Lamu Archipelago

Lamu Archipelago

The Lamu Archipelago is located in the Indian Ocean close to the northern coast of Kenya, to which it belongs. The islands lie between the towns of Lame and Kiunga, close to the border with Somalia, and is a part of Lamu District.

The largest of the islands are Pate Island, Manda Island and Lamu Island. Smaller islands include Kiwayu, which lies in the Kiunga Marine National Reserve, and Manda Toto. Today the largest town in the archipelago is Lamu Town, on Lamu Island. The town is on the World Heritage List.

The archipelago contains several archaeological/historical sites of great significance, such as Takwa and Manda Town (both on Manda Island) and Shanga (on Pate Island). Some have been partially excavated in later years, shedding important new light on Swahili history and culture.

The islands are reputed to be one of the westernmost ports of call of the great Chinese fleet of Zheng He, or even to be the resting place of a wreck of one of his ships. No direct evidence has yet been discovered of his visit, although it is known that he visited Mombasa, further down the Kenyan coast, in around 1415.

References

*Allen, James de Vere: "Lamu, with an appendix on Archaeological finds from the region of Lamu by H. Neville Chittick." Nairobi: Kenya National Museums.

Views from the Lamu Archipelago:


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Нужен реферат?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Lamu Island — is a part of the Lamu Archipelago of Kenya. The island is linked by ferry to Mokowe on the mainland and to Manda Island. There are no motorized vehicles on the island, instead donkeys are for transport.A port was founded on the island of Lamu by… …   Wikipedia

  • Lamu District — is a district of Kenya s Coast Province. Its district headquarters is Lamu town. The district covers a strip of northeastern coastal mainland and the Lamu Archipelago. Lamu District has a population of 72,686 and its land area is 6,167 sq… …   Wikipedia

  • Lamu — Infobox World Heritage Site WHS = Lamu Old Town State Party = KEN Type = Cultural Criteria = ii, iv, vi ID = 1055 Region = Africa Year = 2001 Session = 25th Link = http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1055Lamu ArchipelagoLamu town is the largest town on …   Wikipedia

  • Archipiélago de Lamu — Saltar a navegación, búsqueda El Archipiélago de Lamu es un grupo de islas del océano Índico muy cercanas a la costa de Kenya. La isla más al sur es laisla de Lamu y la más al norte Kiunga, cercaa a la frontera con Somalia. La más conocida… …   Wikipedia Español

  • Manda Island — Lamu Archipelago Map of Kenya showing the islands Lamu Island Lamu Town †• Shela Matondoni Kipangani Manda Island …   Wikipedia

  • Manda Airport — IATA: LAU – ICAO: HKLU …   Wikipedia

  • Pate Island — or Paté island is located in the Indian Ocean close to the northern coast of Kenya, to which it belongs. It is the largest island in the Lamu Archipelago, which lie between the towns of Lamu and Kiunga, close to the border with Somalia.From the… …   Wikipedia

  • Takwa — The Takwa settlement is situated on the south side of Manda Island, in the Lamu District in the coastal province of Kenya. They are the ruins of a Muslim town which was abandoned around the 18th century.The Takwa site can be easely reached from… …   Wikipedia

  • Takwa — était une ville située dans le sud est de l’île de Manda, dans l archipel de Lamu sur la côte est du Kenya. Takwa était une ville commerçante swahilie pendant les 15e et 16e siècle. Du fait de sa localisation à l’endroit le plus étroit de… …   Wikipédia en Français

  • Манда, остров у берегов Африки — Манда Местонахождение Индийский океан архипелаг Ламу Координаты 2.266667, 40.966667 …   Википедия

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”