Mumbai, originally Bombay, was made up of seven islands on the Konkan coast. These were gradually joined to form one large island. In the 16th century Portuguese explorers named it Bom Bahia which means "Good Bay" because of its deep water harbor. This was corrupted to Bomaim. The British changed it to Bombay. This name was officially changed to Mumbai in 1995. Mumbai is named for Mumbadevi the local Hindu goddess.
The combining of the seven islands started in 1498 when the Portuguese took these islands over from the Sultan of Gujarat. They built a settlement, forts and churches on them. These seven islands were handed over to England in 1661 as part of the dowry of Catherine de Braganza when she married Charles II of England. He leased them to the British East India Company for ten pounds per year in 1668.
The East India Company built docks, trading posts and a fort. They also started the long process of reclaiming land and joining the islands. This continued till the 1960s. The port attracted industries and entrepreneurial communities like the Parsees, Marathis and Gujaratis. They set up factories and trading companies in the 19th century. These attracted immigrant labor from different parts of the country.
It is the birthplace of the Indian National Congress which was to a great degree responsible for Indian independence. It is the most cosmopolitan Indian city. The attitudes here are quite liberal compared to the rest of India.
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