THC Science

This article is about the city formerly known as Bombay. For other uses of this word, see Bombay (disambiguation)

Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra and is located on an island off the west coast of India. It is the largest port in western India having a deep natural harbour. With a 2004 population of 12.7 million, it is the sixth most populous agglomeration in the world, and along with its outlying satellite townships is the world's most populous conurbation.

Mumbai is the commercial capital of India, housing important financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange and the corporate headquarters of many Indian companies. Owing to the immense business opportunities available in Mumbai and relatively high standard of living, it has attracted migrants from all over India and South Asia, making the city a potpourri of various communities and cultures. Within Mumbai is located Bollywood — the epicentre of the country's Hindi film and television industry, producing the world's highest number of films annually. Mumbai is also one of the rare cities to accommodate a National Park within its municipal limits. Template:Mumbai infobox The name Mumbai is an eponym, etymologically derived from Mumba — the name of the local Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, and Aai — meaning mother in Marathi. In the 16th century, the Portuguese named the area Bom Bahia which means Good Bay. This was later corrupted to Bomaím, and after the British gained possession, it was anglicised to Bombay. The name was officially changed from Bombay to Mumbai in 1995, but the former name is still popularly used in the West and by many of the city's inhabitants and famous institutions.

History

The present-day Mumbai was originally made up of seven small islands. Artefacts found near Kandivali in northern Mumbai indicate that these islands were inhabited since the Stone Age. They were part of the Magadha empire,in the 3rd century BC, ruled by the Buddhist emperor Ashoka. Later the Hindu rulers of the Silhara dynasty ruled these islands until 1343, when it was annexed by the kingdom of Gujarat. Some of the oldest edifices of the archipelago — the Elephanta Caves and the Walkeshwar temple complex date back to this era.

In 1534, the Portuguese appropriated the islands from Bahadur Shah of Gujarat. They were ceded to Charles II of England as dowry of Catherine de Braganza in 1661, who in turn leased it to the British East India Company in 1668 for a sum of £10 per annum. The company found the deep harbour at Bombay eminently apposite, and the population rose from 10,000 in 1661 to 60,000 by 1675. The Naval Dockyard was the first of the docks to be built and soon became the centre of India's ship building industry. In 1687, the East India Company transferred their headquarters to Bombay from Surat.

The original seven islands of Bombay before they were merged in the 18th century.

From 1817 the city was reshaped with large civil engineering projects aimed at merging the islands into one amalgamated mass. This project, the Hornby Vellard was completed by 1845 and resulted in the area swelling to 435 km². The country's first railway link was completed in 1853 connecting Bombay to Thana. During the American Civil War, (1861–1865) Bombay became the world's chief cotton market resulting in a boom in the economy and subsequently in its importance. The opening up of the Suez Canal in 1869, transformed Bombay into a major port as the distance between the city and Europe shortened.

The next thirty years witnessed an improvement in the infrastructure and the construction of many of the city's institutions. The population of the city had swelled to 1 million by 1906 following the economic boom, making it one of the largest cities after Calcutta. After independence, the city incorporated the parts of the island of Salcette expanding to its present day limits in 1957. It became the capital of the new state of Maharashtra in 1960.

In the late 1970s, Bombay witnessed a construction boom and the population increased significantly due to the influx of migrants, and by 1986, it had overtaken Calcutta as the most populated Indian city. A major blot on the secular nature of the city occurred in 1992 after large-scale Hindu-Muslim riots killed many and caused extensive losses. A few months later, simultaneous bombings of the city's establishments by the underworld killed 300 people. The city was renamed to Mumbai in 1995, after the right wing Shiv Sena party came into power in Maharashtra.

See also: Timeline of Mumbai events

Geography

File:Heavenlybombay.png

Mumbai as seen from space. The island is clearly visible.

Mumbai is located on an island (Salcette Island) which lies at the mouth of River Ulhas off the western coast of India in the coastal region known as the Konkan. Most 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)[1]. Mumbai spans a total area of 438 km² (169 sq miles).

The city originally extended from the southern tip of the peninsula to the Mahim and Sion Creeks in the north. This region was then called Old Bombay (the downtown area), and the area to the north — Greater Bombay. The metropolitan limits were expanded to the present day area in 1960. The above regions are commonly known as town and suburbs respectively and the terms townie and burbie are used to refer to populace of the two localities. The city region (erstwhile Old Bombay) is also commonly referred to as the Island City by most media publications [2][3].

The yellow area is the City and the green area — the Bombay Suburban District. The two districts make up the metropolitan region.

Within the metropolitan limits are present three lakes — the Tulsi Lake, Vihar Lake and the Powai Lake. The first two are present within the Borivali National Park and supply part of the city's drinking water. Mumbai also has three small rivers within the city limits originating in the National Park. The coastline of the city is inundated with numerous creeks and bays and many fishing communities live in these areas. On the eastern seaboard, large mangrove swamps occupy most of the region. The swamps are rich in biodiversity and are protected.

Soil cover in Mumbai City region is predominantly sandy owing 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 geological eras. Mumbai is seismologically active and sits on the intersection of three fault lines. The city sits in a seismically active zone classified as a Zone III region which means an earthquake of magnitude of up to 6.5 can be expected.

Climate

The city, being in the tropical zone and near the Arabian Sea, does not experience distinct seasons, but the climate can broadly be classified into two main seasons — the humid season and the dry season. The humid season, between March to October, is characterised by high humidity and temperatures of over 30°C (86°F). The monsoon rains lash the city during 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 3,451.6 mm in 1954.[4]

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 high wind chill factor during January and February. The annual temperatures range from a high of 38°C (100°F) to a low of 11°C (52°F). The record high is 42°C (108°F) in 1964 and record low is 7.4°C (45°F) on January 22, 1962.

Economy

File:GatewayIndia.jpg

The Gateway of India is one of the city's most recognisable landmarks, visited by thousands of tourists.

Mumbai is the commercial capital of the country, contributing 10% of factory employment, 33% of income tax collections, 60% of customs duty collections, 20% of central excise tax collections, 40% of India's foreign trade and rupees 40,000 crore (US $9 billion) in corporate taxes. Headquaters of a number of Indian financial institutions such as the Bombay Stock Exchange, Reserve Bank of India, National Stock Exchange, the Mint, as well as numerous Indian companies such as the Tata Group and Reliance are located in Mumbai. Most of these offices are located in downtown South Bombay which is the nerve centre of the Indian economy. Many foreign establishments also have their branches in the South Bombay area.

Mumbai has traditionally owed its prosperity largely to its textile mills and its seaport till the 1980s. This has now been replaced by industries employing more skilled labour such as engineering, diamond polishing, healthcare and information technology. As Mumbai is the state capital, 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 proletarian professions. The port and shipping industry too employs many residents directly and indirectly. Like all other metropolitan cities, Mumbai also has a large influx of people from rural areas looking for employment.

The entertainment industry is the other major employer in Mumbai. Most of India's telivision and satellite networks are located in Mumbai, as well as the major publishing houses. A large number of the Hindi and English television shows are produced in Mumbai. The Hindi movie industry, Bollywood, is also located in Mumbai, along with the largest studios and production houses.

Civic administration

The city is administered by a municipal corporation (Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)), whose titular head is the Mayor who has few executive powers. The real executive power of the corporation is vested in the Municipal Commissioner, an IAS officer appointed by the state government. The BMC is in charge of the civic needs and infrastructure of the metropolis. Mumbai is divided into twenty-three municipal wards, each overseen by an Assistant Municipal Commissioner for administrative purposes. The corporators of the administration are voted in a popular vote and almost all the state political parties field their candidates.

Template:Mumbai city officials

The metropolis is composed of two districts in Maharashtra, and each district comes under the jurisprudence of the District Collector.[5] The collectors are in charge of property records and revenue collection for the Central government. They also oversee the national elections held in the city.

Like other metropolises in India, the Mumbai Police is headed by a Police Commissioner, an IPS officer. The Mumbai Police comes under the state Home Ministry. Mumbai is divided into seven police zones and seventeen traffic police zones, each headed by a Director General of Police. The Traffic Police is a semi-autonomous body under the Mumbai Police.

Mumbai is the seat of the Bombay High Court, which has under its jurisdiction the states of Maharashtra, Goa and the Union Territory of Daman and Diu. Mumbai also has two lower courts, the Small Causes Court, for civil matters, and the Sessions Court for criminal cases.

Mumbai contributes six seats to the Lok Sabha (India's Lower House of Parliament) and thirty-two seats to the Maharashtra state assembly.

Transport

Most of the city inhabitants rely on public transport to travel to and fro their workplace, which is in mostly downtown South Bombay. Public transport forms the core of the movement of masses due to the paucity of parking spaces, high parking charges and traffic bottlenecks. Mumbai is also well connected internationally with two operational airports and an international sea port terminal.

Internal

BEST buses form an integral part of the city's transport, ferrying millions of commuters daily.

The backbone of the city's transport is the Mumbai suburban railway. There are three rail networks and four major lines, all running along the length of the city which is in a north-south axis. The Western Railway runs along the western region of the city and consists of two rakes in each direction. The Central Railway covers most of the central and north-east parts of the metropolis. Both these lines extend to the exurbs of the city, each covering a total one-way length of around 125 km. The Harbour Line is a sub-division of the Central Railway. It covers most of the extreme east of the city region near the docks. The line then splits, with one line merging with the Western Railway, and the other extending into New Bombay covering a distance of about 54 km. The Harbour Line consists of a dual rake. Trains are used for medium to long distance commuting.

Public buses run by the BEST have an extensive network covering almost all parts of the metropolis as well as parts of New Bombay and Thane. Buses are used for short to medium distance commuting as train fares are more economical for long distances. The BEST is an autonomous body which comes under the BMC. The BEST fleet consists of single-decker, double-decker, air-conditioned and vestibule buses. The BEST also operates ferries across creeks in northern Mumbai.

File:India.Mumbai.03.jpg

Auto rickshaws are the main form of transport in the suburbs.

Black and yellow metered taxis cover most of the metropolis. The taxis can accommodate up to four passengers. Taxis are privately run in Mumbai but require a licence to operate. Auto rickshaws are the main form of hired transport in the suburbs. These three-wheeled vehicles can accommodate up to three passengers and are allowed to operate only in the suburbs.

See also: Railway stations in Mumbai

External

Mumbai is served by two airports: the Sahar International Airport near Andheri caters to international flights and cargo and the Santacruz Airport, south of the Sahar Airport caters to domestic flights. The nearby Juhu aerodrome was India's first airport till the Santacruz airport took over. It now hosts a flying club and a heliport. The aerodrome is also equipped with a runway to cater to emergency flights.

Hundreds of long-distance trains leave Mumbai for distant parts of India. The city is also the headquarters of two rail divisions — the Central Railway (CR) headquartered at Victoria Terminus and the Western Railway (WR) headquartered at Bombay Central. The Mumbai harbour is one of the best natural harbours in the world and handles 50% of the country's passenger traffic.

Demographics

The population of Mumbai is over 12 million residents at a density of 45,662 persons per square kilometre. There are 811 females to every 1,000 males, which is due to the fact that many males with families in rural areas work in the city. The total literacy rate is 77%, which is higher than the national average. Out of this figure 82% of adult males and 71.6% of adult females are literate. Hindus comprise 68% of the population, Muslim 17%, Christian 4% and Buddhist 4% . The remaining are followers of Parsi, Jain, Sikh and Jewish religions and Atheist ideology.

Mumbai attracting migrants from all over India, and has a large polyglot population. The most common language spoken on the city streets is a colloquial form of Hindi, known as Bambaiya Hindi, which is a blend of Hindi, Marathi, Indian English and a few invented colloquial words. While Marathi is the official language of the state of Maharashtra, it is not as widely spoken as Hindi. English is also extensively spoken and is the principal language used by the city's white collar workforce. As there is a significant population of people from the neighbouring state of Gujarat, Gujarati is spoken by many. Other languages spoken in Mumbai include Bengali, Urdu, Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu, Punjabi, Konkani, Nepali and Kannada.

See also: Growth of Mumbai

People and culture

A resident of Mumbai is called a Mumbaikar or Bombayite. People prefer to stay close to a railway station for easy access to the metropolis. Many city-dwellers lead a fast-paced life with very little time for other activities owing to a significant amount of time spent on daily commuting. Mumbai is known to be one of the most liberal and cosmopolitan cities of India, with the city embracing many concepts which would be taboo in other cities.

The metropolis has its own local roadside fast food consisting of vada pavs and bhelpuri. South Indian and Chinese food is also very popular in the city. The large number of migrants have brought their own unique tastes in cuisine, music, films and literature, both Indian and international. The city synergises western and Indian celebrations and festivals which are celebrated by all. Mumbai is often said to be the "city that never sleeps". In 2004, Mumbai received three heritage conservation awards from the UNESCO.

Mumbai is the birthplace of Indian cinema with the oldest film shot in the country in 1896 in the Kala Ghoda area. A large number of cinemas, including an IMAX dome theatre, catering to mainstream Bollywood and Hollywood films dot the city. Besides cinemas, the city also hosts various plays and cultural performances. There are also two art galleries, The Jehangir Art Gallery and The National Gallery of Modern Art and a museum, The Prince of Wales Museum in South Mumbai. The Asiatic Society of Bombay is the oldest public library in the city built in 1833.

See also:

Utility services

Potable water is provided by the BMC. Much of the water is supplied by the Tulsi and Vihar Lakes which are within metropolitan limits, as well as a few lakes further north. The water filtration plant in Bhandup is the largest in Asia. The BMC also sees to the road maintenance and garbage collection in the city. Almost all the city refuse is transported to dumping grounds in Gorai in the northwest and Deonar east. Sewage treatment is done at Worli and Bandra.

Electricity is provided by the BEST in the city and by Reliance Energy in the suburbs.

The government owned MTNL is the largest telephone service provider in the city mainly due to the fact that it was a monopoly till 2000. It provides fixed line services as well as mobile WLL services. Cell phone coverage is extensive and the main service providers are Orange, Airtel, BPL, Reliance Infocomm and Tata Indicom. Both GSM and CDMA services are available in the city.

Media

Mumbai is served by numerous newspaper publications, television stations and radio. The Times of India, Midday, Afternoon, Asian Age, Economic Times and the Indian Express are the major English language newspapers sold in the city. In addition to these papers, newspapers are printed in Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and Bengali and Tamil.

Television in Mumbai is cable based and there are three main operators serving the city. Direct To Home, though present, has yet to gain mass acceptance due to its higher costs. Mumbai receives over a hundred television channels and a majority of them are produced to cater to the city's polyglot populace. Mumbai is also the hub of many international media corporations with many news channels and print publications having a presence here.

There are seven radio stations in Mumbai, all in the FM band.

Radio City — 91 MHz
Go 92.5 FM — 92.5 MHz
Red FM — 93.5 MHz
Win FM — 94.6 MHz
Radio Mirchi — 98.3 MHz
AIR FM Gold — 100.7 MHz
AIR FM Rainbow — 107.1 MHz

Education

Mumbai has numerous schools and colleges. At ages 3–4, most children attend kindergarten schools which gear them up for school. Schools are run privately or by the BMC. Private schools are the preferred option to a majority of city residents as they use English as a medium of instruction. Private schools are affiliated either to the Maharashtra state SSC board or the all-India ICSE and CBSE boards. Demand is especially high in ICSE, CBSE affiliated schools and those run by convents or by the Jesuits. The government run municipal schools are less in demand and see enrolment mainly from the lowest strata of society.

After ten years of schooling, students enrol in Junior College. The colleges offer four popular streams — Arts, Commerce, Science and Law. Two years of Junior college is followed by a professional degree course. All colleges in Mumbai are affiliated to the Mumbai University, one of the largest universities in the world in terms of matriculation. Additionally many science students also try for the Indian Institute of Technology, one of the top ranked engineering universities in the world. The SNDT Women's University, open to women only, is the only other university in Mumbai.

Sports

Cricket is the most popular sport in the city and is usually played in the maidans around the city. Gully cricket, a modified form of cricket is played in the narrow gullies in the city especially on Sundays. International cricket is widely watched, and the city almost comes to a standstill on days when the Indian team plays important matches. The city has two international cricket stadiums, the Wankhede Stadium and the Brabourne Stadium. The Mumbai cricket team is one of the strongest domestic teams in the national Ranji Trophy, the nation's top domestic cricketing event.

Football (soccer) is the second most popular sport. The city has its own clubs and the football season is played during the monsoons when other outdoor sports cannot be played. International football has many fans and many stay up late nights to catch their favourite European clubs in action. The Football World Cup is one of the most widely watched television events in Mumbai. Hockey, India's national sport, has gone into a sharp decline in the recent years, losing out in terms of popularity to cricket, though many players who make up the national team are from Mumbai.

Other sports are mostly played in the numerous clubs and gymkhanas 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 equestrian races in the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. The event sees many of the top strata of the city's society attending, arrayed in the latest fashions. In recent times Formula 1 racing has caught the public's attention. Other sports such as volleyball and basketball are mostly popular in schools and colleges.

External links

References

Manorama Yearbook 2003 — ISBN 81-900461-8-7
BMC information on the city — A complete reference on the city prepared by the BMC.
TIFR information — a vast collection of information on the city.

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