About Mumbai
Mumbai (Marathi and Hindi: मुंबई Mumbaī), formerly known as Bombay, is the largest city in western India and the capital of the state of Maharashtra. A cosmopolitan metropolis, Mumbai was built on seven islands on the Konkan coastline which over time were joined to form the island city of Bombay. The island was in turn joined with the neighbouring island of Salsette to form "Greater Bombay". The city has a metropolitan population of over 20 million (2025).
Often called the "New York of India", Mumbai is undoubtedly the country's commercial capital and one of the predominant port cities. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is symbolised in the presence of Bollywood within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries. It is also home to India's largest slum population, as well as the iconic Gateway of India built on the waterfront of Mumbai Harbour during the British Raj. The name Bombay comes from Bom Bahia ("the good bay" in Portuguese), a name given by explorer Francis Almeida. Mumbai is named after the goddess Mumbadevi of the Koli fishing community.