Basic facts about Mafia

Administratively Mafia District is divided into 7 wards:

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

The name "Mafia" derives from the Arabic *morfiyeh*, meaning "group" or "archipelago", or from the Swahili *mahali pa afya*, meaning "a healthy dwelling-place",while the Portuguese maps and manuscripts from their earliest voyages at the end of the 15th century mark the island as "Monfia". Vasco da Gama sighted Mafia in 1498 on his way north from the Cape. 

Mafia island is composed of ten islands and islets situated on the East Coast of the Indian Ocean. The island lies at longitude 70 40’ and latitude 300 400’ E. Mafia has an area of about 1036 sq km of which one third is landmass and two thirds is ocean. The island is located 135 km South East of Dar es Salaam. It has an estimated population of 55,000 people.

Persians ruled here in subsequent centuries, and there was trade with countries as far afield as Indonesia and Ming dynasty China. Hoards of Chinese porcelain have been found, as well as stoneware from Thailand and coins from India. The ancient Greeks landed here 300 years before the birth of Christ. The Portuguese began 200 years of violent rule on the East African coast from around 1497.

None of this fascinating history is apparent when you arrive at Mafia's rudimentary airport, with its quaint, straw-roofed "waving bay", after a half-hour flight from Dar es Salaam. Mafia's infrastructure is poor, it has electricity only in the district capital.

There are few houses which have running water. Travel to the island is either by small aircraft from Dar es Salaam, at a cost which is beyond the reach of most islanders, or by sailing boat to Kisiju, the nearest point on the mainland, and thence by lorry or bus to Dar es Salaam.

This journey can be lengthy, precarious and uncomfortable but it is the one which most islanders are forced to use. The few roads on the island are in poor condition and there is a paucity of vehicles, which means local people rely primarily on bicycles or walking.

MafiaMap Source :zanzibar magic

More about Mafia Island:

http://mafia-island-tanzania.gold.ac.uk/

http://www.mafiaisland.com/PDF/aboutmafia.html

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g317083-Mafia_Island-Vacations.html

http://www.responsibletravel.com/holidays/mafia-island

http://www.weather.com/weather/today/TZXX0001