Information about Mumbai

History

The City of Mumbai in India has an ancient yet modern atmosphere. It is formerly known as Bombay and regarded as the financial and commercial city of India. This port city is India’s busiest and largest that holds the major share of the revenue of the government. It has one of the largest harbors in the world.

According to a recent survey of cities in the world, Mumbai is claimed to be the fifth most expensive one. 40% of Mumbai’s island city consists domesticated land from the sea.

The mega cosmopolitan city of Mumbai is a city of contrasts. It has deceptively fishing boats, beaches, and calm sea. This proves that a city can be a place free from pollution, population, and seams with more space.

Originally, the city of Mumbai was a bunch of 7 Koli Islands that were inhabited by anglers. The islands were part of the Gujarat. However, the islands were captured by a Muslim ruler/sultan named Muhamed Begada and eventually inhabited by Hindus. The sea route to Bombay was first discovered by a Portuguese traveler named Vasco De Gama. After several and repeated attacks by the Portuguese, the Sultan of Gujarat administered over the islands to them in 1534. However, the Portuguese conquerors could not find any utilization for the islands so they had given them to Charles 11 of England. The giving was part of the dowry when Charles 11 got wedded to Catherine of Braganza, who is the sibling of the Portuguese king that time.

After some few years, Charles 11 took ownership of the residual islands in Mumbai. The East India Company, a trading company centered in Gujarat, had leased over the island of Mumbai in 1668 because of its port advantage and strategic location to business. Since then, Mumbai became the central trading port in India. Reclamation and development had started in the city of Mumbai. During his term from 1672 to 1677, Governor Gerald Aungier had encouraged businesspersons from different parts of the world to come over the city and settle. Because of his legacy, Aungier was given the title as “Father of Bombay” by the historians. It was also during this time that Mumbai become a primary commercial center.

Geography

The city of Mumbai lies along the west coast of India in the Maharashtra state. It faces the Arabian Sea and occupies 440 square kilometers in area. Apparently, one-fourth of the city lies below the sea level, which also the highest point in Mumbai.

The buildings in the city of Mumbai are built in Gothic style and of British era. Among the buildings, include banks, private offices, Tourist office, Bombay Stock Exchange, General Post Office, Reserve Bank, India Government Mint, Churchgate Station, VT station and countless more. At the southern end of the city was the Narjman Point, which is the land reclaimed from the sea to house the city’s modern business center. The center is considered by most people as “Manhattan” because it has many high-rise office buildings.

Economy

Aside from being the commercial and financial capital, the city of Mumbai has one of the biggest cotton textile industries in India. It also has the largest source of natural gas and oil, and stock exchange in the country. The stock exchange in India is the third largest in the world.

The city of Mumbai is the Pharmaceutical Trade and Industry capital in India. It serves as transit point for manufactured medicines that enter the city as well as all over India. There are many central depots within the city, where the medicines are stored for redistribution all over India. Mega corporate head and multinational offices are situated in Mumbai even the biggest motion picture industry in the world can be found in the city.