Traveller's information about Mumbai [33/10]

Mumbai, earlier known as Bombay, is the largest city in India and the capital of Maharashtra state. Mumbai was originally a conglomeration of seven isles on the Konkan coastline which over time were united to build the key city of Bombay. Then the island combined with the neighbouring isle of Salsette to produce Greater Bombay. The city has an estimated metropolitan population of 17 million (2005), making it one of the largest cities in the world. Mumbai is the only major city in India which has the largest slum population. Mumbai is also one of India's largest port cities and surfaces large as the commercial capital of India. Mumbai's nature as the most eclectic and cosmopolitan Indian city is expressed in the presence of Bollywood within the city, the centre of the globally-influential Hindi film and TV industries.

Mumbai is a city raised in successive wavings of migrations. The Mumbai regions developed their character from the communities that organized there first. These regions are too numerous to list and there is no commonly took way to organize these neighborhoods into larger divisions. But roughly, from the south to the north, this is how the city developed.
- South Mumbai
— Fort, Colaba, Malabar Hill, Nariman Point, Marine Lines, and Tardeo.

The oldest areas of Mumbai.

Holds Mumbai's downtown domain and is counted the commercial crown of India. The richest regions in the territory are placed here, which direct among the highest rates in the world. Most of the real estate in South Mumbai is much more expensive than Manhattan. This is the primary tourist area of Mumbai and home to most of Mumbai's museums, art galleries, bars, upscale restaurants, and the Gateway of India.

- South Central Mumbai — Byculla, Parel, Worli, Prabhadevi, and Dadar. Used to be Mumbai's industrial heartland, but went into decline when the industries did. Now this space has been redone into a white-collar bureau place. Home to Mumbai's only zoo, the Worli ocean side, and the temple to what masses count the city's guardian divinity. As you move north, it morphs into a nice middle-class neighborhood.

- North Central Mumbai — Dharavi, Matunga, Vadala, Sion, and Mahim. Primarily an upper middle-class space, except for Dharavi, which holds Asia's largest slum area. This domain grew immediately after India's self-government, because of a wave of immigration. Part of the migrants were refugees from the partition.

- Western Suburbs of Mumbai — Bandra, Khar, Santa cruz, Juhu, Vile Parle, and Andheri. Contain Mumbai's other downtown and is home to those rich who covet to have a more peaceful surrounding. It has some beaches. Home to a large Christian community and the city's most famous church. Also this is where the city's two airports are.

- Central Suburbs

— Kurla, Vidyavihar, Ghatkopar, Vikhroli, Kanjur Marg, Bhandup, Mulund and Powai. This is a solidly middle class bastion. Mulund and Ghatkopar are home to predominantly middle and upper middle class populace, many from the entrepreneurial Gujarati community.

- Harbour Suburbs — Chembur, Mankhurd, Govandi, and Trombay. Before the development of Navi Mumbai as a satellite town of Bombay, this area used to be known only for the existence of an atomic research centre. Now this is known for being on the way to Navi Mumbai.

- Northwest Mumbai — Manori, Jogeshwari This is where you go to find beaches that are not dirty. Other than this, it is just another victim of Bombay's vast urban sprawl. Holds the Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Mumbai's oldest patrimony sites: the Kanheri, Mahakali, Jogeshwari, and Mandapeshwar rock-cut churches going from the 1st century B.C to the 5th century A.D.

- Northwest Mumbai — Mira Road, Bhyander, Naigaon, Vasai, Nala Sopara & Virar.