Mumbai City Geography
Mumbai is located on Salsette Island which lies at the mouth of Ulhas River off the western coast of India in the coastal region known as the Konkan. Most of Mumbai is at sea level and the average elevation ranges from 10 to 15 metres. The northern part of Mumbai is hilly and the highest point of the city is at 450 metres (1,450 feet). Mumbai spans a total area of 468 km? (169 square miles).
Three lakes are located within the metropolitan limits ? the
Tulsi Lake, Vihar Lake and the Powai Lake. The first two are located within the
Borivali National Park and supply part of the city's drinking water. Mumbai
also has three small rivers within the city limits originating in the National
Park. The coastline of the city is indented with numerous creeks and bays. On
the eastern seaboard, large mangrove swamps rich in biodiversity occupy most of
the region.
Soil cover in the city region is predominantly sandy due to
its proximity to the sea. In the suburbs the soil cover is largely alluvial and
loamy. The underlying rock of the region is composed of black Deccan basalt flows
and their acid and basic variants dating back to the late Cretaceous and early
Eocene geological eras. Mumbai sits on a seismically active zone owing to the
presence of three fault lines in the vicinity. The area is classified as a Zone
III region, which means an earthquake of magnitude of up to 6.5 can be
expected.
Mumbai is classified as a metropolis of India, under the
jurisdiction of the Brihan Mumbai Municipal Corporation. It consists of two
discrete regions ? the City and the Suburbs, which also form two districts of
Maharashtra. The city region is also commonly referred to as the Island City by
most media publications
Location 18.96°
N 72.82° E
Altitude 10
metres
Area 468 km?
Population (2001 census) 12,691,836
Population Density 27,120/sq.
km.
Time zone IST
(UTC +5:30)
State Maharashtra
District Mumbai City
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