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Mumbai and the Gateway of India
By Nick on May 17, 2008
Over the last year, I’ve been dabbling in the modern art of outsourcing, and recently hired two guys from Mumbai to help me on a project. It’s not the first time I’ve hired programmers from India, and think it’s about time I learn a little about the country.
Virtual Tripping is a good opportunity for me to learn something about places I’ve never been to, and for this post, that place is Mumbai.
The city us Brits knew as Bombay, was officially renamed Mumbai in 1995, bringing it in line with the pronunciation of Marathi speakers. It’s one of India’s most populous cities and a huge seaport, thanks mainly to the opening of the Suez Canal in the late 19th century.
If you were to arrive in Mumbai by boat, you’d be welcomed by the Gateway of India, a 26m high monument built to commemorate the visit of King George V and Queen Mary to “Bombay” in 1911. When the British left India in 1948, the troops passed through the gateway in a ceremony. Here’s a 3D reconstruction of the monument in Google Earth:
Mumbai is home to most of India’s specialized, technical industries and that puts it at the forefront of the country’s booming economy. It’s not all shanty towns, you know! There are people there working in aerospace, optical engineering, medical research and the headquarters of Bollywood!
Let me wrap up with a video of a resident’s view of Mumbai.
Learn more about Mumbai
- Google Earth Coordinates: 19° 1′3.56″N 72°51′22.24″E
- Mumbai in Google Maps
- Mumbai on Wikipedia
- Gateway of India on Wikipedia
Possibly Related
- Welcome to India and capital city New Delhi
- The Worlds Golden Boot ITALY The Mediterranean Wonderland
- Google Earth Censorship
- Frolics in the entrance to the Sovereign Harbour, docks, Eastbourne, England, UK.
- Welcome to sunny Sri Lanka in southern Asia.
One Response to “Mumbai and the Gateway of India”
Comments
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Mark Ramsay, globetrotting from an armchair in England.
6:18 pm on May 19th, 2008
This is one way to improve your geographical skills, Nick. I thought that was you singing on the video.