Tumbatu
Encyclopedia
Tumbatu Island is the third-largest island making up Zanzibar
, part of Tanzania
in east Africa. The island is located off the northwest coast of Zanzibar's main island, Unguja
.
The island is eight kilometres long and is surrounded by a reef, making it somewhat isolated from the rest of Zanzibar, even though its southern shore is only two kilometres from Mkokotoni
on Unguja. The wedge-shaped island is approximately eight kilometres in length, but only two kilometres wide at its widest point (in the south).
There are two towns on the island, Jongowe and Kichangani, both in the south of the island.
Historically, the island is of interest. Islanders who belong to the Shirazi ethnic group
claim descent from Persian royalty which reputedly arrived in the ninth century, and there are important ruins at Makutani in the southeast of the island which were once one of Zanzibar's main settlements.
Zanzibar
Zanzibar ,Persian: زنگبار, from suffix bār: "coast" and Zangi: "bruin" ; is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania, in East Africa. It comprises the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, off the coast of the mainland, and consists of numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja , and Pemba...
, part of Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
in east Africa. The island is located off the northwest coast of Zanzibar's main island, Unguja
Unguja
Unguja as mentioned in The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is the largest and most populated island of Zanzibar, in Tanzania.-Geography:...
.
The island is eight kilometres long and is surrounded by a reef, making it somewhat isolated from the rest of Zanzibar, even though its southern shore is only two kilometres from Mkokotoni
Mkokotoni
Mkokotoni is a city located on the Tanzanian island of Unguja . The city serves as capital of the Zanzibar North region....
on Unguja. The wedge-shaped island is approximately eight kilometres in length, but only two kilometres wide at its widest point (in the south).
There are two towns on the island, Jongowe and Kichangani, both in the south of the island.
Historically, the island is of interest. Islanders who belong to the Shirazi ethnic group
Shirazi (ethnic group)
The Shirazi are a sub-group of the Swahili people living on the Swahili Coast of East Africa, especially on the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Comoros. Local traditions about their origin claim they are descended from merchant princes from Shiraz in Persia who settled along the Swahili Coast....
claim descent from Persian royalty which reputedly arrived in the ninth century, and there are important ruins at Makutani in the southeast of the island which were once one of Zanzibar's main settlements.