Chake-Chake
{{Short description|Town and capital of Pemba South Region in Tanzania}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name = Chake-Chake
| official_name =
| native_name =
| settlement_type = Town
| image_skyline = Chake Chake, Pemba, Tanzania.JPG
| imagesize = 300px
| image_caption = A rainy day in Chake-Chake, Tanzania
| image_flag =
| image_seal =
| image_shield =
| image_map = Pemba Chake-Chake city map.png
| map_caption = Map of Chake-Chake
| coordinates =
| subdivision_type = Country
| subdivision_name = {{flag|Tanzania}}
| subdivision_type1 = Zone
| subdivision_name1 =
| established_title =
| established_date =
| leader_title =
| leader_name =
| leader_title1 =
| leader_name1 =
| leader_title2 =
| leader_name2 =
| leader_title3 = Lord Mayor
| leader_name3 =
| leader_title4 =
| leader_name4 =
| parts_type =
| p1 =
| p2 =
| p3 =
| p4 =
| p5 =
| p6 =
| image =
| area_total_km2 =
| area_land_km2 =
| area_water_km2 =
| elevation_footnotes =
| elevation_m =
| elevation_min_m =
| elevation_min_ft =
| population_total = 52047
| population_as_of = 2022 census
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_metro =
| elevation_max_m =
| elevation_max_ft =
| postal_code_type = Postcode
| postal_code =
| area_code =
| timezone = EAT
| utc_offset = +3
| timezone_DST =
| utc_offset_DST =
| blank_name =
| blank_info =
| website = {{URL|http://www.tanzania.go.tz/}}
}}
Image:Chief Minister's Office, Chake Chake, Pemba Island, Tanzania.jpgChake-Chake is the adminastrative and commercial capital of the Tanzanian island of Pemba. The town is located within the Chake Chake District. It is in the centre of a deep indentation in the west coast called Chake-Chake Bay. In addition to being the capital,{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Rtpv6DqJK6cC&pg=PA343&dq=chake-chake+capital+pemba#q=chake-chake%20capital%20pemba|title=Zanzibar|last1=McIntyre|first1=Chris|last2=McIntyre|first2=Susan|date=2013|publisher=Bradt Travel Guides|isbn=9781841624587|pages=343|language=en}} Chake-Chake is also the seat of Pemba's court. Pemba's only airport is 7km south-east of Chake-Chake. In 2022, the population of the Chake-Chake metropolitan area was 136,298.{{cite web |title=Administrative Region Population Report |url=https://www.nbs.go.tz/nbs/takwimu/Census2022/Administrative_units_Population_Distribution_Report_Tanzania_volume1a.pdf |website=National Bureau of Statistics |access-date=24 June 2025}}
History
Historically, Chake-Chake is known for its 19th-century Old Fort, built under Omani Arab rule to defend the island from Portuguese attacks.{{cite web |title=Chake Chake, Tanzania - trackstick |url=https://trackstick.com/chake-chake-tanzania/ |website=Trackstick |access-date=24 June 2025 |language=en}} Today, it houses the Pemba Museum, preserving artifacts that reflect Pemba’s cultural heritage.{{cite web |title=Pemba Museum |url=https://zanmuseum.go.tz/Pemba%20museum.html |website=Zanmuseum |access-date=24 June 2025}} Nearby are the Mkama Ndume ruins in Pujini village, remains of a 15th-century Swahili palace that highlight the region’s pre-colonial history.{{cite web |title=Pemba |url=https://www.andafrica.com/pemba-island |website=andafrica |access-date=24 June 2025}}
Economy
Economically, the town relies on agriculture and fishing. Pemba Island is internationally known for clove production, with local distilleries producing essential oils from cloves, cinnamon, eucalyptus, lemongrass, and basil, which support both local use and exports. Tourism is growing steadily, with Chake-Chake serving as a gateway to Misali Island, famous for coral reefs and diverse marine life that attract snorkelers and divers. The nearby Ngezi Forest Reserve offers hiking through dense forest habitat home to endemic species like the Pemba flying fox, underscoring the ecological importance of the area.{{cite web |title=Pembe |url=https://www.islandsofafrica.co.za/pemba-island.html |website=Islands of Africa |access-date=24 June 2025}}
Climate
Chake-Chake has a tropical climate, yet milder than Tanzania's mainland or Unguja island. The average temperature in Chake-Chake is {{convert|25.5|°C|°F|1|disp=or}}. The average annual rainfall is {{convert|1,364|mm|in|0|disp=or}}.
{{Weather box
|location = Chake-Chake
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|temperature colour = pastel
|Jan high C = 30.9
|Feb high C = 31.6
|Mar high C = 31.9
|Apr high C = 30.1
|May high C = 28.9
|Jun high C = 28.5
|Jul high C = 27.8
|Aug high C = 28.1
|Sep high C = 28.8
|Oct high C = 29.7
|Nov high C = 30.2
|Dec high C = 30.8
|year high C = 29.8
|Jan mean C = 26.8
|Feb mean C = 27.1
|Mar mean C = 27.4
|Apr mean C = 26.3
|May mean C = 25.3
|Jun mean C = 24.6
|Jul mean C = 23.7
|Aug mean C = 23.7
|Sep mean C = 24.1
|Oct mean C = 25.0
|Nov mean C = 25.9
|Dec mean C = 26.6
|year mean C = 25.5
|Jan low C = 22.8
|Feb low C = 22.7
|Mar low C = 22.9
|Apr low C = 22.6
|May low C = 21.8
|Jun low C = 20.7
|Jul low C = 19.7
|Aug low C = 19.3
|Sep low C = 19.5
|Oct low C = 20.3
|Nov low C = 21.6
|Dec low C = 22.5
|year low C = 21.4
|rain colour = green
|Jan rain mm = 86
|Feb rain mm = 71
|Mar rain mm = 134
|Apr rain mm = 304
|May rain mm = 291
|Jun rain mm = 74
|Jul rain mm = 42
|Aug rain mm = 27
|Sep rain mm = 21
|Oct rain mm = 54
|Nov rain mm = 129
|Dec rain mm = 131
|source 1 = Climate-Data.ORG{{cite web
| url = https://en.climate-data.org/location/48446/| title = Chake Chake
| access-date = July 26, 2017}}
}}
See also
References
Image:Derelict amusement park in Pemba, Tanzania.JPG
{{Reflist}}
{{Districts of Pemba South}}
{{National Historic Sites of Tanzania}}
{{coord|5|14|45|S|39|46|0|E|region:TZ_type:city|display=title}}