Salsette Island

Salsette

Native name: साष्टी
The metropolis of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and the city of Thane lie on Salsette Island.
Salsette
Geography
Location	Arabian Sea
Coordinates	20°N 72°E / 20°N 72°E / 20; 72
Area	619 km2 (239 sq mi)
Highest elevation	467 m (1,532 ft)
Highest point	Kanheri Peak, Sanjay Gandhi National Park
Administration
India
Largest settlement	Mumbai
Demographics
Population	15,111,974
Pop. density	24,414 /km2 (63,232 /sq mi)
Ethnic groups	Maharashtrians (53%), Gujaratis (22%), North Indians (17%), Tamilians (3%), Sindhis (3%), Tuluvas/Kannadigas (2%)

Salsette Island (Salsete) is an island in Maharashtra state on India's west coast. The metropolis of Mumbai (formerly Bombay) and the cities of Thane and Mira-Bhayandar lie on it, making it very populous and one of the most densely populated islands in the world. It has about 15.1 million inhabitants living on an area of about 619 km².

Salsette is bounded on the north by Vasai Creek, on the northeast by the Ulhas River, on the east by Thane Creek and Bombay Harbour, and on the south and west by the Arabian Sea. The original seven islands of Bombay, which were merged by land reclamation during the 19th and early 20th centuries to form the city of Mumbai, are now practically a southward protruding peninsula of the much larger Salsette Island.

The island of Trombay that was to the southeast of Salsette is today part of Salsette as much of the intervening swamps have been reclaimed. It contains Borivali National Park, also known as Sanjay Gandhi National Park. The city of Thane is at the northeastern corner, on the Thane Creek while its suburb Mira-Bhayander lies in the northwest corner. Politically, the Mumbai City district covers the peninsula south of Mahim and Sion while most of the original island constitutes the Mumbai Suburban District. The northern portion lies within Thane District, which extends across Vasai and Thane creeks onto the mainland.