SSC
Salsette Island, on which most of the city of Mumbai stands, is situated in:
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Answer: Option A — Maharashtra
Detailed Solution
Salsette Island is an island on the west coast of India, in Maharashtra. The city of Mumbai (both the island city and its suburbs) and the city of Thane stand largely on it.
About Salsette Island:
- It is one of the most populous islands in the world.
- It covers an area of about 620 square kilometres.
- It is bounded by the Arabian Sea to the west, the Vasai Creek and Ulhas river to the north, and the Thane Creek and Mumbai Harbour to the east.
The original "Seven Islands of Bombay" (Colaba, Old Woman's Island, Isle of Bombay, Mazagaon, Parel, Worli and Mahim) lay at the southern end and were joined by land reclamation in the 18th and 19th centuries (the "Hornby Vellard" project of the 1780s was an important step).
These reclaimed islands later merged with Salsette Island.
The Sanjay Gandhi National Park, one of the few national parks inside a city, and the Kanheri Caves (Buddhist caves of the 1st century BCE to the 10th century CE) are on Salsette Island.
Powai Lake and Vihar Lake, which supply water to Mumbai, are also here.
History:
The Portuguese controlled the Bombay islands and Salsette from the 16th century.
In 1661, the Portuguese gave the islands of Bombay to King Charles II of England as part of the dowry when he married Catherine of Braganza. Charles II then leased them to the East India Company in 1668.
Salsette Island remained with the Portuguese until it was captured by the Marathas in 1739.
The British captured Salsette in 1774, and it was formally given to them by the Treaty of Salbai (1782).
Other important islands of India:
- Majuli (Assam): one of the largest river islands in the world.
- Pamban Island (Tamil Nadu): Rameswaram.
- Sriharikota (Andhra Pradesh): India's rocket launch centre.
- Diu (Daman and Diu).
- Elephanta (Gharapuri) Island in Mumbai Harbour: the Elephanta Caves.
Why not the other options?
- ✗Gujarat has islands such as Diu (a UT) and Pirotan.
- ✗Goa has islands such as Divar and Chorao.
Karnataka has St. Mary's Islands, made of columnar basalt.
Quick tip
Remember: Salsette Island = Mumbai and Thane, Maharashtra (Sanjay Gandhi National Park and Kanheri Caves; Bombay given to Charles II as dowry, 1661; Salsette taken by the British 1774); Majuli = river island in Assam.
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Physical Features of India — Preparation
This question tests your understanding of Physical Features of India, a key topic in the General Knowledge section. The detailed solution above uses a step-by-step approach to show the reasoning, and where available, a shortcut that helps you solve similar questions in under 90 seconds during the actual exam.
This topic covers India's location and extent, its neighbours and boundary lines, and its physiographic divisions: the Himalayas, the Northern Plains, the Peninsular Plateau, the Indian Desert, the coastal plains and the islands, along with important mountain passes, peaks and hill ranges. Questions often ask which states the Tropic of Cancer passes through, the southernmost point of India (Indira Point), the highest peak in India (Kangchenjunga), and which pass connects which regions. India shares its longest land border with Bangladesh. Learning the Himalayan ranges from north to south (Himadri, Himachal and Shiwaliks) is also useful. Practise the physical features of India questions below, written in the style of the general awareness sections of exams such as SSC, banking, railways, CUET GAT, MAH CET and CLAT. Each question comes with a detailed explanation that adds related facts, so every question helps you revise more than one point.