Mafia Island

Mafia Island ("Chole Shamba") is an island in Tanzania. As one of the six districts of the Pwani Region, Mafia Island is governed from the mainland, not from the semi-autonomous region of Zanzibar, of which it has never been considered to be a part politically.

Mafia
Administrative map (divisions, wards, and villages)
Mafia Island
Location of Mafia Island
Geography
Coordinates7°51′S 39°47′E
ArchipelagoTanzania Mainland Archipelago
Area435 km2 (168 sq mi)
Length49 km (30.4 mi)
Width17 km (10.6 mi)
Highest elevation53 m (174 ft)
RegionTanzania
Largest settlementKilindoni (pop. 11,696)
Demographics
Population46,850 (2012)
Additional information
Time zone
Official websiteCountry website

According to the 2002 Tanzania census, the population of the Mafia District was 40,801.[1] The economy is based on fishing, subsistence agriculture and the market in Kilindoni. The island attracts some tourists, mainly adventure scuba divers, game fishermen, and people wanting relaxation.

Geography

The Mafia archipelago consists of one large island (394 km²) and several smaller ones. Some of the smaller ones are inhabited, such as Chole Island (2 km²), with a population of 1415. Chole Bay, Mafia's protected deep-water anchorage and original harbour, is studded with islands, sandbanks and beaches. The main town is Kilindoni. The stretch of water between the deltas of the Rufiji River and the island is called Mafia Channel.

Climate

Mafia island has a tropical climate. This climate is classified as "Aw" by the Köppen-Geiger system. The average temperature in town of Kilindoni is 26.7 °C (80.1 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,705 mm. The monthly average temperatures are usually between 24.8–28.3 °C (76.6–82.9 °F). There is one major rain season, with most rainfall coming between March and May. Dry season spans between July to October.

Climate data for Kilindoni
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 31.3
(88.3)		 31.6
(88.9)		 31.3
(88.3)		 29.9
(85.8)		 29.3
(84.7)		 28.3
(82.9)		 27.5
(81.5)		 28.2
(82.8)		 29.3
(84.7)		 30.3
(86.5)		 30.6
(87.1)		 31.1
(88.0)		 29.9
(85.8)
Daily mean °C (°F) 28.3
(82.9)		 28.3
(82.9)		 28.1
(82.6)		 27.0
(80.6)		 26.4
(79.5)		 25.4
(77.7)		 24.8
(76.6)		 25.0
(77.0)		 25.7
(78.3)		 26.8
(80.2)		 27.2
(81.0)		 27.8
(82.0)		 26.7
(80.1)
Average low °C (°F) 25.3
(77.5)		 25.1
(77.2)		 25.0
(77.0)		 24.2
(75.6)		 23.5
(74.3)		 22.6
(72.7)		 22.1
(71.8)		 21.9
(71.4)		 22.2
(72.0)		 23.3
(73.9)		 23.9
(75.0)		 24.6
(76.3)		 23.6
(74.5)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 134
(5.3)		 98
(3.9)		 234
(9.2)		 482
(19.0)		 260
(10.2)		 80
(3.1)		 49
(1.9)		 25
(1.0)		 22
(0.9)		 35
(1.4)		 102
(4.0)		 184
(7.2)		 1,705
(67.1)
Source: Climate-Data.ORG[2]

History

Mafia Island is mentioned at least as early as the 8th century. The island once played a major role in ancient trade between the people of East Asia and East Africa. It was a regular stop for Arab boats. On the tiny island of Chole Mjini, just offshore in Chole Bay, once stood a settlement that constituted one of the most important towns controlling trade from the silver mines of Eastern Zimbabwe, which reached the town via the old ports of Kilwa and Michangani.[3]

In the mid-1820s, the town of Kua on Juani Island was attacked by Sakalava cannibals arriving from Madagascar with 80 canoes, who ate many of the locals and took the rest into slavery.[4]

A 3D documentation of the Kua Ruins on Juani Island was carried out in 2018 by the Zamani Project.[5]

Under a treaty of 1890, Germany took control of Mafia and constructed the buildings still evident on Chole. Germany paid Sultan Sayyid Ali bin Said al-Said of Zanzibar M 4 million for both the island and part of the mainland coast. On January 12, 1915, Mafia was taken by British troops as a base for the air and sea assault on the light cruiser Königsberg.

The name "Mafia" derives from the Arabic morfiyeh, meaning "group" or "archipelago", or from the Swahili mahali pa afya, meaning "a healthy dwelling-place".

In 1995 Mafia Island had financial help from the WWF to make a natural marine wildlife centre which led to establishment of the first Marine Park in Tanzania. The organization continued to provide support to the Island under Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa (RUMAKI)[6] seascape project to improve socio-economic well-being of the communities through the sustainable, participatory and equitable utilization and protection of their natural resources. Under the current EU-WWF Fisheries Co-management Project,[7] the organization aims at building effective long-term fisheries co-management through establishment of 10 Beach Management Units and to continue supporting Village Community Banks (VICOBA) in the Island to generate optimal, sustainable and equitable livelihood benefits, and which provide a source of lesson-learning for other coastal communities. The WWF Mafia office is under three technical staff - Paul Kugopya (Mafia Fisheries Co-management Officer), Marko Gideon[8] (EU-WWF Fisheries Co-management Project Communication/Awareness Officer) and Renatus Rwamugira (Project Accountant for Mafia).

Tanzania's first multi-user marine park at Mafia Island was established in 1995 following management recommendations and data from surveys conducted by the Society for Environmental Exploration.[9]

In August 2016, a diver, Alan Sutton, from Seaunseen, who had originally been looking for the remains of an old fort rumoured to have been washed away to sea, instead came across the remains of a wall stretching almost 4km off Mafia Island. The discovery was detailed in a blog post by Sutton, with images showing remnants of the wall.[10]


Transport
An aerial view of Mafia Island airport.

Airport

The island can be reached from Dar es Salaam by flights operated by Auric Air[11] and Coastal Aviation.[12]

Port of Mafia Island

Boats depart daily from the village of Nyamisati on the mainland to Kilindoni on Mafia island. As of 2019 the departure from Nyamisati is 5 a.m. with a roll call between 3-4a.m. The journey takes about 4.5h. Tickets are purchased beforehand in Nyamisati at a cost of 6000 Tsh one way.

Administration
Mafia Island's airport is situated in the town of Kilindoni.

As at 2002 the Mafia District was administratively divided into seven wards, listed with area and population:[13] By 2012, an eighth ward (Ndagoni) had been created from the western part of Baleni ward.

WardArea
km²		Population
2002		Population
2012		Villages
Kanga52.73,3173,758Kanga, Bweni
Kirongwe77.05,2605,701Kirongwe, Jimbo, Banja, Jojo
Baleni132.19,1375,870Baleni, Kungwi, Chunguruma
Ngadoni##4,959Ndagoni
Kilindoni36.811,69614.221Kilindoni, Dongo
Mibulani52.34,3634,106Miburani, Mlongo, Chemchem
Kiegeani40.33,3794,094Kiegani, Marimbani
Jibondo *21.93,4053,729Jibondo, Chole, Juani
Mafia Island41340,55746,43820 villages

Note: * Jibondo ward comprises smaller islands off the south coast of Mafia Island.
# the area and 2002 population of Ndagoni ward are included with the figures for Baleni ward, from which it was separated between the 2002 and 2012 Censuses.

See also
  • A map of Tanzania showing Mafia Island
  • Districts of Pwani Region showing Mafia District
  • Historical nautical chart
  • Harbour of Mafia Island as seen from a departing boat

Sources

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-06-10. Retrieved 2016-02-03.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  2. "Kilindoni". Retrieved July 26, 2017.
  3. "Mafia Island – Indian Ocean, Tanzania". Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  4. "Mafia Island – Indian Ocean, Tanzania". Retrieved 2020-05-28.
  5. "Kua Ruins - Remains from a medieval Swahili town on Juani Island, Tanzania". Zamani Project. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  6. "WWF - Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Seascape Programme, Tanzania". panda.org.
  7. "European Union". europa.eu. Archived from the original on 2016-03-16. Retrieved 2013-09-19.
  8. Mark Shekalaghe. "Tembelea Tanzania". safiritz.blogspot.com.
  9. "Internet Archive Wayback Machine". 12 October 2007. Archived from the original on 12 October 2007.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  10. Osborne, Hannah (13 May 2016). "Diver in Tanzania discovers ancient city submerged beneath the sea off Mafia Island".
  11. "Auric Air". Auric Air Services Ltd. March 30, 2012. Retrieved March 30, 2012.
  12. "Coastal Aviation". August 5, 2017.
  13. Administrator. "Policies". mca-t.go.tz. Archived from the original on 2012-04-25.
  • Chami, F. A. 1999. “The Early Iron Age on Mafia island and its relationship with the mainland.” Azania Vol. XXXIV 1999, pp. 1–10.
  • Chami, Felix A. 2002. “The Graeco-Romans and Paanchea/Azania: sailing in the Erythraean Sea” by Felix A. Chami. From: Red Sea Trade and Travel. The British Museum. Organised by The Society for Arabian Studies. Downloaded on 20 July 2003 from thebritishmuseum.ac.uk (archive)
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