BOMBAY

Marathi Mumbai city, capital of Maharashtra state, India, and the nation's chief financial and commercial centre. It is India's principal port on the Arabian Sea and is one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world. Bombay city occupies a group of former islands off the Konkan Coast that are united by landfills and breakwaters. Known as Bombay Island, the site is joined on the north with the larger island of Salsette, which is connected with the mainland to the east. Bombay Island itself consists of a low-lying plain between ridges of low hills. The city is flanked by Bombay Harbour to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west; Back Bay forms the southwestern contour. The climate is hot and humid most of the year, with the rainy season lasting from June to September. The coolest season is from December to February. Bombay is the economic hub of India. The cotton-textile industry, on which its traditional prosperity is founded, is still important. The city's manufacturing is diversified and includes the production of chemicals, automobiles, and silk and artificial fibres; machinery and equipment firms and printing houses are also numerous. The Reserve Bank of India, the State Bank of India, and the Bombay Mint are located there, as is the country's leading stock exchange. Much of India's international trade moves through the city's port. The city's high population growth rate has created serious overcrowding, housing shortages, and pollution. The poverty of many residents is reflected in Bombay's slum areas, which are among the largest in India. By necessity, the metropolitan area has expanded northward past Thana, and a twin city on the mainland opposite Bombay has arisen to relieve some of the urban pressures. Bombay's educational and cultural life reflects its cosmopolitan and polyglot population. The University of Bombay (1857) and the Indian Institute of Technology offer higher education. Also located there are the Haffkine Institute for bacteriological research; the Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan (Palace of Indian Learning) for the promotion of education, art, and culture; the Prince of Wales Museum of Western India; and the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. Perhaps no other Indian city matches Bombay in the wide scope of its cultural and entertainment facilities. It is the centre of India's thriving film industry and is host to concerts, festivals, and dance performances reflecting the influences of both Eastern and Western culture. Traffic inside Bombay, despite two suburban electric-train systems, is highly congested because of a growing number of private automobiles and taxis. The city is linked by road and rail to all the major cities of India. Sahar International Airport (1981), located in Sahar village on Salsette Island, handles foreign flights formerly served by Santa Cruz Airport. Ferry service connects Bombay to mainland cities. The city is India's major western harbour. Area, metropolitan area (Greater Bombay), 233 square miles (603 square km). Pop. (1981) metropolitan area (Greater Bombay), 8,243,405, (1991 prelim.) 9,909,547. Marathi Mumbai city, capital of Maharashtra state, India, and the country's financial and commercial centre and principal port on the Arabian Sea. It is one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world. Bombay is located on a site of ancient settlement and took its name from the local goddess Mumbaa form of Parvati, the consort of Siva (Shiva), one of the principal gods of Hinduismwhose temple once stood in what is now the southeastern section of the city. Bombay has long been the centre of India's cotton-textile industry, but its other manufacturing industries are now well-diversified and its commercial and financial institutions strong and vigorous. It suffers, however, from the chronic ills of most large, expanding industrial citiesair and water pollution, slums, and overcrowding. Expansion of Bombay is confined by its island location, and the city, which has one of the highest population densities in the world, seems ready to burst at its seams. Additional reading Imperial Gazetteer of India, vol. 8 (1908); and S.M. Edwardes, The Gazetteer of Bombay City and Island, 3 vol. (190910, reprinted 197778), provide a wealth of detail on Bombay's history up to British times. S.S. Jha, Structure of Urban Poverty: The Case of Bombay Slums (1986); Meera Kosambi, Bombay in Transition: The Growth and Social Ecology of a Colonial City, 1880-1980 (1986); United Nations Dept. Of International Economic And Social Affairs, Population Growth and Policies in Mega-Cities: Bombay (1986); Nigel Harris, Economic Development, Cities, and Planning: The Case of Bombay (1978); Jal F. Bulsara, Patterns of Social Life in Metropolitan Areas, with Particular Reference to Greater Bombay (1970); B.K. Boman-Behram and A.N. Confectioner, The Decline of Bombay (1969); and D.T. Lakdawala et al., Work, Wages, and Well-Being in an Indian Metropolis: Economic Survey of Bombay City (1963), include discussions of urban problems. Chakravarthi Raghavan