Formerly known as Mumbai it is the commercial & financial capital city of India. This port city (India's largest and busiest) accounts for a major share of the government's revenue, and has one of the world's largest harbour. In a recent survey of cities compiled, Mumbai is the fifth most expensive city in the world. 40% of this island city consists of reclaimed land from the sea.

This mega cosmopolitan city is a city of contrasts. The deceptively calm sea, its beaches and fishing boats, give lie to a city, which is bursting at its seams with population, pollution and space.

Over 60% of air pollution is due to the 7 lakh vehicles on the roads.

Space constraints have given rise to towering skyscrapers standing majestically next to sprawling slums ( Dharavi -Asia's biggest slum is here). Haute cuisine besides hawker stalls. World renowned designer labels and brands to exquisite made in India items.

People of various caste, culture, and religion inhabit the city, and due to this diversification the customs, languages, and even the food is of infinite variety. The language spoken here is Hindi & Hinglish which is street speak and slang a mixture of Hindi & English. The official state language though is Marathi. The city is multi religious, multi cultural, multilingual.

Mumbai (Bombay) lies on the western coast of India. It is a group of seven islands in the Arabian Sea which lies off the northern Konkan coast on the west of Maharashtra state in India. These seven islands which were once seperated by creeks and channels were filled and bridged over the years by the inhabitants.

In 1661, King Charles II of England, married Princess Catherine de Braganza of Portugal, and as part of the dowry he received "Bombay" which is today known as Mumbai. Later in 1668 it was handed over to the East India Company.

In 1858 the administration of the country was taken over by the Queen of England, Queen Victoria, from the East India Company. A viceroy was appointed to rule India in the name of the Queen.

Bombay came under the direct rule of the British in 1861.
The first railway line in India was started between Bombay (VT) and Thane in 1861.
In 1864, modern water supply was started in Bombay (Mumbai)  and in 1885, Bombay was lit with gas.

The total population of Mumbai is about 10 millions. It is still growing. Mumbai provides umpteen opportunities to realize one's dreams. Hence, people from all over India, belonging to different cultures come here to realize their dreams. Mumbai has become the melting pot of all Indian  cultures.

This is the reason Mumbai has a truly cosmopolitan population bustling with activity. It's film industry "Bollywood" also draws a number of youths with tinsel dreams to Mumbai. Being a major financial center, People from all over the world come here for business opportunities. This has made Mumbai a major International city.

Most of the year, Mumbai's climate is warm and humid. Between November and February, the skies are clear,and the temperature is cooler. From March the temperature becomes warm and humid till mid June, the beginning of monsoon. During monsoon there are torrential rains, sometimes causing the flooding of major roads and streets of Mumbai.

The average rainfall which is brought by the south-west monsoon winds in Mumbai is  180 cms. Monsoon ends by the end of September. October is comparatively hot and humid.