Mumbai , formerly Bombay, City (pop., 2011 prelim.: city, 12,478,447; metro. area, 18,414,218), capital of Maharashtra state, western India. Located partly on Mumbai Island, it is flanked by Mumbai Harbour and the Arabian Sea. It is India’s principal port on that sea and one of the largest and most densely populated cities in the world. The town was acquired by the Portuguese in 1534. It was ceded to the English as part of the dowry of Catherine of Braganza, who married Charles II in 1661. Granted to the East India Company in 1668, it became the company’s headquarters until 1708. After the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869, Mumbai grew to be the largest distributing entrepôt in India. It remains India’s economic hub and the heart of its financial and commercial activity, its cultural and education centre, and headquarters of its film industry.
