Friday, March 05, 2010

Mumbai / Bombay: one of the world's most populous cities and home of Bollywood


Kids at Versova Beach...
Originally uploaded by cmac66
Mumbai is the center of India's Hindi film and television industry, known as Bollywood. Mumbai's business opportunities, as well as its potential to offer a higher standard of living, attract migrants from all over India and, in turn, make the city a potpourri of many communities and cultures.

Mumbai, the most populous city in India, is one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of approximately 14 million.

For centuries, the seven islands of Mumbia came under the control of indigenous empires before being ceded to Portuguese settlers and subsequently to the British East India Company.

During the mid-18th century, Bombay was reshaped by the British with large-scale civil engineering projects, aimed at merging all the seven islands into a single amalgamated mass[5], and emerged as a significant trading town. Economic 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.