Mumbai began as an archipelago of seven small fishing islands, which passed to the British Crown in 1661 as part of the dowry of Portuguese princess Catherine of Braganza upon her marriage to King Charles II. Known then as «Bombay», the islands were gradually reclaimed and joined into a single connected city.

The city was officially renamed «Mumbai» in 1995, honouring the local goddess Mumbadevi. Today it is India's financial capital, home to the Bombay Stock Exchange and the epicentre of the Hindi-language film industry known worldwide as «Bollywood».