SALSETTE, a large island to the north of Bombay, with an area of 241 square miles. It lies between 19° 2' 30" and 19° 18' 30" N. lat. and between 72° 51' 30" and 73° 3' E. long.; it is connected with Bombay Island by bridge and causeway. Salsette is a beautiful, picturesque, and well-wooded tract, its surface being well diversified by hills and mountains, some of considerable elevation, while it is rich in rice fields. In various parts of the island are romantic views, embellished by the ruins of Portuguese churches, convents, and villas; its cave antiquities still form a subject of interest.

At tho census of 1881 Salsette had a population of 108,149 (males 58,540, females 49,609); Hindus numbered 74,736 and Mohammedans 7,036. The island was taken from the Portuguese by the Mahrattas in 1739, and from them the British captured it in 1774; it was formally annexed to the East India Company’s dominions in 1782 by the treaty of Salbai.