Mumbai

Mumbai (formerly Bombay) is the capital of the state of Maharashtra. It is one of the largest urban agglomerations in the world and is the financial and business hub of India. Mumbai is well connected to the rest of the country by rail road and air. Major international airlines maintain daily connections between Mumbai and the rest of the world. The city has spread over what were originally seven islands. This has acted as a natural constraint on expansion. Land is a precious commodity and real estate is extremely costly. To ease the pressure on Mumbai a new city has been developed on the mainland across from the harbour. Navi Mumbai (New Bombay) is one of the largest planned city projects of the world. Spread over several nodes, Navi Mumbai is connected by rail and road to Mumbai. Mumbai probably has the largest number of skyscrapers and slums in South Asia - an indicator of the disparity in living standards of its residents. Mumbai's skycrapers are concentrated in Cuffe Parade, Nariman Point, Malabar Hills and the western coast. Tall apartment buildings are also coming up in the suburbs.

India is the world's largest producer of feature films and Mumbai produces more films than Hollywood. Mumbai's entertainment industry holds sway over all of South Asia and its influence is spreading to wherever there are large concentrations of the Indian expatriate community.