Mafia Island ("Chole Shamba") is part of the Tanzanian Spice Islands, together with Zanzibar and Pemba. As one of the 6 districts of the Pwani Region, however, Mafia Island is governed from the mainland, not from Zanzibar. Mafia Island has never been considered part of Zanzibar. Spice Islands most commonly refers to the Maluku Islands (formerly the Moluccas), which lie on the equator, between Sulawesi (Celebes) and New Guinea in what is now Indonesia. ... Map of Zanzibars main island Zanzibar is part of Tanzania Coordinates: , Country Tanzania Islands Unguja and Pemba Capital Zanzibar City Settled AD 1000 Government  - Type semi-autonomous part of Tanzania  - President Amani Abeid Karume Area  - Both Islands  637 sq mi (1,651 km²) Population (2004)  - Both Islands 1,070... Map of Pemba Island Pemba is an island about 50 kilometres to the north of the island of Zanzibar. ... Pwani is one of the 26 regions of Tanzania. ...

According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the population of the Mafia District was 40,801. [1]

The people of Mafia Island are mainly fishermen; many also engage in small-scale food cultivation.

The island is a good retreat for adventure scuba divers, game fishermen, and those merely seeking relaxation. Early ideas of autonomous under-water systems appear in Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Scuba Diving is the use of independent breathing equipment to stay underwater for long periods for recreational diving and professional diving. ... Categories: Stub ...

A map of Tanzania, Zanzibar, and Mafia Island.

Image File history File links Spice_Islands_(Tanzania). ... Image File history File links Spice_Islands_(Tanzania). ... Map of Zanzibars main island Zanzibar is part of Tanzania Coordinates: , Country Tanzania Islands Unguja and Pemba Capital Zanzibar City Settled AD 1000 Government  - Type semi-autonomous part of Tanzania  - President Amani Abeid Karume Area  - Both Islands  637 sq mi (1,651 km²) Population (2004)  - Both Islands 1,070...

Geography

The Mafia island cluster consists of one large island (394 km²) and numerous smaller ones. Some of these are inhabited, such as Chole Island (2 km²), with a population of 800. 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. Kilindoni is a town in the Pwani Region, Tanzania. ... Impact from a water drop causes an upward rebound jet surrounded by circular capillary waves. ... Nile River delta, as seen from Earth orbit. ... The Rufiji River lies entirely within the African nation of Tanzania. ... Mafia Channel is a stretch of water between the Rufiji River estuary and Mafia Island in Tanzania, Africa. ...

History

Mafia Island's history goes back to the 8th century. The island once played a major role in ancient trade between the people of Far East and mainland Tanzania. It was a regular stop for Persian 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. For other uses of this term see: Persia (disambiguation) The Persian Empire is the name used to refer to a number of historic dynasties that have ruled the country of Persia (Iran). ... Kilwa is one of the 6 districts of the Lindi Region of Tanzania. ...

In the mid 1820s, the town of Kua on Juani Island was attacked by 80 canoes filled with Sakalava cannibals from Madagascar, who ate many of the locals and took the rest into slavery. Sakalava Girl The Sakalava is a traditional name for a group of people of Madagascar numbering approximately 700,000 in population. ... Cannibalism is the act or practice of eating members of the same species, e. ... Slave redirects here. ...

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 Oman DM 4 million for both the island and part of the mainland coast. In January, 1915, Mafia was taken by British troops as a base for the air and sea assault on the cruiser Königsberg. This does not cite any references or sources. ... ISO 4217 Code DEM User(s) Germany, Montenegro, Kosovo ERM Since 13 March 1979 Fixed rate since 31 December 1998 Replaced by €, non cash 1 January 1999 Replaced by €, cash 1 January 2002 € = 1. ... SMS Königsberg was a Kaiserliche Marine light cruiser, which was in German East Africa at the start of World War I. She operated in her design role as a raider of merchant shipping. ...

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

Wards

The Mafia District is administratively divided into 7 wards:

• Baleni
• Jibondo
• Kanga
• Kilindoni
• Kirongwe
• Kiegeani
• Mibulani

Sources

• Mafia District Homepage for the 2002 Tanzania National Census

The 127 Districts of Tanzania are divided amongst 26 regions within Tanzania. ... Pwani is one of the 26 regions of Tanzania. ... Pwani Regions Districts Bagamoyo is one of the 6 districts of the Pwani Region of Tanzania. ... Kibaha is a city located in eastern Tanzania. ... Pwani Regions Districts Kisarawe is one of the 6 districts of the Pwani Region of Tanzania. ... Pwani Regions Districts Rufiji is one of the 6 districts of the Pwani Region of Tanzania. ... Pwani Regions Districts Mkuranga is one of the 6 districts of the Pwani Region of Tanzania. ...

References

• 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: http://www.google.au/search?q=cache:aECfkPV1-0oJ:www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/ane/fullpapers.doc

Coordinates: 7°51′S, 39°47′E Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...