Mafia Island

Mafia Island, ({{cvt|394|km2}}), lies off the east coast of Tanzania opposite the delta of the Rufiji River. The {{convert|20|km|mi|0}} wide stretch of water between the delta and the island is called the Mafia Channel. Mafia Island is part of a small archipelago with several much smaller islands, some of which are inhabited. The main town on Mafia is Kilindoni on the west coast. On the east coast is Chole Bay, Mafia's protected deep-water anchorage and original harbour. The bay is studded with islets, sandbanks and beaches, and is protected from the east by reefs and Juani Island.

The northernmost point on the island is a coral cliff rising approximately {{convert|4.5|m|ft|0}} above the sea called Ras Mkumbi, beyond the cliff the land gradually rises to {{convert|24|m|ft|0}}.{{Cite book|year=1983 |chapter=Mafia Island |title=Sailing Directions (enroute) for East Africa and the South Indian Ocean |publisher=Hydrographic/Topographic Center, Defense Mapping Agency (US) |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=zps1tK_qohoC&pg=PA95 95] }} There is a lighthouse at Ras Mkumbi.

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 {{convert|26.7|C|F}}. The average annual rainfall is 1,705 mm. The monthly average temperatures are usually between {{convert|24.8|and|28.3|C|F}}. There is one major rain season, with most rainfall coming between March and May. Dry season spans between July and October.

{{Weather box

|width=auto

|location = Kilindoni

|metric first = yes

|single line = yes

|Jan high C = 31.3

|Feb high C = 31.6

|Mar high C = 31.3

|Apr high C = 29.9

|May high C = 29.3

|Jun high C = 28.3

|Jul high C = 27.5

|Aug high C = 28.2

|Sep high C = 29.3

|Oct high C = 30.3

|Nov high C = 30.6

|Dec high C = 31.1

|year high C = 29.9

|Jan mean C = 28.3

|Feb mean C = 28.3

|Mar mean C = 28.1

|Apr mean C = 27.0

|May mean C = 26.4

|Jun mean C = 25.4

|Jul mean C = 24.8

|Aug mean C = 25.0

|Sep mean C = 25.7

|Oct mean C = 26.8

|Nov mean C = 27.2

|Dec mean C = 27.8

|year mean C = 26.7

|Jan low C = 25.3

|Feb low C = 25.1

|Mar low C = 25.0

|Apr low C = 24.2

|May low C = 23.5

|Jun low C = 22.6

|Jul low C = 22.1

|Aug low C = 21.9

|Sep low C = 22.2

|Oct low C = 23.3

|Nov low C = 23.9

|Dec low C = 24.6

|year low C = 23.6

|precipitation colour = green

|Jan precipitation mm = 134

|Feb precipitation mm = 98

|Mar precipitation mm = 234

|Apr precipitation mm = 482

|May precipitation mm = 260

|Jun precipitation mm = 80

|Jul precipitation mm = 49

|Aug precipitation mm = 25

|Sep precipitation mm = 22

|Oct precipitation mm = 35

|Nov precipitation mm = 102

|Dec precipitation mm = 184

|year precipitation mm = 1705

|source 1 = Climate-Data.ORG{{cite web

| url = https://en.climate-data.org/location/48141/| title = Kilindoni| access-date = July 26, 2017}}

}}

Mafia Island, and the associated archipelago were formed by rifting and uplift of part of the continental shelf during the Pleistocene.{{Cite book|last1=Sii |first1=Petrus |last2=Underhill |first2=John R. |year=2015 |chapter=Role of Punctuated Subsidence and Structural Inversion in Creating East African Spice Islands |title=77th EAGE Conference and Exhibition |series=77th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2015 |publisher=European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers |pages=1–5 |doi=10.3997/2214-4609.201412973 |isbn=978-94-6282-146-0 |oclc=7378154858 }}

The main ecosystems on the island are mangrove swamps, coastal forests, scrublands, and grasslands. A 115,000 ha area, encompassing Chole Bay, the southern coastline of Mafia and its associated smaller islands, along with the intervening marine waters, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of western reef egrets, Terek sandpipers and crab plovers.{{cite web |url=http://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mafia-island-iba-tanzania|title= Mafia Island|author= |date=2021|website= BirdLife Data Zone|publisher= BirdLife International|access-date= 28 February 2021}} Mafia Island is home to fruitbats (flying foxes) of the genus Pteropus.

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.{{Cite web|title=Mafia Island – Indian Ocean, Tanzania.|url=https://www.mafiaisland.com/|language=en-US|access-date=2020-05-28}} 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. A 3D documentation of the Kua Ruins on Juani Island was carried out in 2018 by the Zamani Project.{{cite web|url=https://zamaniproject.org/site-tanzania-juani-island-kua-ruins.html|title=Kua Ruins - Remains from a medieval Swahili town on Juani Island, Tanzania|website=Zamani Project|access-date=29 November 2019}}

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 M4 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"{{citation needed|reason=the only search results for this word only discuss it in relation to how Mafia Island was named|date=November 2020}}, 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){{cite web|url=http://wwf.panda.org/?21998/Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa-Seascape-Programme-Tanzania|title=WWF - Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa Seascape Programme, Tanzania|work=panda.org}} 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,{{cite web|url=http://eeas.europa.eu/delegations/tanzania/index_en.htm|title=European Union|work=europa.eu|access-date=2013-09-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316064707/http://www.eeas.europa.eu/delegations/tanzania/index_en.htm|archive-date=2016-03-16|url-status=dead}} 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{{cite web|url=http://safiritz.blogspot.com/|title=Tembelea Tanzania|author=Mark Shekalaghe|work=safiritz.blogspot.com}} (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.{{cite web|url=http://frontier.ac.uk/index.php?l1=33&l2=92 |title=Frontier : Conservation, Education and Exploration » About Frontier: Conservation and Development NGO » Tangible Conservation & Development Achievements |date=12 October 2007 |url-status=bot: unknown |archive-url=https://archive.today/20071012015548/http://frontier.ac.uk/index.php?l1=33&l2=92 |archive-date=12 October 2007 }} 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 4 km off Mafia Island.

The discovery was detailed in a blog post by Sutton, with images showing remnants of the wall.{{cite web|url=http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/diver-discovers-african-atlantis-off-tanzanias-mafia-island-1560000|title=Diver in Tanzania discovers ancient city submerged beneath the sea off Mafia Island|first=Hannah|last=Osborne|date=13 May 2016}}

File:Mafia Airport Aerial View.jpg

The island's Mafia Airport can be reached from Dar es Salaam by flights operated by Auric Air{{cite web |url= http://www.auricair.com |title= Auric Air |date= March 30, 2012 |access-date= March 30, 2012 |work= Auric Air Services Ltd}} Tropical Air and Coastal Aviation.{{cite web |url=http://www.coastal.co.tz |title= Coastal Aviation |date= August 5, 2017 }}

Boats depart depending on the presence of the boat from the village of Nyamisati on the mainland to Kilindoni on Mafia island. As of 2021 the departure from Nyamisati is 16:00 p.m. with a roll call between 15:00-16:00 p.m. The journey takes approximately 4.5 hours. Tickets are purchased beforehand in Nyamisati at a cost of 16,000 Tsh one way.

• Geography of Tanzania
• Mafia Island Marine Park

File:Spice Islands (Tanzania).jpg|A map of Tanzania showing Mafia Island

File:Pwani.GIF|Districts of Pwani Region showing Mafia District

File:Mafia Island marine chart 1875-77 -50+70.png|Historical nautical chart

File:Mafia Island Harbour in Tanzania.jpg|Harbour of Mafia Island as seen from a departing boat

File:Mafia Island, Tanzania.jpg|Beach on Mafia Island

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20070610180829/http://www.tanzania.go.tz/census/census/districts/mafia.htm Mafia District Homepage for the 2002 Tanzania National Census]

{{Reflist}}

• 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.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/ane/fullpapers.doc thebritishmuseum.ac.uk] ([https://web.archive.org/web/20030619213402/http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/ane/fullpapers.doc archive])

{{Commons category}}

{{Wikivoyage|Mafia Island}}

• [http://www.zanzibarmagic.com/english2nd/mafia.htm Mafia Island Tanzania (with detailed map)]
• [http://mafiaisland.com/en/ Mafia Island Tanzania]

{{Mafia District}}

{{Pwani}}

{{Districts of Pwani}}

{{Underwater diving|recdiv}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Coastal islands of Tanzania

Category:Mafia Archipelago

Category:Underwater diving sites in Tanzania

Category:Geography of Pwani Region

Category:Swahili city-states

Category:Districts of Pwani Region