bombings
at several city landmarks by the Mumbai underworld killed around three hundred people.
In 1995, the city was renamed Mumbai by the Shiv Sena party government of Maharashtra,
in keeping with their policy of renaming colonial institutions after historic local
appellations.
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Geography
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Mumbai is located on Salsette Island, which lies at the mouth of Ulhas River off
the western coast of India, in the coastal region known as the Konkan. Much of Mumbai
is at sea level, and the average elevation ranges from 10 to 15 metres. The northern
part of Mumbai is hilly, and the highest point of the city is at 450 metres (1,450
feet)[2]. Mumbai spans a total area of 468 km (169 mi).
Three lakes are located within the metropolitan limits the Tulsi Lake, Vihar Lake
and Powai Lake. The first two are located within the Borivali National Park, and
supply part of the city's drinking water. Bombay also has three small rivers within
the city limits originating in the National Park. The coastline of the city is indented
with numerous creeks and bays. The eastern seaboard of Salsette Island is covered
with large mangrove swamps, rich in biodiversity.
Soil cover in the city region is predominantly sandy due to its proximity to the
sea. In the suburbs, the soil cover is largely alluvial and loamy. The underlying
rock of the region is composed of black Deccan basalt flows, and their acid and
basic variants dating back to the late Cretaceous and early Eocene eras. Mumbai
sits on a seismically active zone[3] owing to the presence of three fault lines
in the vicinity. The area is classified as a Zone III region, which means an earthquake
of up to magnitude 6.5 on the Richter scale may be expected.
Mumbai is classified as a metropolis of India, under the jurisdiction of the BrihanMumbai
Municipal Corporation. It consists of two distinct regions the city and the suburbs,
which also form two separate districts of Maharashtra. The city region is also commonly
referred to as the Island City.
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Climate
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The climate of the city, being in the tropical zone, and near the Arabian Sea, may
be broadly classified into two main seasons the humid season, and the dry season.
The humid season, between March and October, is characterised by high humidity and
temperatures of over 30 C (86 F). The monsoon rains lash the city between June to
September, and supply most of the city's annual rainfall of 2,200 mm (85 in). The
maximum annual rainfall ever recorded was 3,452 mm (135.89 in) in 1954[5]. The highest
rainfall recorded in a single day was 944 mm (37.16 in) on 2005-07-26.
The dry season, between November and February, is characterised by moderate levels
of humidity and warm to cool weather. Cold northerly winds are responsible for a
mild chill during January and February. Annual temperatures range from a high of
38 C (100 F) to a low of 11 C (52 F). The record high is 43 C (108 F) and record
low is 7.4 C (45 F) on 1962-01-22.
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Economy
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Mumbai contributes 10% of all factory employment, 40% of all income tax collections,
60% of all customs duty collections, 20% of all central excise tax collections,
40% of India's foreign trade and Rupees 40 billion (US$ 9 billion) in corporate
taxes[6]. A number of Indian financial institutions have headquarters in downtown
Mumbai, including the Bombay Stock Exchange, the Reserve Bank of India, the National
Stock Exchange of India, the Mint, and numerous conglomerates (the Tata Group, Godrej
and Reliance etc). Many foreign banks and financial institutions also have branches
in this area.
Up until the 1980s, Mumbai owed its prosperity largely to textile mills and the
seaport, but the local economy has since been diversified to include engineering,
diamond polishing, healthcare and information technology. Mumbais status as the
state capital means that state and federal government employees make up a large
percentage of the city's workforce. Mumbai also has a large unskilled and semi-skilled
labour population, who primarily earn their livelihood as hawkers, taxi drivers,
mechanics and other such blue collar professions. The port and shipping industry
too employs many residents, directly or indirectly.
The entertainment industry is the other major employer in Mumbai. Most of India's
major television and satellite networks are headquartered in Mumbai, as well as
its major publishing houses. The centre of the Hindi movie industry, Bollywood,
is also located in Mumbai, along with its largest studios and movie production houses.
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Civic administration
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The city is administered by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), with executive
power vested in the Municipal Commissioner, who is an IAS officer appointed by the
state government. The Corporation comprises 227 directly elected Councillors representing
the twenty four municipal wards [7], five nominated Councillors, and a titular Mayor.
The BMC is in charge of the civic and infrastructure needs of the metropolis. An
Assistant Municipal Commissioner oversees each ward for administrative purposes.
Almost all the state political parties field candidates in the elections for Councillors.
The metropolitan area forms two districts of Maharashtra, with each district under
the jurisdiction of a District Collector. The Collectors are in charge of property
records and revenue collection for the Federal Government, and oversee the national
elections held in the city.
The Mumbai Police is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an IPS officer. The
Mumbai Police comes under the state Home Ministry. The city is divided into seven
police zones and seventeen traffic police zones, each headed by a Deputy Commissioner
of Police. The Traffic Police is a semi-autonomous body under the Mumbai Police.
Mumbai is the seat of the Bombay High Court, which exercises jurisdiction over the
states of Maharashtra and Goa, and the Union Territories of Daman and Diu and Dadra
and Nagar Haveli. Mumbai also has two lower courts, the Small Causes Court for civil
matters, and the Sessions Court for criminal cases.
The city elects six members to the Lok Sabha and thirty-four members to the Maharashtra
State Assembly.
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Transport
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Most of Mumbai's inhabitants rely on public transport to travel to and from their
workplace due to the lack of car parking spaces, traffic bottlenecks, and generally
poor road conditions. The city is the headquarters of two rail divisions the Central
Railway (CR) (headquartered at Chatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly known as Victoria
Terminus)), and the Western Railway (WR) (headquartered at Churchgate). The backbone
of the city's transport, the Mumbai Suburban Railway, is composed of three separate
networks running the length of the city, in a north-south direction. The Western
Railway runs along the western region of the city, while the Central Railway covers
most of the central and northeast parts of the metropolis. Both lines extend into
the exurbs, each covering a total one-way length of around 125 km. The Harbour Line
is a sub-division of the Central Railway, covering a distance of 54 km along the
south-eastern section of the city, near the docks, and extending into Navi Mumbai.
Mumbai is well connected by trains to all parts of India.
Public buses run by the BEST (an autonomous body under the BMC) cover almost all
parts of the metropolis, as well as parts of Navi Mumbai and Thane. Buses are used
for commuting short to medium distances, while train fares are more economical for
long distance commutes. The BEST fleet consists of single-decker, double-decker
and air-conditioned.
Black and yellow-metered taxis, accommodating up to four passengers, cover most
of the metropolis. Auto rickshaws, allowed to operate only in the suburban areas,
are the main form of hired transport here. These three-wheeled vehicles can accommodate
up to three passengers.
Mumbai's Chatrapati Shivaji International Airport (formerly, Sahar International
Airport) is the busiest airport in India, and caters to cargo and international
flights while Santacruz Airport caters to domestic flights. The nearby Juhu aerodrome
was India's first airport, and now hosts a flying club and a heliport.
With its unique topography, Mumbai has one of the best natural harbours in the world,
handling 50% of the country's passenger traffic, and much of India's cargo[citation
needed]. It is also an important base for the Indian Navy.
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Utility services
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The BMC supplies potable water to the city, most of which come from the Tulsi and
Vihar lakes, as well as a few lakes further north. The water is filtered at Bhandup,
which is also Asia's largest water filtration plant. The BMC is also responsible
for the road maintenance and garbage collection in the city. Almost all of Mumbai's
daily refuse of 7,800 metric tonnes[8] is transported to dumping grounds in Gorai
in the northwest, Mulund in the northeast and Deonar in the east. Sewage treatment
is carried out in Worli and Bandra.
Electricity is provided by the BEST in the city, and by Reliance Energy and MSEB
(Maharashtra State Electricity Board) in the suburbs. Most of the city's electricity
is hydroelectric and nuclear based. The largest telephone service provider is the
state-owned MTNL, which held a monopoly over fixed line and cellular services up
until 2000, and provides fixed line as well as mobile WLL services. Cell phone coverage
is extensive, and the main service providers are Hutch, Airtel, BPL group, Reliance
Infocomm and Tata Indicom. Both GSM and CDMA services are available in the city.
Broadband internet penetration is increasing in the city, with MTNL and Tata being
the leading service providers.
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Demographics
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The population of Mumbai is about 13 million, with a density of about 29,000 persons
per square kilometre. There are 811 females to every 1,000 males which is lower
than the national average, because many working males come from rural areas, where
they leave behind their families. The overall literacy rate of the city above 86%,
which is higher than the national average.[9] The religions represented in Mumbai
include Hindus (68% of the population), Muslims (17% of the population), and Christians
and Buddhist (4% each). The remainder are Parsis, Jains, Sikhs, Jews and atheists
[10].
For a city of its size, Mumbai has a moderate crime rate. Mumbai recorded 27,577
incidents of crime in 2004, which is down 11% from 30,991 in 2001. The city's main
jail is the Arthur Road Jail[11].
Mumbai has a large polyglot population and Marathi is widely spoken, but the most
common language spoken on the city streets is a colloquial form of Hindi, known
as Bambaiya Hindi a blend of Hindi, Marathi, Indian English and some invented colloquial
words. Marathi is the official language of the state of Maharashtra. English is
extensively spoken, and is the principal language of the city's white collar workforce.
Most languages spoken in India have some degree of representation in the demographic
fabric of Mumbai; the most widely spoken of these are Konkani, Gujarati and Urdu.
Like other large cities in the developing world, Mumbai suffers from the same major
urbanisation problems seen in many fast growing cities in developing countries -
widespread poverty and poor public health, employment, civic and educational standards
for a large section of the population. With available space at a premium, Mumbai
residents often reside in cramped, relatively expensive housing, usually far from
workplaces, and therefore requiring long commutes on crowded mass transit, or clogged
roadways. According to the Business Week, around 45-48% of the population lives
in shantytowns and slums.
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People and culture
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A resident of Bombay is called a Mumbaikar, or Bombayite. Many residents prefer
to stay close to major railway stations for easy access to their workplaces, as
a significant amount of time is spent on daily commuting. Thus, many live a fast-paced
life, with very little time for social activities. Bombay residents celebrate Indian
and Western festivals with great fanfare.
The metropolis has its own local roadside fast food flavour, comprising vada pav
(leavened wheat bread split in half, with fried dumplings as filling), panipuri
(deep fried crpe with tamarind and lentil sauce), pav bhaji (leavened wheat bread
accompanied with fried vegetables) and bhelpuri (puffed rice mixture), while South
Indian and Chinese food are also very popular. The cosmopolitan residents have unique
tastes in cuisine, music, film and literature, both Indian and international. In
2004, Mumbai received three heritage conservation awards from the UNESCO.
Mumbai is the birthplace of Indian cinema, with the oldest film broadcast here in
the early 20th century. Mumbai also boasts of large number of cinemas, including
Asia's largest IMAX dome theatre, which feature mainstream Bollywood and Hollywood
films. Many film festivals are avidly attended throughout the year. Besides catering
to cinephiles, the city has a thriving theatrical tradition both in the regional
languages and in English. Contemporary art is well represented in both government
funded art spaces and private commercial galleries. The government funded art galleries
include The Jehangir Art Gallery and The National Gallery of Modern Art. Built in
1833, the Asiatic Society of Bombay is the oldest public library in the city. The
city also contains most of India's tallest buildings.
Mumbai has six sister cities (the maximum permitted by the Indian government). They
are: Berlin, London, Los Angeles, Saint Petersburg, Stuttgart and Yokohama
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Media
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Mumbai has numerous newspaper publications and television and radio stations English
newspapers published and sold in Mumbai include Times of India, Mid-day, Indian
Express,The Asian Age, DNA, Mumbai Mirror and Hindustan Times. Popular Marathi newspapers
include Loksatta, Maharashtra Times and Saamana. In addition to these papers, newspapers
are also printed in Kannada, Hindi, Gujarati, Malayalam, Bengali, Urdu, Telugu and
Tamil.
The national television broadcaster Doordarshan provides two free terrestrial channels,
while three main cable networks serve most households. Satellite television (DTH)
has yet to gain mass acceptance, due to high installation costs. Mumbai households
receive over a hundred television channels via cable, and a majority of them are
produced to cater to the city's polyglot populace. The metropolis is also the hub
of many international media corporations, with many news channels and print publications
having a major presence.
There are nine radio stations in Mumbai, with six broadcasting on the FM band, and
three All India Radio stations broadcasting on the AM band.
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Education
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Schools in Mumbai are either "municipal schools" (run by the BMC) or private schools
(run by trusts and individuals). A majority of residents prefer private schools
because of better infrastructure and the use of English as a medium of instruction.
All private schools are affiliated either to the Maharashtra State SSC board, or
the all-India Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE) and Central Board
for Secondary Education (CBSE) boards. Demand is especially high for ICSE and CBSE
affiliated schools, and those run by convents or the Jesuits[citation needed]. The
government run public schools lack many facilities, but are the only option for
poorer residents who cannot afford the more expensive private schools.[citation
needed]
Under the 10+2+3 plan, students complete ten years of schooling, and then enroll
for two years in Junior College, where they choose from one of three streams: Arts,
Commerce or Science. This is followed by either a general degree course in a chosen
field of study, or a professional degree course, such as law, engineering, medicine
etc. All professional colleges in Mumbai are affiliated to the University of Mumbai,
one of the largest universities in the world in terms of graduation rate. The Indian
Institute of Technology, Bombay, one of India's premier engineering schools, and
the SNDT Women's University are the other universities in Mumbai.
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Sports and recreation
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Cricket is the most popular sport in the city, and is usually played in the maidans
(grounds) around the city. Gully cricket, a modified form of cricket, is played
in the narrow by-lanes of the city, especially on Sundays. Mumbai has produced several
famous international cricketers), and is home to the Board of Control for Cricket
in India (BCCI). International cricket is widely watched, and the city almost comes
to a virtual standstill on days when the Indian cricket team plays important matches.
The city has two international cricket stadiums, the Wankhede Stadium and the Brabourne
Stadium. The local Mumbai cricket team is among the strongest competitors in the
Ranji Trophy, the nation's top domestic cricketing circuit.
Football is the second most popular sport with the city clubs playing during the
monsoons, when other outdoor sports cannot be played. The Football World Cup is
one of the most widely watched television events in Mumbai. India's national sport,
field hockey, has gone into a sharp decline in the recent years, losing out in terms
of popularity to cricket, though many Mumbai players play in the national team.
Other sports are mostly played in the numerous clubs and gymkhanas, and include
tennis, squash, billiards, badminton, table tennis and golf. Mumbai also has a rugby
club, the only one in the country. Every February, Mumbai holds the Derby races
in the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. The event sees many of the city's glitterati attending,
arrayed in the latest fashions. In recent times Formula 1 racing has also caught
the public's attention. Other sports such as volleyball and basketball are mostly
popular in schools and colleges.
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