Salsette Island
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Tuluvas/Kannadigas (2%) |
Salsette Island (Portuguese: Salsete, Maharashtri Konkani: साष्टी, sāṣṭī, Sashti) is an
Location
Salsette is bounded on the north by
The island of
History
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The word Sasashti (also shortened to Sashti) is Maharashtri Konkani term for "sixty-six", referring to the original "sixty-six villages" on the island.
109
In 1534, the
Nine churches were built on Salsette island by the Portuguese; Nirmal (1557), Nossa Senhora dos Remédios (1557), Sandor (1566), Agashi (1568), Nandakal (1573), Papdy (1574), Pale (1595), Manickpur (1606), and Nossa Senhora das Mercês (1606). The
In 1661, the seven Bombay (Mumbai) islets were ceded to
The British occupied Salsette in 1774,
These railway lines and roads encouraged wealthier merchants to build villas on Salsette. By 1901, the population of Salsette had increased to 146,993 and the area began to be referred to as
Geography
Salsette is dominated by a central mass of hills surrounded by tidal flats. A number of much smaller islands lay on its western flank. These included
core and fringing wave-cut platforms and sandy beaches. These islands seem to have remained separate until as late as 1808.At the time of writing of the old Gazetteer of Thana in 1882, these islands could be reached during low tides by walking across the tidal inlets in between, except for the island of Dharavi in present-day
Geology
The island is at the confluence of a number of fault lines.[11] This makes the area earthquake-prone, up to a magnitude of 6. The island is mostly composed of black basalt rock. Since it is along the sea coast, it has a sandy belt on its western coast. The southern region of Old Mumbai is mostly at sea level. However, the parts which were erstwhile shallows are below sea level. Many parts of the city are hilly.[citation needed]
Other natural formations
Lakes
There are three major lakes on the island: Powai Lake, Tulsi Lake and Vihar Lake. The latter two supply part of Mumbai's water requirements. Numerous other smaller ponds and lakes are present.
Rivers
The Mithi River (Mahim), Poisar River, Oshiwara River and Dahisar River originate in the national park and empty into the Arabian Sea. The Mithi River originates at Vihar Lake. Vasai and Thane creeks are estuarine distributaries of the Ulhas River.
Creeks
A number of saline or
Wetlands
The small southern part of the eastern waterfront of Salsette forms Mumbai Harbour.
North of this region lie vast amounts of protected
See also
- List of topics on the Portuguese Empire in Goa, Bombay-Bassein, and the East Indies
- Navi Mumbai (New Mumbai)
References
- ^ "Geography - Salsette group of Islands". Maharashtra State Gazetteer, Greater Bombay district. 1987. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ^ "2.17.1 Existing Situation" (PDF). Mumbai city Development Plan 2005. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ^ India. Census Commissioner. (1901). Census of India. Government Central Press, Bombay. Retrieved 16 April 2012.
- ^ "Populations. Christians. history" (PDF). Bombay Gazetteer. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ISBN 978-81-206-0275-5.
- ISBN 9788131300343.
- ISBN 978-81-206-0275-5.
- ISBN 978-0-7007-1236-6.
- ^ "City by the sea". Dance with Shadows.com. Archived from the original on 11 September 2004. Retrieved 24 March 2012.
- ^ "Geography - Salsette group of Islands". Maharashtra State Gazetteer, Greater Bombay district. 1987. Retrieved 25 March 2012.
- ^ "The Seismic environment of Mumbai". Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, Mumbai. Retrieved 24 March 2012.