Mafia Island
Mafia Island 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.
According to the 2002 Tanzania census, the population of the Mafia District was 40,801. 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 and several smaller ones. Some of the smaller ones are inhabited, such as Chole Island, 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. The average annual rainfall is 1,705 mm. The monthly average temperatures are usually between. There is one major rain season, with most rainfall coming between March and May. Dry season spans between July to October.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.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.
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 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, 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 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, Marko Gideon and Renatus Rwamugira.
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.
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.
Transport
Airport
The island can be reached from Dar es Salaam by flights operated by Auric Air and Coastal Aviation.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
As at 2002 the Mafia District was administratively divided into seven wards, listed with area and population: By 2012, an eighth ward had been created from the western part of Baleni ward.| Ward | Area km2 | Population 2002 | Population 2012 | Villages |
| Kanga | 52.7 | 3,317 | 3,758 | Kanga, Bweni |
| Kirongwe | 77.0 | 5,260 | 5,701 | Kirongwe, Jimbo, Banja, Jojo |
| Baleni | 132.1 | 9,137 | 5,870 | Baleni, Kungwi, Chunguruma |
| Ngadoni | # | # | 4,959 | Ndagoni |
| Kilindoni | 36.8 | 11,696 | 14.221 | Kilindoni, Dongo |
| Mibulani | 52.3 | 4,363 | 4,106 | Miburani, Mlongo, Chemchem |
| Kiegeani | 40.3 | 3,379 | 4,094 | Kiegani, Marimbani |
| Jibondo * | 21.9 | 3,405 | 3,729 | Jibondo, Chole, Juani |
| Mafia Island | 413 | 40,557 | 46,438 | 20 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.