Ratnagiri, town in western India, in Maharashtra state, on the Arabian Sea coast south of Mumbai (formerly Bombay). Ratnagiri is the main town of an agricultural area; rice, nuts, coconuts, and fruit are grown nearby. Fishing is a mainstay of its economy, as are iron ore and bauxite mining. It is a popular seaside resort and the seat of a marine biology research station. Ratnagiri was an administrative capital and important port of the Muslim kingdom of Bijapur (1489-1686), and a fort built during that time overlooks the harbor. Thibaw, the last king of Burma (now Myanmar) was exiled in Ratnagiri for 30 years until his death in 1916. Bal Gangadhar Tilak, an early Indian nationalist, was born in Ratnagiri in 1856. Population (1991) 56,529.
