Mumbai and New Delhi
Mumbai and New Delhi
Mumbai /mʊmˈbaɪ/, formerly known as Bombay, is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million. Along with the neighbouring urban areas, HP Pavilion DV6-6B75CA Battery
including the cities of Navi Mumbai and Thane, it is one of the most populous urban regions in the world.[8] Mumbai lies on the west coast of India and has a deep natural harbour. In 2009, Mumbai was named an Alpha world city.[9] It is also the wealthiest city in India,[10] and has the highest GDP of any city in South, HP Pavilion DV6-6B83CA Battery
West or Central Asia. Mumbai has been ranked 6th among top 10 global citie s on billionaire count, ahead of Shanghai, Paris and Los Angeles.[11]
The seven islands that came to constitute Mumbai were home to communities of fishing colonies. For centuries,
HP Pavilion DV6-6195CA Battery the islands were under the control of successive indigenous empires before being ceded to the Portuguese and subsequently to the British East India Company. During the mid-18th century, HP Pavilion DV6-6C40CA Battery
Mumbai was reshaped by the Hornby Vellard project,[12] which undertook the reclamation of the area between the seven constituent islands from the sea.[13] Completed by 1845, the project along with construction of major roads and railways transformed Bombay into a major seaport on the Arabian Sea.
HP Pavilion DV6-6193CA BatteryEconomic and educational development characterised the city during the 19th century. It became a strong base for the Indian independence movement during the early 20th century. When India became independent in 1947, the city was incorporated into Bombay State.
HP Pavilion DV6-6188CA BatteryIn 1960, following the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, a new state of Maharashtra was created with Bombay as capital. The city was renamed Mumbai in 1996,[14] the name being derived from the Koli goddess—Mumbadevi. HP Pavilion DV6-6C50CA Battery
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Mumbai is the commercial and entertainment capital of India, it is also one of the world's top 10 centres of commerce in terms of global financial flow,[15] generating 5% of India's GDP,[16] and accounting for 25% of industrial output, 70% of maritime trade in India (Mumbai Port Trust & JNPT),[17]
HP Pavilion DV6-6178CA Battery and 70% of capital transactions to India's economy.[18] The city houses important financial institutions such as the Reserve Bank of India, the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India, the SEBI and the corporate headquarters of numerous Indian companies and multinational corporations. HP Pavilion DV6-6C51CA Battery
HP Pavilion DV6-6175CA Battery It is also home to some of India's premier scientific and nuclear institutes like BARC, NPCL, IREL, TIFR, AERB, AECI, and the Department of Atomic Energy. The city also houses India's Hindi (Bollywood) HP Pavilion DV6-6C73CA Battery
HP Pavilion DV6-6155CA Battery and Marathi film and television industry. Mumbai's business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living,[19] attract migrants from all over India and, in turn, make the city a melting pot of many communities and cultures.
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The name Mumbai is derived from Mumba or Maha-Amba—the name of the Koli goddess Mumbadevi—and Aai, "mother" in the language of Marathi.[20]
The oldest known names for the city are Kakamuchee and Galajunkja; these are sometimes still used.[21][22] Ali Muhammad Khan, in the Mirat-i-Ahmedi (1507) referred to the city as Manbai.[
HP Pavilion DV6-6148CA Battery23] In 1508, Portuguese writer Gaspar Correia used the name Bombaim, in his Lendas da Índia ("Legends of India").[24][25] This name possibly originated as the Old Portuguese phrase bom baim, meaning "good little bay",[26] and Bombaim is still commonly used in Portuguese.[27HP Pavilion DV6-6040CA Battery
HP Pavilion DV6-6145CA Battery] In 1516, Portuguese explorer Duarte Barbosa used the name Tana-Maiambu: Tana appears to refer to the adjoining town of Thane and Maiambu to Mumbadevi.[28] HP Pavilion DV6-6070CA Battery
The temple of local Hindu goddess Mumbadevi, after whom the city of Mumbai derives its name
Other variations recorded in the 16th and the 17th centuries include: Mombayn (1525), Bombay (1538), Bombain (1552), Bombaym (1552), Monbaym (1554), Mombaim (1563), Mombaym (1644), Bambaye (1666), Bombaiim (1666), HP Pavilion DV6-6104CA Battery
HP Pavilion DV6-6144CA Battery Bombeye (1676), and Boon Bay (1690).[27][29] After the British gained possession of the city in the 17th century, the Portuguese name was officially anglicised as Bombay.[30]
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By the late 20th century, the city was referred to as Mumbai or Mambai in Marathi, Konkani, Gujarati, Kannada and Sindhi, and as Bambai in Hindi, Persian and Urdu. The English name was officially changed to Mumbai in November 1995.[31HP Pavilion DV6-6124CA Battery
HP Pavilion DV6-6130CA Battery] This came at the insistence of the Marathi nationalist Shiv Sena party that had just won the Maharashtra state elections and mirrored similar name changes across the country. They argued that "Bombay" was a corrupted English version of "Mumbai" and an unwanted legacy of British colonial rule[citation needed]. HP Pavilion dv7-4008ca Battery
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The push to rename Bombay was part of a larger movement to strengthen Marathi identity in the Maharashtra region. However, the city is still referred to as Bombay by some of its residents and Indians from other regions as well.[3HP Pavilion dv7-4054ca Battery
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2] However, mentions of the city by the name other than Mumbai have been controversial, resulting in emotional outbursts sometimes of a violently political nature.[33][34]
A widespread popular etymology of Bombay holds that it was derived from a Portuguese name meaning "good bay". HP Pavilion dv7-4073ca Battery
HP Pavilion dv7-6188ca BatteryThis is based on the facts that bom is Portuguese for "good" and baía (or the archaic spelling bahia) means "bay". However, this literal translation would have been incorrect in grammatical gender, as bom is masculine, while baia is feminine; a correct Portuguese rendering of "good bay" would be boa ba(h)ia. Having said this, baim is an archaic, masculine word for "little bay".[26] HP Pavilion dv7-4078ca Battery
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Portuguese scholar José Pedro Machado in his Dicionário Onomástico Etimológico da Língua Portuguesa (1981; "Portuguese Dictionary of Onomastics and Etymology"), seems to reject the "Bom Bahia" hypothesis, suggesting that the presence of a bay was a coincidence (rather than a basis of the toponym) and led to a misconception, that the noun (bahia; "bay") was an integral part of the Portuguese name.[35] HP Pavilion dv7-4127ca Battery
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History
Main articles: History of Mumbai and Timeline of Mumbai history
Early history
Kanheri Caves served as a centre of Buddhism in Western India during ancient times
Mumbai is built on what was once an archipelago of seven islands: Bombay Island, Parel, Mazagaon, Mahim, Colaba, Worli, HP Pavilion dv7-4148ca Battery
HP Pavilion dv7-6184ca Battery and Old Woman's Island (also known as Little Colaba).[36] It is not exactly known when these islands were first inhabited. Pleistocene sediments found along the coastal areas around Kandivali in northern Mumbai suggest that the islands were inhabited since the Stone Age.[
HP Pavilion dv7-6070ca Battery37] Perhaps at the beginning of the Common era (2000 years ago), or possibly earlier, they came to be occupied by the Koli fishing community.[38]
In the third century BCE, the islands formed part of the Maurya Empire, during its expansion in the south, ruled by the Buddhist emperor, Ashoka of Magadha.[3HP Pavilion dv7-4154ca Battery
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9] The Kanheri Caves in Borivali were excavated in the mid-third century BCE,[40] and served as an important centre of Buddhism in Western India during ancient Times.[41] The city then was known as Heptanesia (Ancient Greek: A Cluster of Seven Islands) to the Greek geographer Ptolemy in 150 CE.[42] HP Pavilion dv7-4177ca Battery
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Between the second century BCE and ninth century CE, the islands came under the control of successive indigenous dynasties: Satavahanas, Western Kshatrapas, Abhiras, Vakatakas, Kalachuris, Konkan Mauryas, Chalukyas and Rashtrakutas,[4HP Pavilion dv7-4198ca Battery
HP Pavilion dv7-4288ca Battery3] before being ruled by the Silhara dynasty from 810 to 1260.[44] Some of the oldest edifices in the city built during this period are, Jogeshwari Caves (between 520 to 525),[45] Elephanta Caves (between the sixth to seventh century),[46] Walkeshwar Temple (10th century),[47]
HP Pavilion dv7-4264ca Battery and Banganga Tank (12th century).[48]
King Bhimdev founded his kingdom in the region in the late 13th century, and established his capital in Mahikawati (present day Mahim).[49] The Pathare Prabhus, one of the earliest known settlers of the city, were brought to Mahikawati from Saurashtra in Gujarat around 1298 by Bhimdev.[50
HP Pavilion dv7-4260ca Battery] The Delhi Sultanate annexed the islands in 1347–48, and controlled it till 1407. During this time, the islands were administered by the Muslim Governors of Gujarat, who were appointed by the Delhi Sultanate.[51][52]
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The Haji Ali Dargah was built in 1431, when Mumbai was under the rule of the Gujarat Sultanate
The islands were later governed by the independent Gujarat Sultanate, which was established in 1407. Sony SVS13AA11L Battery
The Sultanate's patronage led to the construction of many mosques, prominent being the Haji Ali Dargah in Worli, built in honour of the Muslim saint Haji Ali in 1431.[53] From 1429 to 1431, the islands were a source of contention between the Gujarat Sultanate and the Bahamani Sultanate of Deccan.[5Sony SVS131A11L Battery
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4][55] In 1493, Bahadur Khan Gilani of the Bahamani Sultanate attempted to conquer the islands, but was defeated.[56]
European rule
Main articles: History of Bombay under Portuguese rule (1534–1661) and History of Bombay under British rule Sony SVS151A11L Battery
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The Mughal Empire, founded in 1526, was the dominant power in the Indian subcontinent during the mid-16th century.[57] Growing apprehensive of the power of the Mughal emperor Humayun, Sultan Bahadur Shah of the Gujarat Sultanate was obliged to sign the Treaty of Bassein with the Portuguese Empire on 23 December 1534. Sony SVS151B11L Battery
According to the treaty, the seven islands of Bombay, the nearby strategic town of Bassein and its dependencies were offered to the Portuguese. The territories were later surrendered on 25 October 1535.[5
Sony PCG-41413L Battery8] The Portuguese were actively involved in the foundation and growth of their Roman Catholic religious orders in Bombay.[59]
Some of the oldest Catholic churches in the city such as the St. Michael's Church at Mahim (1534),[60] St. John the Baptist Church at Andheri (1579),[61] St. Andrew's Church at Bandra (1580),
Sony PCG-41412L Battery [62] and Gloria Church at Byculla (1632),[63] date from the Portuguese era. On 11 May 1661, the marriage treaty of Charles II of England and Catherine of Braganza, daughter of King John IV of Portugal, placed the islands in possession of the British Empire, as part of Catherine's dowry to Charles.[6Sony SVS151G1GL Battery
Sony PCG-41411L Battery4] However, Salsette, Bassein, Mazagaon, Parel, Worli, Sion, Dharavi, and Wadala still remained under Portuguese possession. From 1665 to 1666, the British managed to acquire Mahim, Sion, Dharavi, and Wadala.[65] Sony PCG-4121DL Battery
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These islands were in turn leased to the British East India Company in 1668 for a sum of £10 per annum by the Royal Charter of 27 March 1668.[66] The population quickly rose from 10,000 in 1661, to 60,000 in 1675.[67Sony PCG-4121EL Battery
Sony PCG-41217L Battery] The islands were subsequently attacked by Yakut Khan, the Siddi admiral of the Mughal Empire, in October 1672,[68] Rickloffe van Goen, the Governor-General of Dutch India on 20 February 1673,[69] Sony PCG-4121FL Battery
Sony PCG-41216L Batteryand Siddi admiral Sambal on 10 October 1673.[68]
In 1687, the British East India Company transferred its headquarters from Surat to Bombay. The city eventually became the headquarters of the Bombay Presidency.[70] Following the transfer, Bombay was placed at the head of all the Company's establishments in India.[71Sony PCG-4121GL Battery] Towards the end of the 17th century, the islands again suffered incursions from Yakut Khan in 1689–90.[72] The Portuguese presence ended in Bombay when the Marathas under Peshwa Baji Rao I captured Salsette in 1737, and Bassein in 1739.[73]
A view of Mumbai, c. 1905
By the middle of the 18th century, Bombay began to grow into a major trading town, and received a huge influx of migrants from across India.[74] Later, the British occupied Salsette on 28 December 1774. With the Treaty of Surat (1775), Sony PCG-41211L Battery
Sony PCG-41214L Batterythe British formally gained control of Salsette and Bassein, resulting in the First Anglo-Maratha War.[75] The British were able to secure Salsette from the Marathas without violence through the Treaty of Purandar (1776),[76] and later through the Treaty of Salbai (1782), signed to settle the outcome of the First Anglo-Maratha War.[ Sony PCG-41212L Battery
Sony PCG-41213L Battery77]
Ships in Bombay Harbour (c. 1731). Bombay emerged as a significant trading town during the mid-18th century.
From 1782 onwards, the city was reshaped with large-scale civil engineering projects aimed at merging all the seven islands into a single amalgamated mass. This project, known as Hornby Vellard, was completed by 1784.[12] sony PCG-4R2L battery
In 1817, the British East India Company under Mountstuart Elphinstone defeated Baji Rao II, the last of the Maratha Peshwa in the Battle of Khadki.[78] Following his defeat, almost the whole of the Deccan came under British suzerainty, and were incorporated in Bombay Presidency. The success of the British campaign in the Deccan witnessed the freedom of Bombay from all attacks by native powers.[79] sony PCG-4R1L battery
By 1845, the seven islands were coalesced into a single landmass by the Hornby Vellard project via large scale land reclamation.[13][80] On 16 April 1853, India's first passenger railway line was established, connecting Bombay to the neighbouring town of Thane.[81] During the American Civil War (1861–1865), sony PCG-4Q4L battery
sony PCG-6Z4L battery the city became the world's chief cotton trading market, resulting in a boom in the economy that subsequently enhanced the city's stature.[82] sony PCG-4Q3L battery
The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 transformed Bombay into one of the largest seaports on the Arabian Sea.[83] In September 1896, Bombay was hit by a bubonic plague epidemic where the death toll was estimated at 1,900 people per week.[8sony PCG-4Q1L battery
sony PCG-6Z2L battery4] About 850,000 people fled Bombay and the textile industry was adversely affected.[85] As the capital of the Bombay Presidency, it witnessed the Indian independence movement, with the Quit India Movement in 1942 and The Royal Indian Navy Mutiny in 1946 being its most notable events.[86][87] sony PCG-6X1L battery
Independent India
Main article: History of Bombay in Independent India
The Hutatma Chowk memorial, built to honour the martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement. (Flora Fountain is on its left in the background.) sony PCG-6X2L battery
After India's independence in 1947, the territory of the Bombay Presidency retained by India was restructured into Bombay State. The area of Bombay State increased, after several erstwhile princely states that joined the Indian union were integrated into the state. Subsequently, the city became the capital of Bombay State.[8sony PCG-6X6L battery
sony PCG-6XBL battery8] On April 1950, Municipal limits of Bombay were expanded by merging the Bombay Suburban District and Bombay City to form Greater Bombay Municipal Corporation.[89]
The Samyukta Maharashtra movement to create a separate Maharashtra state including Bombay was at its height in the 1950s. sony PCG-6X7L battery
In the Lok Sabha discussions in 1955, the Congress party demanded that the city be constituted as an autonomous city-state.[90] The States Reorganisation Committee recommended a bilingual state for Maharashtra–Gujarat with Bombay as its capital in its 1955 report. sony PCG-6X8L battery
sony PCG-6XAL batteryBombay Citizens' Committee, an advocacy group of leading Gujarati industrialists lobbied for Bombay's independent status.[91] Sony SVS13AB1GL Battery
Following protests during the movement in which 105 people were killed by police, Bombay State was reorganised on linguistic lines on 1 May 1960.[92] Gujarati-speaking areas of Bombay State were partitioned into the state of Gujarat.[9Sony SVS131C1DL Battery
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Sony PCG-61A14L Battery3] Maharashtra State with Bombay as its capital was formed with the merger of Marathi-speaking areas of Bombay State, eight districts from Central Provinces and Berar, five districts from Hyderabad State, Sony SVS131E1DL Battery
Sony PCG-61A13L Battery and numerous princely states enclosed between them.[94] As a memorial to the martyrs of the Samyukta Maharashtra movement, Flora Fountain was renamed as Hutatma Chowk (Martyr's Square), and a memorial was erected.[95] Sony SVS131G1DL Battery
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The following decades saw massive expansion of the city and its suburbs. In the late 1960s, Nariman Point and Cuffe Parade were reclaimed and developed.[96] The Bombay Metropolitan Region Development Authority (BMRDA) was set up on 26 January 1975 by the Government of Sony SVS151C1GL Battery
Maharashtra as an apex body for planning and co-ordination of development activities in the Bombay metropolitan region.[97] In August 1979, a sister township of Navi Mumbai was founded by City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO) Sony SVS151C2DL Battery
Sony SVS151E1GL Battery across Thane and Raigad districts to help the dispersal and control of Bombay's population. Textile industry in Bombay largely disappeared after the massive 1982 Great Bombay Textile Strike, in which nearly 250,000 workers in more than 50 textile mills went on strike.[98] Mumbai's defunct cotton mills have since become the focus of intense redevelopment. Sony PCG-71C11L Battery
The Jawaharlal Nehru Port, which currently handles 55–60% of India's containerised cargo, was commissioned on 26 May 1989 at Nhava Sheva with a view to de-congest Bombay Harbour and to serve as a hub port for the city.[9Sony PCG-71C12L Battery
Sony PCG-91311L Battery9] The geographical limits of Greater Bombay were coextensive with municipal limits of Greater Bombay. On 1 October 1990, the Greater Bombay district was bifurcated to form two revenue districts namely, Bombay City and Bombay Suburban, though they were administered by same Municipal Administration.[100] Sony PCG-61714L Battery
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The past two decades have seen an increase in violence in the hitherto largely peaceful city. Following the demolition of the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, the city was rocked by the Hindu-Muslim riots of 1992–93 in which more than 1,000 people were killed. On 12 March 1993,
Sony PCG-91211L Batterya series of 13 co-ordinated bombings at several city landmarks by Islamic extremists and the Bombay underworld resulted in 257 deaths and over 700 injuries.[10
Sony PCG-71914L Battery1] In 2006, 209 people were killed and over 700 injured when seven bombs exploded on the city's commuter trains.[102] In 2008, a series of ten coordinated attacks by armed terrorists for three days resulted in 173 deaths, 308 injuries, and severe damage to a couple of heritage landmarks and prestigious hotels.[ Sony PCG-61911L Battery
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Sony PCG-71913L Battery103] The blasts that occurred at the Opera House, Zaveri Bazaar, and Dadar on 13 July 2011 were the latest in the series of terrorist attacks in Mumbai.[104]
Today, Mumbai is the commercial capital of India and has evolved into a global financial hub.[105] For several decades it has been the home of India's main financial services, Sony PCG-71614L Battery
and a focus for both infrastructure development and private investment.[106] From being an ancient fishing community and a colonial centre of trade, Mumbai has become South Asia's largest city and home of the world's most prolific film industry.[107] Sony PCG-71713L Battery
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Geography
Main articles: Geography of Mumbai, South Mumbai, Western Suburbs (Mumbai), Eastern Suburbs (Mumbai), and List of neighbourhoods in Mumbai
Mumbai consists of two revenue districts
Mumbai metropolitan region, Landsat 5 satellite image, 2011-01-30
Mumbai consists of two distinct regions: Mumbai City district and Mumbai Suburban district, which form two separate revenue districts of Maharashtra.[108] The city district region is also commonly referred to as the Island City or South Mumbai.[1Sony PCG-71811L Battery
Sony PCG-71911L Battery6] The total area of Mumbai is 603.4 km2 (233 sq mi).[109] Of this, the island city spans 67.79 km2 (26 sq mi), while the suburban district spans 370 km2 (143 sq mi), together accounting for 437.71 km2 (169 sq mi) Sony SVE141C11L Battery
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under the administration of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The remaining area belongs to Defence, Mumbai Port Trust, Atomic Energy Commission and Borivali National Park, which are out of the jurisdiction of the BMC.[110] Sony SVE141L11L Battery
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Mumbai lies at the mouth of the Ulhas River on the western coast of India, in the coastal region known as the Konkan. It sits on Salsette Island, partially shared with the Thane district.[111] Mumbai is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west.[112] Many parts of the city lie just above sea level, with elevations ranging from 10 m (33 ft) Sony SVE151G11L Battery
Sony PCG-61316L Battery to 15 m (49 ft);[113] the city has an average elevation of 14 m (46 ft).[114] Northern Mumbai (Salsette) is hilly,[115] and the highest point in the city is 450 m (1,476 ft) at Salsette in the Powai–Kanheri ranges.[1Sony SVE151G13L Battery
Sony PCG-61315L Battery16] Sanjay Gandhi National Park (Borivali National Park) is located partly in the Mumbai suburban district, and partly in the Thane district, and it extends over an area of 103.09 km2 (39.80 sq mi).[117] Sony SVE151J11L Battery
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Apart from the Bhatsa Dam, there are six major lakes that supply water to the city: Vihar, Lower Vaitarna, Upper Vaitarna, Tulsi, Tansa and Powai. Tulsi Lake and Vihar Lake are located in Borivili National Park, within the city's limits. The supply from Powai lake, also within the city limits, is used only for agricultural and industrial purposes.[11Sony SVE171C11L Battery
Sony PCG-61311L Battery8] Three small rivers, the Dahisar River, Poinsar (or Poisar) and Ohiwara (or Oshiwara) originate within the park, while the polluted Mithi River originates from Tulsi Lake and gathers water overflowing from Vihar and Powai Lakes.[119Sony SVE171E11L Battery
Sony PCG-61215L Battery] The coastline of the city is indented with numerous creeks and bays, stretching from Thane creek on the eastern to Madh Marve on the western front.[120] The eastern coast of Salsette Island is covered with large mangrove swamps, rich in biodiversity, while the western coast is mostly sandy and rocky.[121] Sony SVE171E12L Battery
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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.[122] The underlying rock of the region is composed of black Deccan basalt flows, and their acidic and basic variants dating back to the late Cretaceous and early Eocene eras.[ Sony PCG-61713L Battery
Sony PCG-71216L Battery123] Mumbai sits on a seismically active zone owing to the presence of 23 fault lines in the vicinity.[124] The area is classified as a Seismic Zone III region,[125] which means an earthquake of up to magnitude 6.5 on the Richter-scale may be expected.[126]
Climate
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Average temperature and precipitation in Mumbai
Main article: Climate of Mumbai
Mumbai has a tropical climate, specifically a tropical wet and dry climate (Aw) under the Köppen climate classification, with seven months of dryness and peak of rains in July.[127] Sony PCG-91112L Battery
Sony PCG-71212L Battery The cooler season from December to February is followed by the summer season from March to June. The period from June to about the end of September constitutes the south-west monsoon season, and October and November form the post-monsoon season.[128Sony PCG-71312L Battery
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Between June and September, the south west monsoon rains lash the city. Pre-monsoon showers are received in May. Occasionally, north-east monsoon showers occur in October and November. The maximum annual rainfall ever recorded was 3,452 mm (136 in) for 1954.[129Sony PCG-71311L Battery
Sony PCG-71318L Battery] The highest rainfall recorded in a single day was 944 mm (37 in) on 26 July 2005.[130] The average total annual rainfall is 2,146.6 mm (85 in) for the Island City, and 2,457 mm (97 in) for the suburbs.[129] Sony PCG-71218L Battery
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The average annual temperature is 27.2 °C (81 °F), and the average annual precipitation is 2,167 mm (85 in).[131] In the Island City, the average maximum temperature is 31.2 °C (88 °F), while the average minimum temperature is 23.7 °C (75 °F). In the suburbs, the daily mean maximum temperature range from 29.1 °C (84 °F) to 33.3 °C (92 °F), Sony PCG-71217L Battery
Sony PCG-71316L Batterywhile the daily mean minimum temperature ranges from 16.3 °C (61 °F) to 26.2 °C (79 °F).[129] The record high is 40.2 °C (104 °F) on 28 March 1982,[132] and the record low is 7.4 °C (45 °F) on 27 January 1962.[133] Sony PCG-71313L Battery
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Mumbai is the Financial and Commercial capital of India, and the headquarters of many of India's premier financial institutions are located in the city. Seen here is the Bandra-Worli Sea Link with the skyline of Mumbai in background
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Mumbai Skyline at Night
Mumbai is India's largest city (by population) and is the financial and commercial capital of the country as it generates 6.16% of the total GDP.[16][105][137] It serves as an economic hub of India, contributing 10% of factory employment, 25% of industrial output, Sony PCG-3B2L Battery
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Sony PCG-3H3L Battery33% of income tax collections, 60% of customs duty collections, 20% of central excise tax collections, 40% of India's foreign trade and 4,000 crore (US$690 million) in corporate taxes.[138] Sony PCG-3B4L Battery
As of 2008, Mumbai's GDP is 919,600 crore (US$160 billion),[139] and its per-capita income in 2009 was 486,000 (US$8,400),[10][140] which is almost three times the national average.[80] Many of India's numerous conglomerates (including Larsen and Toubro, State Bank of India, Life Insurance Corporation of India, Tata Group, Sony PCG-3C2L Battery
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Sony PCG-3H2L BatteryGodrej and Reliance),[105] and five of the Fortune Global 500 companies are based in Mumbai.[141] Many foreign banks and financial institutions also have branches in this area,[105] with the World Trade Centre being the most prominent one.[142] Sony PCG-3D3L Battery
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Until the 1970s, 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.[143Sony PCG-3E3L Battery
Sony PCG-3H1L Battery] As of 2008, the Globalization and World Cities Study Group (GaWC) has ranked Mumbai as an "Alpha world city", third in its categories of Global cities.[144] Mumbai is the 3rd most expensive office market in the world. Mumbai was ranked among the fastest cities in the country for business startup in 2009.[145] Sony PCG-3F1L Battery
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State and central government employees make up a large percentage of the city's workforce. Mumbai also has a large unskilled and semi-skilled self-employed population, who primarily earn their livelihood as hawkers, taxi drivers, Sony PCG-3F3L Battery
Sony PCG-3G3L Battery mechanics and other such blue collar professions. The port and shipping industry is well established, with Mumbai Port being one of the oldest and most significant ports in India.[146] In Dharavi, in central Mumbai, there is an increasingly large recycling industry, processing recyclable waste from other parts of the city; the district has an estimated 15,000 single-room factories.[147] Sony PCG-3F4L Battery
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Most of India's major television and satellite networks, as well as its major publishing houses, are headquartered in Mumbai. The centre of the Hindi movie industry, Bollywood, is the largest film producer in India and one of the largest in the world as well as centre of Marathi Film Industry.[148][149] Along with the rest of India, Sony PCG-9Z1L Battery
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Mumbai, its commercial capital, has witnessed an economic boom since the liberalisation of 1991, the finance boom in the mid-nineties and the IT, export, services and outsourcing boom in 2000s.[150]
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Mumbai has been ranked 6th among top 10 global cities on billionaire count, ahead of Shanghai, Paris and Los Angeles.[11]
Mumbai has been ranked 48th on the Worldwide Centres of Commerce Index 2008.[151] In April 2008, Mumbai was ranked seventh in the list of "Top Ten Cities for Billionaires" by Forbes magazine,[152] and first in terms of those billionaires' average wealth.[153] Sony PCG-7142L Battery
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Civic administration
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) Headquarters, the largest civic organisation in the country.
The Bombay High Court exercises jurisdiction over Maharashtra, Goa, Daman and Diu, and Dadra and Nagar Haveli. Sony PCG-7152L Battery
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Mumbai, extending from Colaba in the south, to Mulund and Dahisar in the north, and Mankhurd in the east, is administered by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).[112] The BMC is in charge of the civic and infrastructure needs of the metropolis.[154] Sony PCG-7154L Battery
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Sony PCG-8131L Battery The Mayor is usually chosen through indirect election by the councillors from among themselves for a term of two and half years.
The Municipal Commissioner is the chief Executive Officer and head of the executive arm of the Municipal Corporation. All executive powers are vested in the Municipal Commissioner who is an Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer appointed by the state government. Sony PCG-7162L Battery
Sony PCG-7185L Battery Although the Municipal Corporation is the legislative body that lays down policies for the governance of the city, it is the Commissioner who is responsible for the execution of the policies. Sony PCG-7171L Battery
The Commissioner is appointed for a fixed term as defined by state statute. The powers of the Commissioner are those provided by statute and those delegated by the Corporation or the Standing Committee.[155] Sony PCG-7172L Battery
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The two revenue districts of Mumbai come under the jurisdiction of a District Collector. The Collectors are in charge of property records and revenue collection for the Central Government, and oversee the national elections held in the city. Sony PCG-7173L Battery
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The Mumbai Police is headed by a Police Commissioner, who is an Indian Police Service (IPS) officer. The Mumbai Police comes under the state Home Ministry.[156] The city is divided into seven police zones and seventeen traffic police zones,[110Sony PCG-7174L Battery] each headed by a Deputy Commissioner of Police.[157] The Traffic Police is a semi-autonomous body under the Mumbai Police. The Mumbai Fire Brigade department is headed by the Chief Fire Officer, who is assisted by four Deputy Chief Fire Officers and six Divisional Officers.[110] Sony PCG-7181L Battery
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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.[158] Mumbai also has two lower courts, Sony PCG-71111L Battery
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the Small Causes Court for civil matters, and the Sessions Court for criminal cases. Mumbai also has a special TADA (Terrorist and Disruptive Activities) court for people accused of conspiring and abetting acts of terrorism in the city.[159] Sony PCG-81111L Battery
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Politics
First session of the Indian National Congress in Bombay (28–31 December 1885)
Mumbai has been a traditional stronghold and birthplace of the Indian National Congress, also known as the Congress Party.[160] The first session of the Indian National Congress was held in Bombay from 28–31 December 1885.[16Sony PCG-81112L Battery
Sony PCG-81313L Battery1] The city played host to the Indian National Congress six times during its first 50 years, and became a strong base for the Indian independence movement during the 20th century.[162] Sony PCG-81113L Battery
The 1960s saw the rise of regionalist politics in Bombay, with the formation of the Shiv Sena on 19 June 1966, out of a feeling of resentment about the relative marginalisation of the native Marathi people in Bombay.[163] The party headed a campaign to expel South Indian and North Indian migrants by force.[164Sony PCG-81114L Battery
Sony PCG-81312L Battery] The Congress had dominated the politics of Bombay from independence until the early 1980s, when the Shiv Sena won the 1985 Bombay municipal corporation elections.[165] Sony PCG-81214L Battery
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In 1989, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), a major national political party, forged an electoral alliance with the Shiv Sena to dislodge the Congress in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections. In 1999, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) separated from the Congress, Dell XPS 14 Battery
but later allied with the Congress, to form a joint venture known as the Democratic Front.[166] Currently, other parties such as Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP), and several independent candidates also contest elections in the city.[167] Dell XPS 14D Battery
In the Indian national elections held every five years, Mumbai is represented by six parliamentary constituencies: Mumbai North, Mumbai North West, Mumbai North East, Mumbai North Central, Mumbai South Central, and Mumbai South.[168Dell XPS 14D-L401X Battery
Dell XPS L701X Battery] A Member of Parliament (MP) to the Lok Sabha, the lower house of the Indian Parliament, is elected from each of the parliamentary constituencies. In the 2009 national elections, out of the six parliamentary constituencies, five were won by the Congress, and one by the NCP.[169]
Dell XPS L502X BatteryIn the Maharashtra state assembly elections held every five years, Mumbai is represented by 36 assembly constituencies.[170][171] Dell XPS 15 Battery
A Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) to the Maharashtra Vidhan Sabha (Legislative Assembly) is elected from each of the assembly constituencies. In the 2009 state assembly elections, out of the 36 assembly constituencies, 17 were won by the Congress, 6 by the MNS, 5 by the BJP, 4 by the Shiv Sena, 3 by the NCP and 1 by SP.[17Dell XPS 15-L501X Battery
2] Elections are also held every five years to elect corporators to power in the BMC.[173]
The Corporation comprises 227 directly elected Councillors representing the 24 municipal wards, five nominated Councillors having special knowledge or experience in municipal administration, and a Mayor whose role is mostly ceremonial.[174][1Dell XPS 15Z Battery
Dell XPS L501X Battery75][176] In the 2007 municipal corporation elections, out of the 227 seats, the Shiv Sena-BJP alliance secured 111 seats, holding power in the BMC, while the Congress-NCP alliance bagged 85 seats.[177] The tenure of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor, and Municipal Commissioner is two and a half years.[178] Dell XPS 17 Battery
Transport
Public transport systems in Mumbai include the Mumbai Suburban Railway, Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) buses, black-and-yellow meter taxis, auto rickshaws and ferries. Suburban railway and BEST bus services together accounted for about 88% of the passenger traffic in 2008.[180] Dell XPS L702X Battery
Rail
The Mumbai Suburban Railway, popularly known as Locals forms the backbone of the city's transport system.[181] It is operated by Central Railway and Western Railway.[182] Mumbai's suburban rail systems carried a total of 6.3 million passengers every day in 2007,[ Dell Inspiron 14V Battery
183] which is more than half of the Indian Railways daily carrying capacity. Trains are overcrowded during peak hours, with nine-car trains of rated capacity 1,700 passengers, actually carrying around 4,500 passengers at peak hours.[184] The Mumbai rail network is spread at an expanse of 319 route kilometres. 191 rakes (ratin-sets) Dell Inspiron N4030 Battery
Dell Inspiron 13R Batteryof 9 car and 12 car composition are utilised to run a total of 2,226 train services in the city.[185]
The Mumbai Monorail and Mumbai Metro are under construction and expected to be partially operational in 2013, relieving overcrowding on the existing network. Dell Inspiron N7110 Battery
Mumbai is the headquarters of two of Indian Railways' zones: the Central Railway (CR) headquartered at Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (formerly Victoria Terminus), and the Western Railway (WR) headquartered at Churchgate.[18Dell Inspiron N7010D Battery
Dell Inspiron N4110 Battery6] Mumbai is also well connected to most parts of India by the Indian Railways. Long-distance trains originate from Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, Dadar, Lokmanya Tilak Terminus, Mumbai Central, Bandra Terminus, Andheri and Borivali.[187] Dell Inspiron N5110 Battery
Bus
Mumbai's bus services carried over 5.5 million passengers per day in 2008.[180] Public buses run by BEST cover almost all parts of the metropolis, as well as parts of Navi Mumbai, Mira-Bhayandar and Thane.[18Dell Inspiron N5010R Battery
Dell Inspiron N5010D Battery8] The BEST operates a total of 4,608 buses[189] with CCTV Camera installed, ferrying 4.5 million passengers daily[180Dell Inspiron N3010R Battery
] over 390 routes. Its fleet consists of single-decker, double-decker, vestibule, low-floor, disabled-friendly, air-conditioned and Euro III compliant diesel and Compressed Natural Gas powered buses.[190Dell Inspiron N3010 Battery
Dell Inspiron 15R Battery] Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) buses provide intercity transport and connect Mumbai with other major cities of Maharashtra and India.[191][192] Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) also operates its Volvo buses in Mumbai, from Navi Mumbai to Bandra, Dindoshi and Borivali.[193] Dell Inspiron N4010 Battery
Buses are generally favoured for commuting short to medium distances, while train fares are more economical for longer distance commutes.[194] Dell Inspiron N4010D Battery
The Mumbai Darshan is a tourist bus service which explores numerous tourist attractions in Mumbai.[195] Mumbai BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System) lanes have been planned throughout Mumbai, with buses running on seven routes as of March 2009.[19Dell Latitude E4200 Battery
6] Though 88% of the city's commuters travel by public transport, Mumbai still continues to struggle with traffic congestion.[197] Mumbai's transport system has been categorised as one of the most congested in the world.[198]
Road Dell Latitude E4310 Battery
Mumbai is served by National Highway 3, National Highway 4, National Highway 8, National Highway 17 and National Highway 222 of India's National Highways system.[199] The Mumbai-Pune Expressway was the first expressway built in India,[200] while the Mumbai Nashik Expressway, Mumbai-Vadodara Expressway,[20Dell Latitude E5400 Battery
Dell Latitude E6430S XFR Battery1] Western Freeway and Eastern Freeway is under construction. The Bandra-Worli Sea Link bridge, along with Mahim Causeway, links the island city to the western suburbs.[202] The three major road arteries of the city are the Eastern Express Highway from Sion to Thane, the Sion Panvel Expressway from Sion to Panvel and the Western Express Highway from Bandra to Borivali.[ Dell Latitude E5500 Battery
Dell Latitude E6430 ATG Battery203] Mumbai has approximately 1,900 km (1,181 mi) of roads.[204]
Auto rickshaws are allowed to operate only in the suburban areas of Mumbai, while taxis are allowed to operate throughout Mumbai, but generally operate in South Mumbai.[205Dell Latitude E6120 Battery
Dell Latitude E5530 Battery] Taxis and rickshaws in Mumbai are required by law to run on compressed natural gas (CNG),[206] and are a convenient, economical, and easily available means of transport.[205] Dell Latitude E6220 Battery
Mumbai had about 1.53 million vehicles in 2008,[207] 56,459 black and yellow taxis as of 2005,[208] and 106,000 auto rickshaws, as of May 2013.[209] According to State transport department figures, Dell Latitude E6320 Battery
Dell Latitude E5420M Batterythe number of vehicles registered with the city’s three RTOs went up from 10,69,499 in 2002 to 20,35,051 in 2012, a rise of 90.28%. A comprehensive transport study conducted shows that between between 1991 and 2005, cars have increased by 137%, two wheelers by 306%, autos by 420%, and taxis by 125% in Mumbai.[20Dell Latitude E6410 Battery
Air
The Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (formerly Sahar International Airport) is the main aviation hub in the city and the second busiest airport in India in terms of passenger traffic.[210] It handled 30.74 million passengers and 656,369 tonnes of cargo during FY 2011-12.[2
Dell Latitude E6330 Battery11] An upgrade plan was initiated in 2006, targeted at increasing the capacity of the airport to handle up to 40 million passengers annually. .[212] Dell Latitude E6420 ATG Battery
The proposed Navi Mumbai International Airport to be built in the Kopra-Panvel area has been sanctioned by the Indian Government and will help relieve the increasing traffic burden on the existing airport.[213] Dell Latitude E6500 Battery
The Juhu Aerodrome was India's first airport, and now hosts a flying club and a heliport.[214]
Sea
Mumbai is served by two major ports, Mumbai Port Trust and Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust, which lies just across the creek in Navi Mumbai.[2Dell Latitude E6510 Battery
Dell Latitude E6410 ATG Battery15] Mumbai Port has one of the best natural harbours in the world, and has extensive wet and dry dock accommodation facilities.[216] Jawaharlal Nehru Port, commissioned on 26 May 1989, is the busiest and most modern major port in India.[217] It handles 55–60% of the country's total containerised cargo.[2Dell Latitude E6400 ATG Battery
Dell Latitude E6400 XFR Battery18] Ferries from Ferry Wharf in Mazagaon allow access to islands near the city.[219]
The city is also the headquarters of the Western Naval Command, and also an important base for the Indian Navy.[112]
Utility services
See also: Mumbai's water sources
Under colonial rule, tanks were the only source of water in Mumbai. Many localities have been named after them. The BMC supplies potable water to the city from six lakes,[220][221] most of which comes from the Tulsi and Vihar lakes. Sony SVS13AA11L Battery
Sony PCG-41414L Battery The Tansa lake supplies water to the western suburbs and parts of the island city along the Western Railway.[222] The water is filtered at Bhandup,[222] which is Asia's largest water filtration plant.[223Sony SVS131A11L Battery
Sony PCG-41413L Battery] India's first underground water tunnel is being built in Mumbai.[224]
About 700 million litres of water, out of a daily supply of 3500 million litres, is lost by way of water thefts, illegal connections and leakages, per day in Mumbai.[225] Almost all of Mumbai's daily refuse of 7,800 metric tonnes, Sony SVS131B11L Battery
Sony PCG-41412L Batteryof which 40 metric tonnes is plastic waste,[226] is transported to dumping grounds in Gorai in the northwest, Mulund in the northeast, and to the Deonar dumping ground in the east.[227] Sewage treatment is carried out at Worli and Bandra, Sony SVS151A11L Battery
Sony PCG-41411L Battery and disposed of by two independent marine outfalls of 3.4 km (2.11 mi) and 3.7 km (2.30 mi) at Bandra and Worli respectively.[228]
Electricity is distributed by Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) in the island city, and by Reliance Energy, Tata Power, and Mahavitaran (Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Co. Ltd) in the suburbs.[229] Sony SVS151G1GL Battery
Sony PCG-41218L Battery Consumption of electricity is growing faster than production capacity.[230] 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.[231] Sony PCG-4121DL Battery
Cell phone coverage is extensive, and the main service providers are Vodafone Essar, Airtel, MTNL, Loop Mobile, Reliance Communications, Idea Cellular and Tata Indicom. Both GSM and CDMA services are available in the city.[232Sony PCG-4121EL Battery
Sony PCG-41217L Battery] Many of the above service providers also provide broadband internet and wireless internet access in Mumbai. Mumbai has highest number of internet users in India with 14.3 million users.[233] Sony PCG-4121FL Battery
Architecture
Skyline of the city during the day.
The architecture of the city is a blend of Gothic Revival, Indo-Saracenic, Art Deco, and other contemporary styles. Most of the buildings during the British period, such as the Victoria Terminus and Bombay University, were built in Gothic Revival style.[23Sony PCG-4121GL Battery
Sony PCG-41216L Battery4] Their architectural features include a variety of European influences such as German gables, Dutch roofs, Swiss timbering, Romance arches, Tudor casements, and traditional Indian features.[23Sony PCG-41211L Battery
Sony PCG-41215L Battery5] There are also a few Indo-Saracenic styled buildings such as the Gateway of India.[236] Art Deco styled landmarks can be found along the Marine Drive and west of the Oval Maidan. Mumbai has the second largest number of Art Deco buildings in the world after Miami. In the newer suburbs, modern buildings dominate the landscape. Sony PCG-41212L Battery
Sony PCG-41214L BatteryMumbai has by far the largest number of skyscrapers in India, with 956 existing buildings and 272 under construction as of 2009.
The Mumbai Heritage Conservation Committee (MHCC), established in 1995, formulates special regulations and by-laws to assist in the conservation of the city's heritage structures. Mumbai has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites, the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus and the Elephanta Caves.[237sony PCG-4R2L battery
] Popular tourist attractions in the city are Nariman Point, Girgaum Chowpatti, Juhu Beach, and Marine Drive. Essel World is a theme park and amusement centre situated close to Gorai Beach,[238] and includes Asia's largest theme water park, Water Kingdom.[239] sony PCG-4R1L battery
In the south of Mumbai, there are colonial-era buildings and Soviet-style offices.[240]
In the east are factories and some slums. On the West coast are former-textile mills being demolished and skyscrapers built on top. There are 31 buildings taller than 100m, compared with 200 in Shanghai, 500 in Hong Kong and 500 in New York.[240] sony PCG-4Q4L battery
Demographics
According to the 2011 census, the population of Mumbai was 12,479,608. The population density is estimated to be about 20,482 persons per square kilometre. The living space is 4.5sq metre per person.[242
sony PCG-6Z4L battery] As Per 2011 census, Greater Mumbai, the area under the administration of the MCGM, has a literacy rate of 94.7%, higher than the national average of 86.7%. The number of slum-dwellers is estimated to be 9 million, up from 6 million in 2001,[243] that is, 62% of all Mumbaikers live in informal slums. sony PCG-4Q3L battery
The sex ratio was 838 (females per 1,000 males) in the island city, 857 in the suburbs, and 848 as a whole in Greater Mumbai, all numbers lower than the national average of 914 females per 1,000 males. The low sex ratio is partly because of the large number of male migrants who come to the city to work.[244] sony PCG-4Q1L battery
Residents of Mumbai call themselves Mumbaikar, Mumbaiite or Bombayite. Mumbai has a large polyglot population like any other metropolitan city of India. Marathi, the official language of Maharashtra state, of which Mumbai is the capital, sony PCG-6X1L battery
sony PCG-6Z3L batteryis widely spoken and understood in the city. Sixteen major languages of India are also spoken in Mumbai, most common being Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati and English.[245] English is extensively spoken and is the principal language of the city's white collar workforce.
sony PCG-6Z2L battery A colloquial form of Hindi, known as Bambaiya – a blend of Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Konkani, Urdu, Indian English and some invented words – is spoken on the streets.[246]
Mumbai suffers from the same major urbanisation problems seen in many fast growing cities in developing countries: widespread poverty and unemployment, poor public health and poor civic and educational standards for a large section of the population. With available land at a premium, Mumbai residents often reside in cramped, sony PCG-6X2L battery
relatively expensive housing, usually far from workplaces, and therefore requiring long commutes on crowded mass transit, or clogged roadways. Many of them live in close proximity to bus or train stations although suburban residents spend significant time travelling southward to the main commercial district.[247sony PCG-6X6L battery
] Dharavi, Asia's second largest slum (if Karachi's Orangi Town is counted as a single slum)[248] is located in central Mumbai and houses between 800,000 to one million people[249] in 2.39 square kilometres, making it one of the most densely populated areas on Earth [sony PCG-6X7L battery
sony PCG-6XBL battery250] with a population density of at least 334,728 persons per square kilometre. With a literacy rate of 69%, the slums in Mumbai are the most literate in India.[251]
The number of migrants to Mumbai from outside Maharashtra during the 1991–2001 decade was 1.12 million, which amounted to 54.8% of the net addition to the population of Mumbai.[252] sony PCG-6X8L battery
The number of households in Mumbai is forecast to rise from 4.2 million in 2008 to 6.6 million in 2020. The number of households with annual incomes of 2 million rupees will increase from 4% to 10% by 2020, amounting to 660,000 families. The number of households with incomes from 1-2 million rupees is also estimated to increase from 4% to 15% by 2020.[ Sony SVS13AB1GL Battery
253]
Others include Jains, Sikhs & Parsis
The religions represented in Mumbai include Hindus (67.39%), Muslims (18.56%), Buddhists (5.22%), Jains (3.99%), Christians (4.2%),[2Sony SVS131C1DL Battery
Sony SVS151C2DL Battery55] Sikhs (0.58%), with Parsis and Jews making up the rest of the population.[256] The linguistic/ethnic demographics are: Maharashtrians (42%), Gujaratis (19%), with the rest hailing from other parts of India.[257Sony SVS131C24L Battery
Sony SVS151C1GL Battery] Native Christians include East Indian (ethnic group) Catholics who were converted by the Portuguese, during the 18th & 19th century.[258] The city also has a small native Bene Israeli Jewish community, who migrated from the Persian Gulf or Yemen, probably 1600 years ago.[2Sony SVS131E1DL Battery
Sony SVS131G1DL Battery59] Mumbai is also home to the largest population of Parsi Zoroastrians in the world, numbering about 80,000. Parsis migrated to India from Pars (Persia/Iran) following the Islamic conquest of Iran in the 7th century AD.[26Sony SVE1511A1EW battery
Sony SVE1513C5E battery 0] The oldest Muslim communities in Mumbai include the Dawoodi Bohras, Ismaili Khojas, and Konkani Muslims.[261] Sony SVE1511F1E battery
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Culture
Main article: Mumbai culture
This is one of the heritage cites
is one of the oldest public libraries in the city.|alt=A white building with a triangular façade and wide stairs]]
File:Lalbaugcha Raja 2012.jpg
Ganesh Chaturthi, a popular festival in Mumbai, involves worship of Ganesha. Featured here is the popular public Ganesh idol kept at Lalbaug, known as Lalbaugcha Raja. Sony SVE1511L1E battery
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Mumbai's culture is a blend of traditional festivals, food, music and theatres. The city offers a cosmopolitan and diverse lifestyle with a variety of food, entertainment and night life, available in a form and abundance comparable to that in other world capitals. Mumbai's history as a major trading centre has led to a diverse range of cultures, Sony SVE1511P1E battery
Sony SVE1513C4E battery religions and cuisines coexisting in the city. This unique blend of cultures is due to the migration of people from all over India since the British period. Sony SVE1511Q1E battery
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Mumbai is the birthplace of Indian cinema[262]—Dadasaheb Phalke laid the foundations with silent movies followed by Marathi talkies—and the oldest film broadcast took place in the early 20th century.[26
Sony SVE1512K1E battery3] Mumbai also has a large number of cinema halls that feature Bollywood, Marathi and Hollywood movies. The Mumbai International Film Festival[264] and the award ceremony of the Filmfare Awards, the oldest and prominent film awards given for Hindi film industry in India, are held in Mumbai.[26Sony SVE1511W1E battery
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5] Despite most of the professional theatre groups that formed during the British Raj having disbanded by the 1950s, Mumbai has developed a thriving "theatre movement" tradition in Marathi, Hindi, English and other regional languages.[266][267] Sony SVE1513D1E battery
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Contemporary art is featured in both government-funded art spaces and private commercial galleries. The government-funded institutions include the Jehangir Art Gallery and the National Gallery of Modern Art. Built in 1833, the Asiatic Society of Bombay is one of the oldest public libraries in the city.[2Sony SVE1513H1E battery
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VPCCB3P1E battery 68] The Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (formerly The Prince of Wales Museum) is a renowned museum in South Mumbai which houses rare ancient exhibits of Indian history.[269] Sony SVE1711R1E battery
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Mumbai has a zoo named Jijamata Udyaan (formerly Victoria Gardens), which also harbours a garden. The rich literary traditions of the city have been highlighted internationally by Booker Prize winners Salman Rushdie, Aravind Adiga. Marathi literature has been modernised in the works of Mumbai based authors such as Mohan Apte, Sony SVE1711X1E battery
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Sony VPCCB2S1E battery Anant Kanekar, and Gangadhar Gadgil, and is promoted through an annual Sahitya Akademi Award, a literary honour bestowed by India's National Academy of Letters.[270]
Mumbai residents celebrate both Western and Indian festivals. Diwali, Holi, Eid, Christmas, Navratri, Good Friday, Dussera, Moharram, Ganesh Chaturthi, Durga Puja and Maha Shivratri are some of the popular festivals in the city. Sony SVE1712Z1E battery
Sony VPCCB2M1E batteryThe Kala Ghoda Arts Festival is an exhibition of a world of arts that encapsulates works of artists in the fields of music, dance, theatre, and films.[271] A week long annual fair known as Bandra Fair, starting on the following Sunday after 8 September, is celebrated by people of all faiths, to commemorate the Nativity of Mary, mother of Jesus, on 8 September.[272] Sony SVE1713C5E battery
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The Banganga Festival is a two-day music festival, held annually in the month of January, which is organised by the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC) at the historic Banganga Tank in Mumbai.[ Sony SVE1511A1EB battery
Sony VPCCB2 battery273] The Elephanta Festival—celebrated every February on the Elephanta Islands—is dedicated to classical Indian dance and music and attracts performers from across the country.[274Sony SVE14A1S1EB battery
Sony VPCCA3 battery] Public holidays specific to the city and the state include Maharashtra Day on 1 May, to celebrate the formation of Maharashtra state on 1 May 1960,[275][276] and Gudi Padwa which is the New Year's Day for Marathi people.
Media
See also: List of Mumbai radio stations and List of television stations based in Mumbai
The Times of India's first office is opposite the Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus where it was founded.[277]
Mumbai has numerous newspaper publications, television and radio stations. Marathi dailies enjoy the maximum readership share in the city and the top Marathi language newspapers are Maharashtra Times, Navakaal, Lokmat, Loksatta, Mumbai Chaufer, Saamana and Sakaal.[278] Popular Marathi language magazines are Saptahik Sakaal, Grihashobhika, Lokrajya, Lokprabha & Chitralekha.[2Sony SVE1511Q1EB battery
Sony VPCCA2Z0E battery79] Popular English language newspapers published and sold in Mumbai include The Times of India, Mid-day, Hindustan Times, DNA India, and The Indian Express. Newspapers are also printed in other Indian languages.[28Sony SVE1511R9ESI battery
Sony SVE1511V1EW battery
Sony VPCCA2S0E battery0] Mumbai is home to Asia's oldest newspaper, Bombay Samachar, which has been published in Gujarati since 1822.[281] Bombay Durpan, the first Marathi newspaper, was started by Balshastri Jambhekar in Mumbai in 1832. Sony SVE1511W1ESI battery
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Numerous Indian and international television channels can be watched in Mumbai through one of the Pay TV companies or the local cable television provider. The metropolis is also the hub of many international media corporations, Sony SVE14A1S1E battery
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Sony VPCCA2 batterywith many news channels and print publications having a major presence. The national television broadcaster, Doordarshan, provides two free terrestrial channels, while three main cable networks serve most households.[282] Sony SVE15 battery
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The wide range of cable channels available includes Zee Marathi, Zee Talkies, ETV Marathi, Star Pravah, Mi Marathi, DD Sahyadri (All Marathi channels), news channels such as Star Majha, Lokmat IBN, Zee 24 Taas, sports channels like ESPN, Star Sports, National entertainment channels like Colors, Sony Zee TV and STAR Plus. Sony SVE1511A1E battery
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Sony VPCCA1C5E battery News channels entirely dedicated to Mumbai include Sahara Samay Mumbai. Zing a popular Bollywood gossip channel is also based out of Mumbai.Satellite television (DTH) has yet to gain mass acceptance, Sony SVE1512X9E battery
Sony SVE17 battery due to high installation costs.[283] Prominent DTH entertainment services in Mumbai include Dish TV and Sky by Tata.[284]
There are twelve radio stations in Mumbai, with nine broadcasting on the FM band, and three All India Radio stations broadcasting on the AM band.[28Sony SVE1513A4E battery
Sony SVE1713Z1E battery5] Mumbai also has access to Commercial radio providers such as WorldSpace, Sirius and XM. The Conditional Access System (CAS) started by the Union Government in 2006 met a poor response in Mumbai due to competition from its sister technology Direct-to-Home (DTH) transmission service.[286] Sony SVE1513B1E battery
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Bollywood, the Hindi film industry based in Mumbai, produces around 150–200 films every year.[287] The name Bollywood is a blend of Bombay and Hollywood.[288] The 2000s saw a growth in Bollywood's popularity overseas. Sony SVE1513B4E battery
Sony SVE1513M1E batteryThis led filmmaking to new heights in terms of quality, cinematography and innovative story lines as well as technical advances such as special effects and animation.[289] Studios in Goregaon, including Film City, are the location for most movie sets.[ Sony SVS13 battery
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290] The city also hosts the Marathi film industry which has seen increased popularity in recent years, and TV production companies.
Education
See also: List of schools in Mumbai and List of colleges in Mumbai
Rajabai Clock Tower at the University of Mumbai
Schools in Mumbai are either "municipal schools" (run by the BMC) or private schools (run by trusts or individuals), which in some cases receive financial aid from the government.[291] The schools are affiliated either with the Maharashtra State Board (MSBSHSE), Sony SVS1511S3R battery
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Sony VPCSA3T9E batteryThe all-India Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), National Institute of Open Schooling (NIOS) or the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE) boards.[292] Marathi or English is the usual language of instruction.[29Sony vgp-bps24 battery
Sony SVE1511J1EW battery 3] The government run public schools lack many facilities, but are the only option for poorer residents who cannot afford the more expensive private schools.[294]
Under the 10+2+3/4 plan, students complete ten years of schooling and then enroll for two years in junior college, Sony vgp-bpsc24 battery
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where they select one of three streams: arts, commerce, or science.[295] This is followed by either a general degree course in a chosen field of study, or a professional degree course, such as law, engineering and medicine. Sony SVS15 battery
Sony SVE1511H1ESI battery [296] Most colleges in the city are affiliated with the University of Mumbai, one of the largest universities in the world in terms of the number of graduates.[297] Dell Latitude E6500 battery
The Indian Institute of Technology (Bombay),[298] Veermata Jijabai Technological Institute (VJTI),[29Sony VPCSA2Z9E battery
9] University Institute of Chemical Technology (UICT)[300] which are India's premier engineering and technology schools, and SNDT Women's University are the other autonomous universities in Mumbai.[301Sony SVE171A11M battery
] Grant Medical College established in 1845 and Seth G.S. Medical College are the leading medical institutes affiliated with Sir Jamshedjee Jeejeebhoy Group of Hospitals and KEM Hospital respectively. Dell Latitude E4300 battery
Dell Latitude E6230 battery Mumbai is also home to National Institute of Industrial Engineering (NITIE), Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies (JBIMS), Sony SVE151C11M battery
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Sony SVE1511H1EW battery S P Jain Institute of Management and Research and several other management schools.[302Dell Latitude E4310 battery
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Dell Latitude E6220 battery] Government Law College and Sydenham College, respectively the oldest law and commerce colleges in India, are based in Mumbai.[303][304] The Sir J. J. School of Art is Mumbai's oldest art institution.[305] Sony SVE1711K1EW battery
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Mumbai is home to two prominent research institutions: the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research (TIFR), and the Bhabha Atomic Research Centre (BARC).[306] The BARC operates CIRUS, a 40 MW nuclear research reactor at their facility in Trombay.[307] Sony SVE1711V1EB battery
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Sports
Brabourne Stadium, one of the oldest cricket stadiums in the country
Built in 1883, Mahalaxmi Racecourse was created out of a marshy land known as Mahalakshmi Flats.
Cricket is more popular than any other sport in the city. Due to a shortage of grounds, various modified versions (generally referred to as gully cricket) are played everywhere. Mumbai is also home to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)[30Sony SVE1711X1EB battery
Sony SVE1511S1ESI battery8] and Indian Premier League (IPL).[309] The Mumbai cricket team represents the city in the Ranji Trophy and has won 40 titles, the most by any team.[310] The city is also represented by the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League. The city has two international cricket grounds, Sony SVE1511G1EW battery
Sony SVE1511S1EW batterythe Wankhede Stadium and the Brabourne Stadium. The first cricket test match in India was played in Mumbai at Bombay Gymkhana.[3Dell Latitude E6400 XFR battery
Dell Latitude E6120 battery11] The biggest cricketing event to be staged in the city so far is the final of the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup which was played at the Wankhede Stadium. Sony SVE1511G1ESI battery
Sony SVE1511G1EB batteryMumbai and London are the only two cities to have hosted both a World Cup final and the final of an ICC Champions Trophy which was played at the Brabourne Stadium in 2006.[312]
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Football is another popular sport in the city, with the FIFA World Cup and the English Premier League being followed widely.[3Dell Latitude E6410 battery
Dell Latitude E6510 battery13] In the I-League (matches in the city are played at the Cooperage Ground), the city is represented by three teams, Mumbai FC,[314] Mahindra United[315] and Air-India.[
Sony PCG-41214M battery316] Mumbai is home to the Mumbai Marines and Mumbai Magicians in the World Series Hockey and Hockey India League respectively . When the Elite Football League of India was introduced in August 2011, Mumbai was noted as one of eight cities to be awarded a team for the inaugural season. Sony VPCCA4S1E battery
Sony PCG-41414M batteryNamed the Mumbai Gladiators, the team's first season will be played in Pune in late 2012,[317] and it will be Mumbai's first professional American football franchise.[318]
Every February, Mumbai holds derby races at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse. Mcdowell's Derby is also held in February at the Turf Club in Mumbai.[319] In March 2004, the Mumbai Grand Prix was part of the F1 powerboat world championship.[32Sony VPCCB3M1E battery
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Sony PCG-41218M battery] and the Force India F1 team car was unveiled in the city, in 2008.[321] The city is planning to build its own F1 track and various sites in the city were being chalked out, of which the authorities have planned to zero down on Marve-Malad or Panvel-Kalyan land. If approved, Sony VPCCA2S1E battery
the track will be clubbed with a theme park and will spread over 400 to 500 acres (202 ha).[3Dell Latitude E6410 ATG battery
Dell Latitude E6500 battery22] In 2004, the annual Mumbai Marathon was established as a part of "The Greatest Race on Earth". Mumbai has also played host to the Kingfisher Airlines Tennis Open, an International Series tournament of the ATP World Tour, in 2006 and 2007.[323] Sony SVS13A1U9ES battery
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New Delhi i/ˈnjuː dɛli/ is the capital of the Republic of India, and the seat of executive, legislative, and judiciary branches of the Government of India. It also serves as the centre of the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi. New Delhi is situated within the metropolis of Delhi and is one of the eleven districts of Delhi National Capital Territory. Sony SVS131B12M battery
The foundation stone of the city was laid on 15 December 1911.[3] It was planned by two leading 20th-century British architects, Sir Edwin Lutyens and Sir Herbert Baker. The new Capital was christened "New Delhi" in 1927,[4] and subsequently inaugurated on 13 February 1931,[5] by British India's Viceroy Lord Irwin. On 12 December 2011, New Delhi celebrated 100 years of capitalship,[6] making it another landmark year in the long history of the region of Delhi.[6] New Delhi is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Humayun's Tomb, Red Fort and the Qutub complex.[7]
New Delhi is known as the microcosm of India[8] and is one of the world’s leading global cities, with strengths in the arts, commerce, education, entertainment, fashion, finance, healthcare, media, professional services, research and development, tourism and transport all contributing to its prominence.[9] The metropolitan area is largest in the country with a population of more than 21 million.[10] The urban agglomeration is the 7th largest in the world with a population of 23 million people.[11] The metropolis has the highest urban spread in the country.[12][13]
According to Mercer, New Delhi is the most expensive city in India for expatriates in terms of cost of living, figuring 113th in the list of 214 cities.[14] Reflecting the growing global economic clout of the Asian region, have been ranked among the 75 top centres of commerce in the world.[15] The World Cities Study Group at Loughborough University rated New Delhi as an "alpha- world city".[16] In 2011, Knight Frank's world city survey ranked it 37th globally.[17]
The National Geographic's Traveler Magazine describes it as "one of the Ultimate Cities of a Lifetime to visit and explore."[18] In a report jointly prepared by Institute for Competitiveness and Confederation of Indian Industry, the city is listed as the best to live in India.[19][20] The city of New Delhi is also known for its wide, tree-lined boulevards and is home to numerous national institutions, museums and landmarks.
Delhi was laid out to the south of the Old City which was constructed by Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan. However, New Delhi overlies the site of seven ancient cities and hence includes many historic monuments like the Jantar Mantar, Humayun Tomb, Qila Rai Pithora and the Lodhi Gardens.[21]
The Delhi Durbar of 1911, with King George V and Queen Mary seated upon the dais.
Calcutta (now Kolkata) was the capital of India during the British Raj until December 1911. However, Delhi had served as the political and financial centre of several empires of ancient India and the Delhi Sultanate, most notably of the Mughal Empire from 1649 to 1857. During the early 1900s, a proposal was made to the British administration to shift the capital of the British Indian Empire (as it was officially called) from Calcutta to Delhi.[22] Unlike Calcutta, which was located on the eastern coast of India, Delhi was located in northern India and the Government of British India felt that it would be easier to administer India from Delhi rather than from Calcutta.[22]
On 12 December 1911, during the Delhi Durbar, George V, the then Emperor of India, along with Queen Mary, his Consort, made the announcement[23][24] that the capital of the Raj was to be shifted from Calcutta to Delhi, while laying the foundation stone for the Viceroy's residence in the Coronation Park, Kingsway Camp.[25][26] The foundation stone[27] of New Delhi was laid by King George V and Queen Mary at the site of Delhi Durbar of 1911 at Kingsway Camp on 15 December 1911, during their imperial visit. Large parts of New Delhi were planned by Edwin Lutyens (Sir Edwin from 1918) and Herbert Baker (Sir Herbert from 1926), both leading 20th-century British architects, and the contract was given to Sobha Singh (later Sir Sobha Singh). Lutyens first visited Delhi in 1912, and construction really began after World War I and was completed by 1931, when the city later dubbed "Lutyens' Delhi" was inaugurated on 13 February 1931, by Lord Irwin, the Viceroy. Lutyens laid out the central administrative area of the city as a testament to Britain's imperial aspirations.[13][28]
The 1931 series celebrated the inauguration of New Delhi as the seat of government. The one rupee stamp shows George V with the "Secretariat Building" and Dominion Columns.
However, soon Lutyens started considering other places. Indeed, the "Delhi Town Planning Committee on the planning of new Imperial capital" with George Swinton as chairman and John A. Brodie and Lutyens as members, submitted its reports for both "North" and "South" sites. However, it was rejected by the Viceroy, when the cost of compensation while acquiring the properties, was found to be too high. The central axis of New Delhi, which today faces east at India Gate, was previously meant to be a North-South axis, linking Viceroy's House with Paharganj, as the end of the axis. During the early years of its making most tourists believed it was a gate from Earth to Heaven itself.[29] Eventually owing to space constraints and presence of a large number of heritage sites in the North side, the committee settled on the South site.[30] A site atop the Raisina Hill, formerly Raisina village, a Meo village, was chosen for the Rashtrapati Bhawan, then known as the Viceroy's House. The historic reason for this choice was that the hill lay directly opposite the Dinapanah citadel, which was also considered the site of Indraprastha, the ancient region of Delhi. Subsequently, the foundation stone was shifted from the site of Delhi Durbar of 1911–1912, where the Coronation Pillar stood as well, and embedded in the walls of the forecourt of the Secretariat. The Rajpath, also known as King's Way, stretched from the India Gate to the Rashtrapati Bhawan. The Secretariat building, which houses various ministries of the Government of India, flanked out of the Rashtrapati Bhawan, and the Parliament House, both designed by Herbert Baker, is located at the Sansad Marg, which runs parallel to the Rajpath.
Towards the south, land till Safdarjung's Tomb was acquired for construction to create what is today known as Lutyens' Bungalow Zone.[31] Before the construction could begin on the rocky ridge of Raisina Hill, a circular railway line, around the Council House (now Parliament House), called the 'Imperial Delhi Railway', was built to transport construction material and workers for the next 20 years. The last stumbling block was the Agra-Delhi railways line that cut right through the site earmarked for the hexagonal All-India War Memorial (India Gate), Kingsway (Rajpath) as the Old Delhi Railway Station served the entire city till then, eventually the line was shifted along Yamuna river and opened in 1924. The New Delhi Railway Station was opened in 1926 with a single platform at Ajmeri Gate near Paharganj, ahead of the inauguration of the city in 1931.[32][33] As the principal construction of the Viceroy's homeonesque|Viceroy House (present Rashtrapati Bhavan), Central Secretariat, Parliament House, and All-India War Memorial (India Gate) was winding down the construction of shopping district and plaza of the new capital, Connaught Place began in 1929, and was complete by 1933. Named after The Prince Arthur, 1st Duke of Connaught (1850–1942), it was designed by Robert Tor Russell, chief architect to the Public Works Department (PWD).[34]
After the capital of India moved to Delhi, a temporary secretariat building was constructed in a few months in 1912 in North Delhi. Most of the government offices of the new capital moved here from the 'Old secretariat' in Old Delhi (the building now houses the Delhi Legislative Assembly), a decade before the new capital was inaugurated in 1931. Many employees were brought into the new capital from distant parts of India, including the Bengal Presidency and Madras Presidency. Subsequently housing for them was developed around Gole Market area in 1920s.[4] Built in 1940s, to house government employees, with bungalows for senior officials in the nearby Lodhi Estate area, Lodhi colony near historic Lodhi Gardens, was the last residential areas built by the British Raj.[35]
Post-independence[edit]
Rashtrapati Bhavan and adjacent buildings, illuminated for the Republic Day.
After India gained independence in 1947, a limited autonomy was conferred to New Delhi and was administered by a Chief Commissioner appointed by the Government of India. In 1956, Delhi was converted into a union territory and eventually the Chief Commissioner was replaced by a Lieutenant Governor. The Constitution (Sixty-ninth Amendment) Act, 1991 declared the Union Territory of Delhi to be formally known as National Capital Territory of Delhi.[36] A system of diarchy was introduced under which the elected Government was given wide powers, excluding law and order which remained with the Central Government. The actual enforcement of the legislation came in 1993.
The first major extension of New Delhi outside of Lutyens' Delhi came in the 1950s when the Central Public Works Department (CPWD) developed a large area of land southwest of Lutyens' Delhi to create the diplomatic enclave of Chanakyapuri, where land was allotted for embassies, chanceries, high commissions and residences of ambassadors, around wide central vista, Shanti Path.[37] The second phase of extension of New Delhi, which started in late 1950s by acquiring land from Munirka farmers. Developed by CPWD to south-West of Central Secretariat, its development continued till 1970s, when R. K. Puram, one of the largest residential colonies of the time was established.[37] By now Delhi was growing in all directions, especially towards South Delhi and trans-Yamuna areas, with new private colonies coming up rapidly, filling up all the spaces left behind by government housing colonies. The construction picked further speed when Delhi Development Authority (DDA) started developing public housing colonies across Delhi, as well as housing townships, from Pitampura, Patparganj, Rohini, Dwarka to Vasant Kunj in the south, in the 1980s and 90s.[37] So much so, that Safdarjung Airport which was once at the edge of the city, came almost in its middle, and is no longer in use for commercial flights, which started operating from the Palam Airport in 1962. Two big growth spurts came when the city hosted international sports events, first the 1982 Asian Games and more recently the 2010 Commonwealth Games. The city celebrated 100 years as Capital on 12 December 2011.
Geography[edit]
With a total area of 42.7 km2, New Delhi forms a small part of the Delhi metropolitan area[38] and is located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain because of which there is little difference in the city's altitude. New Delhi and surrounding areas were once a part of the Aravalli Range, but all that is left now is the Delhi ridge, which is also called the Lungs of Delhi. The second feature is the Yamuna floodplains; New Delhi lies west of the Yamuna river, although for the most part, New Delhi is a landlocked city. East of the river is the urban area of Shahdara. New Delhi falls under the seismic zone-IV, making it vulnerable to earthquakes.[39]
Climate[edit]
See also: Climate of Delhi
The climate of New Delhi is a monsoon-influenced humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cwa) with high variation between summer and winter, in terms of both temperatures and rainfall. The temperature varies from 46 °C (115 °F) in summers to around 0 °C (32 °F) in winters. The area's version of a humid subtropical climate is noticeably different from many other cities with this climate classification in that it features long and very hot summers, relatively dry and cool winters, a monsoonal period, and dust storms. Summers are long, from early April to October, with the monsoon season in the middle of the summer. Winter starts in November and peaks in January. The annual mean temperature is around 25 °C (77 °F); monthly daily mean temperatures range from approximately 14 to 34 °C (57 to 93 °F). New Delhi's highest temperature ever recorded is 47.2 °C (117.0 °F) while the lowest temperature ever recorded is −0.6 °C (30.9 °F).[40] Those for Delhi metropolis stand at 48.5 °C (119.3 °F) and −2.2 °C (28.0 °F) respectively. The average annual rainfall is 714 millimetres (28.1 in), most of which is during the monsoons in July and August.[41]
The Secretariat Building houses Ministries of Defence, Finance, Home Affairs and External Affairs. It also houses the Prime Minister's office.
The national capital of India, New Delhi is jointly administered by both the federal Government of India and the local Government of Delhi, is also the capital of the NCT of Delhi.
As of 2005, the government structure of the New Delhi Municipal Council includes a chairperson, three members of New Delhi's Legislative Assembly, two members nominated by the Chief Minister of National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT) and five members nominated by the central government.
The head of state of Delhi is the Lieutenant Governor of Union Territory of Delhi, appointed by the President of India on the advice of the Central government and the post is largely ceremonial, as the Chief Minister of Union Territory of Delhi is the head of government and is vested with most of the executive powers. According to the Indian constitution, if a law passed by Delhi's legislative assembly is repugnant to any law passed by the Parliament of India, then the law enacted by the parliament shall prevail over the law enacted by the assembly.[47]
New Delhi is governed through a municipal government, known as the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC). Other urban areas of the metropolis of Delhi are administered by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD). However, the entire metropolis of Delhi is commonly known as New Delhi in contrast to Old Delhi. Sony SVS151A11M battery
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Urban structure[edit]
Rashtrapati Bhavan is the official residence of the President of India and is the largest residence of any Head of the State in the world.
Much of New Delhi, planned by the leading 20th-century British architect Edwin Lutyens, was laid out to be the central administrative area of the city as a testament to Britain's imperial pretensions. New Delhi is structured around two central promenades called the Rajpath and the Janpath. The Rajpath, or King's Way, stretches from the Rashtrapati Bhavan to the India Gate. Sony SVS1311E3EW battery
Sony PCG-41211M battery The Janpath (Hindi: "Path of the People"), formerly Queen's Way, begins at Connaught Circus and cuts the Rajpath at right angles. 19 foreign embassies are located on the nearby Shantipath (Hindi: "Path of Peace"), making it the largest diplomatic enclave in India.[48] Sony SVS1311P9EB battery
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At the heart of the city is the magnificent Rashtrapati Bhavan (formerly known as Viceroy's House) which sits atop Raisina Hill. The Secretariat, which houses various ministries of the Government of India, flanks out of the Rashtrapati Bhavan. The Parliament House, designed by Herbert Baker, is located at the Sansad Marg, Sony SVS1511L3ES battery
Sony PCG-4121DM battery which runs parallel to the Rajpath. Connaught Place is a large, circular commercial area in New Delhi, modelled after the Royal Crescent in England. Twelve separate roads lead out of the outer ring of Connaught Place, one of them being the Janpath.
Transport[edit] Sony SVS1511M3EW battery
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Main article: Transport in Delhi
The Delhi Transport Corporation operates the world's largest fleet of CNG powered buses.[49]
Being a planned city, New Delhi has numerous arterial roads, some of which have an iconic status associated with them such as Rajpath, Sony SVS1511N3ES battery
Sony VPCSE2F1E batteryJanpath and Akbar Road. In 2005, private vehicles accounted for 30% of total transportation demand for the Delhi metropolitan area.[50] Road construction and maintenance is primarily the responsibility of New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC)'s Civil Engineering Department.[51] Underground subways are a common feature across New Delhi. As of 2008, 15 subways were operational.[5Sony SVS1511T9ES battery
Sony VPCSB4S9E battery2] In 1971, the administrative responsibility of the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) was transferred from Municipal Corporation of Delhi to Government of India following which DTC extended its operations to New Delhi. In 2007, there were 2700 bus stops in New Delhi, of which 200 were built and maintained by NDMC and the rest by DTC.[53] Sony SVS1511V9EB battery
Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) is the primary aviation hub of Delhi. In 2011-2012, the airport recorded a traffic of more than 35 million passengers, making it the busiest airport in the country[54] and also making it one of the busiest airports in South Asia. Sony SVS1511V9ES battery
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Sony VPCSA3Q9E batteryNew US$1.93 billion Terminal 3 will handle an additional 34 million passengers annually.[55] Further expansion programs will allow the airport to handle more than 100 million passengers per annum by 2020.Safdarjung Airport is the other airfield in Delhi used for general aviation purpose.[56] Sony PCG-41311M battery
Delhi Metro
Public transport in Delhi is provided by buses, auto rickshaws and a metro rail system. Buses are the most popular means of transport catering to about 60% of the total demand. The state-owned Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) Sony PCG-41313M battery
Sony VPCZ23N9E battery is a major bus service provider for the city. The DTC operates the world's largest fleet of environment-friendly CNG buses. Delhi BRTS is Bus rapid transit serving the city which runs between Ambedkar Nagar and Delhi Gate.
CNG powered Auto rickshaw for common public transport.
The Delhi Metro, a mass rapid transit system built and operated by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), serves many parts of Delhi as well as the satellite city of Gurgaon and Noida. As of October 2010, the metro consists of six operational lines with a total length of 153 km (95 mi) Sony PCG-4R2M battery
and 130 stations while several other lines are under construction. The Phase-I was built at a cost of US$2.3 billion and the Phase-II did cost another US$4.3 billion. Phase-II of the network was completed by 2010. Phase-III and IV will be completed by 2015 and 2020 respectively, creating a network spanning 413.8 km, Sony PCG-4R2M battery
Sony VPCZ23M9E batterylonger than that of the London Underground.[citation needed] Under an agreement with NDMC, DMRC can acquire land for the construction of metro rail and stations in New Delhi without any financial implications.[5Sony PCG-6Z4M battery
Sony VPCZ21X9R battery7] NDMC is also constructing multi-level parking systems in collaboration with DMRC at various Delhi metro stations across New Delhi to increase parking space.[58]
The New Delhi Railway Station which is the main railway station in Delhi, is the second busiest and one of the largest stations in Asia, connects Delhi with the rest of the country and also Lahore in Pakistan.[59] Sony PCG-6112M battery
Auto rickshaws are a popular means of public transportation in Delhi, as they charge a lower fare than taxis. Most run on Compressed natural gas and are yellow and green in colour. Taxis are not an integral part of Delhi public transport, Sony PCG-6121M battery
Sony VPCZ12Z9E/X battery though they are easily available. Private operators operate most taxis, and most neighbourhoods have a taxi stand from which taxis can be ordered or picked up. In addition, air-conditioned radio taxis, which can be ordered by calling a central number, have become increasingly popular, charging a flat rate of 15 per kilometre. Sony PCG-6122M battery
Delhi is a major junction in the rail map of India and is the headquarters of the Northern Railway. The five main railway stations are New Delhi Railway Station, Old Delhi, Nizamuddin Railway Station, Anand Vihar Railway Terminal and Sarai Rohilla. Delhi is connected to other cities through many highways and expressways. Sony PCG-6123M battery
Sony VPCZ12V9E/B battery Delhi currently has three expressways and three are under construction to connect it with its prosperous and commercial suburbs. The Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway connects Delhi with Gurgaon and the international airport. The DND Flyway and Noida-Greater Noida Expressway connect Delhi with two prosperous suburbs of Noida and Greater Noida.
Indira Gandhi International Airport is one of the largest airports in the world and the busiest airports in South Asia.[60] Sony PCG-6124M battery
Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) is situated in the western corner of Delhi and serves as the main gateway for the city's domestic and international civilian air traffic. In 2006–07, the airport recorded a traffic of more than 23 million passengers, Sony VPCZ13 battery
Sony VPCZ12M9E/B batterymaking it one of the busiest airports in South Asia. A new US$1.93 billion Terminal 3 handles an additional 34 million passengers annually in 2010. Further expansion programs will allow the airport to handle more than 100 million passengers per annum by 2020. Sony VPCZ13M9E/B battery
Private vehicles account for 30% of the total demand for transport. At 1922.32 km of road length per 100 km², Delhi has one of the highest road densities in India. Delhi is well connected to other parts of India by five National Highways: NH 1, 2, 8, 10 and 24. Roads in Delhi are maintained by MCD (Municipal Corporation of Delhi), NDMC, Sony VPCZ13V9E battery
Sony VPCZ12M9E battery Delhi Cantonment Board, Public Works Department (PWD) and Delhi Development Authority.
Delhi's high population growth rate, coupled with high economic growth rate has resulted in an ever increasing demand for transport creating excessive pressure on the city's existent transport infrastructure. As of 2008. Also, Sony VPCZ21Q9E battery
Sony VPCZ12C7E/B battery the number of vehicles in the metropolitan region, i.e., Delhi NCR is 112 lakhs (11.2 million). In 2008, there were 85 cars in Delhi for every 1,000 of its residents. In order to meet the transport demand in Delhi, Sony VPCZ23K9E battery
Sony VPCZ11Z9E/B batterythe State and Union government started the construction of a mass rapid transit system, including the Delhi Metro. In 1998, the Supreme Court of India ordered all public transport vehicles of Delhi to use compressed natural gas (CNG) as fuel instead of diesel and other hydro-carbons. Sony VGP-BPL20 battery
Northern Peripheral Road road is being developed under the public private partnership (PPP) model. This stretch will connect Dwarka with National Highway 8 at Kherki Dhaula and will pass Pataudi Road. Sony VGP-BPS20/B battery
The NPR stretch has been planned as an alternate link road between Delhi and Gurgaon, and is expected to ease the traffic situation on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. The road will also provide connectivity to the much-touted Reliance-HSIIDC SEZ besides the Garhi Harsaru dry depot.
Demographics[edit]vSony VGP-BPS20/S battery
Hinduism is the religion of 83.8% of New Delhi's population. There are also large communities of Muslims (6.3%), Sikhs (5.4%), Jains (1.1%) and Christians (0.9%) in Delhi.[61] Other religious groups (2.5%) include Parsis, Buddhists and Jews.[62] Hindi and Punjabi are the main spoken languages in New Delhi. Sony VPCZ11 battery
Sony VPCZ11X9E batteryCulture[edit]
New Delhi is a cosmopolitan city due to the multi-ethnic and multi-cultural presence of the vast Indian bureaucracy and political system. The city's capital status has amplified the importance of national events and holidays. Sony VGP-BPL14 battery
Sony VGN-Z11VN/X batteryNational events such as Republic Day, Independence Day and Gandhi Jayanti (Gandhi's birthday) are celebrated with great enthusiasm in New Delhi and the rest of India. On India's Independence Day (15 August) the Prime Minister of India addresses the nation from the Red Fort. Sony VGP-BPL14/B battery
Most Delhiites celebrate the day by flying kites, which are considered a symbol of freedom.[63] The Republic Day Parade is a large cultural and military parade showcasing India's cultural diversity and military might.[64][65] Sony VGP-BPL14/S battery
Religious festivals include Diwali (the festival of light), Maha Shivaratri, Teej, Guru Nanak Jayanti, Baisakhi, Durga Puja, Holi, Lohri, Eid ul-Fitr, Eid ul-Adha, Christmas and Mahavir Jayanti.[65] The Qutub Festival is a cultural event during which performances of musicians and dancers from all over India are showcased at night, Sony VGP-BPS14 battery
Sony VGN-Z51WG/B battery with the Qutub Minar as the chosen backdrop of the event.[66] Other events such as Kite Flying Festival, International Mango Festival and Vasant Panchami (the Spring Festival) are held every year in Delhi.
Cityscape[edit] Sony VGP-BPS14/B battery
Architecture[edit]
The New Delhi town plan, like its architecture, was chosen with one single chief consideration: to be a symbol of British power and supremacy.[8][28][67] All other decisions were subordinate to this, and it was this framework that dictated the choice and application of symbology and influences from both Hindu, Buddhist and Islamic architecture.[8][68] Sony VGP-BPS14/S battery
It took about 20 years to build the city from 1911.[69] Many elements of New Delhi architecture borrow from indigenous sources; however, they fit into a British Classical/Palladian tradition. The fact that there were any indigenous features in the design were due to the persistence and urging of both the Viceroy Lord Hardinge and historians like E.B. Havell.[68]
Historic sites and museums[edit]
The National Museum in New Delhi is one of the largest museums in India.
The India Gate built in 1931 is the national monument of India.
New Delhi is home to several historic sites and museums. The National Museum which began with an exhibition of Indian art and artefacts at the Royal Academy in London in the winter of 1947–48[70Sony VGN-Z11WN/B battery
Sony VGN-Z51XTG/B battery] was later at the end was shown at the Rashtrapati Bhawan in 1949. Later it was to form a permanent National Museum. On 15 August 1949, the National Museum was formally inaugurated and currently has 200,000 works of art, both of Indian and foreign origin, covering over 5,000 years.[71] Sony VGN-Z11XN/X battery
The India Gate built in 1931 was inspired by the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.[68] It is the national monument of India commemorating the 90,000 soldiers of the Indian Army who lost their lives while fighting for the British Raj in World War I and the Third Anglo-Afghan War.[68] Sony VGN-Z21 battery
The Rajpath which was built similar to the Champs-Élysées in Paris is the ceremonial boulevard for the Republic of India located in New Delhi. The annual Republic Day parade takes place here on 26 January.
The 'Martyr's Column' at the Gandhi Smriti, the spot where Mahatma Gandhi was assassinated in New Delhi on 1948.
Built in 1193, the Qutub Minar is part of the ancient capital of the Tughlaq dynasty
Gandhi Smriti in New Delhi is the location where Mahatma Gandhi spent the last 144 days of his life and was assassinated on 30 January 1948. Sony VGN-Z21WN/B battery
Sony VGN-Z31XN/B batteryRajghat is the place where Mahatma Gandhi was cremated on 31 January 1948 after his assassination and his ashes were buried and make it a final resting place beside the sanctity of the Yamuna River. The Raj Ghat in the shape of large square platform with black marble was designed by architect Vanu Bhuta. Sony VGN-Z21XN battery
Jantar Mantar located in Connaugth Place was built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur. It consists of 13 architectural astronomy instruments. The primary purpose of the observatory was to compile astronomical tables, and to predict the times and movements of the sun, moon and planets. Sony VGN-Z31 battery
Qutub Minar constructed with red sandstone and marble, and is the tallest minaret in India,[72] with a height of 72.5 meters (237.8 ft), contains 379 stairs to reach the top,[citation needed] and the diameter of base is 14.3 meters where as the last store is of 2.7 meters. Sony VGN-Z31MN/B battery
Sony VGP-BPS12/Q batteryNew Delhi is home to Indira Gandhi Memorial Museum, National Gallery of Modern Art, National Museum of Natural History, National Rail Museum, National Handicrafts and Handlooms Museum, National Philatelic Museum, Nehru Planetarium, Shankar's International Dolls Museum.[73] and Supreme Court of India Museum.[74] Sony VGN-Z31VN/X battery
Historic places in New Delhi include Jantar Mantar, Gandhi Smriti, Buddha Jayanti Park and Lodi Gardens.
In the coming years, a new National War Memorial and a new National War Memorial Museum is going to be constructed in New Delhi.[75][76]
Sports[edit]
The 2010 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony in Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. In the foreground is the aerostat
The city hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games and annually hosts Delhi Half Marathon foot-race. The city has previously hosted the 1951 Asian Games and the 1982 Asian Games. New Delhi was interested [7Sony VGN-Z31ZN/B battery
Sony VGN-Z battery7] in bidding for the 2019 Asian Games but was turned down by the government on 2 August 2010 amid allegations of corruption in 2010 Commonwealth Games .[78]
The Buddh International Circuit[1] is an Indian motor racing circuit in Greater Noida (near the National capital New Delhi) Uttar Pradesh, India. The circuit is best known as the venue for the annual Formula One Indian Grand Prix, which was first hosted on 30 October 2011.[2] The track was officially inaugurated on 18 October 2011.[3] Sony VGN-Z51 battery
Sony VGN-Z51XG battery [4] The 5.14 km long Circuit has been designed by world-renowned German architect and racetrack designer, Hermann Tilke, who has also designed other race circuits in Malaysia, Bahrain, China, Turkey, the UAE, South Korea and the US.[5][6] Dell Latitude E4200 battery
Tata Motors pavilion showcasing its Jaguar range at Delhi Auto Expo.
Connaught Place, one of North India's largest commercial and financial centres, is located in the northern part of New Delhi. Adjoining areas such as Barakhamba Road, ITO are also major commercial centres. Dell Latitude E5400 battery
Dell Latitude E5420 batteryGovernment and quasi government sector was the primary employer in New Delhi. The city's service sector has expanded due in part to the large skilled English-speaking workforce that has attracted many multinational companies. Key service industries include information technology, telecommunications, hotels, banking, media and tourism. Dell Latitude E5410 battery
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The 2011 World Wealth Report ranks economic activity in New Delhi at 39, but overall the capital is ranked at 37, above cities like Jakarta and Johannesburg.[79] New Delhi with Beijing shares the top position as the most targeted emerging markets retail destination among Asia-Pacific markets.[80] Dell Latitude E5500 battery
The Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi does not release any economic figures specifically for New Delhi but publishes an official economic report on the whole of Delhi annually. According to the Economic Survey of Delhi, the metropolis has a net State Domestic Product (SDP) of Rs. 83,085 crores (for the year 2004–05)[81] and a per capita income of Rs. 53,976($ 1,200).[81Dell Latitude E6400 battery
Dell Latitude E6430 batteryIn the year 2008–09 New Delhi had a Per Capita Income of Rs.1,16,886 ($ 2,595).It grew by 16.2% to reach Rs.1,35,814 ($ 3,018) in 2009–10 fiscal. New Delhi's Per Capita GDP (at PPP) was at $ 6,860 during 2009–10 fiscal, Dell Latitude E6400 ATG battery
Dell Latitude E6330 batterymaking it one of the richest cities in India. The tertiary sector contributes 78.4% of Delhi's gross SDP followed by secondary and primary sectors with 20.2% and 1.4% contribution respectively.[81]
The gross state domestic product (GSDP) of Delhi at current prices for the year 2011-12 has been estimated at Rs 3.13 lakh crore, which is an increase of 18.7 per cent over the previous fiscal.[82]