Mumbai, city in western India, capital of Maharashtra State and premier port of India, located on the Arabian Sea. Mumbai proper occupies a low-lying area that once consisted of seven islands separated from each other only during high tide. Dredging and reclamation projects, as well as the construction of breakwaters and causeways, have linked the islands into a contiguous stretch of land known as Bombay Island. The city is framed to the east on the mainland by the towering Western Ghats mountain range. Immediately to the north of Bombay Island is Salsette Island. Mumbai, known as Bombay until its name was officially changed in 1995, is the leading financial center of India as well as a major national commercial, transportation, and manufacturing hub. It has one of the world's largest harbors: a broad, sheltered bay between the city and the mainland.
Mumbai is located south of the tropic of Cancer but north of the equator and has small seasonal temperature fluctuations. In January the average low temperature is 19° C (67° F) and the average high temperature is 30° C (85° F); in May the average low temperature is 27° C (81° F) and the average high temperature is 33° C (92° F). Mumbai's temperatures have reached as high as about 42° C (about 108° F) and as low as about 7° C (about 45° F). The average annual rainfall is 2,170 mm (85 in). Because of the southwest monsoon winds, more than 95 percent of the annual rainfall occurs during the four-month period of June through September. Mumbai also has high humidity, with an annual average of 87 percent.
Microsoft® Encarta® Online Encyclopedia 2001
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