The Lamu Archipelago is located in the

Indian Ocean The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or ~19.8% of the water on Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia to the east. To the south it is bounded by t ...

close to the northern coast of

Kenya ) , national_anthem = " Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi ...

, to which it belongs. The islands lie between the towns of Lamu and Kiunga, near the

Coast Province The Coast Province ( sw, Mkoa wa Pwani) of Kenya, along the Indian Ocean, was one of Kenya's eight provinces. It comprises the Indian Ocean coastal strip with the capital city at Mombasa and was inhabited by the Mijikenda and Swahili, among oth ...

. It is a part of

Lamu District Lamu County is a county of Kenya located along the North Coast of the country and is one of the six Coastal Counties in Kenya. Its capital is the town of Lamu. It borders Tana River County to the southwest, Garissa County to the north, Somali ...

. The largest of the islands are

Pate Island Pate (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 in the former Coast Province. Th ...

Manda Island Manda is an island of the Lamu Archipelago of Kenya, known for the prosperous 9th century ports of Takwa and Manda town. The island is now linked by ferry to Lamu and is home to Manda Airport, while Manda Toto island lies to its west. The ...

and

Lamu Island Lamu Island is a port, city, and island just off the shore of Kenya in the Indian Ocean approximately 150 miles from Mombasa. It is a part of the East African country of Kenya. Lamu was founded in the 12th Century. Lamu is one of the longest esta ...

. Smaller islands include

Kiwayu Kiwayuu (alternative spelling Kiwayu) is a small island in the eastern part of the Lamu Archipelago in the Kiunga Marine National Reserve in Kenya. Its main economic activity is fishing, and there is one school, no clinic and one well on the ...

, which lies in the

Kiunga Marine National Reserve Kiunga Marine National Reserve is situated along the Indian Ocean coast of Lamu District, Coast Province, Kenya. Kiunga park covers . The park covers an area with approximately 50 islands and coral reefs in the Lamu Archipelago. It borders the Bo ...

, and Manda Toto. Today the largest town in the archipelago is

Lamu Town Lamu or Lamu Town is a small town on Lamu Island, which in turn is a part of the Lamu Archipelago in Kenya. Situated by road northeast of Mombasa that ends at Mokowe Jetty, from where the sea channel has to be crossed to reach Lamu Island. ...

, on

. The town is on the

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

. The archipelago contains several archaeological/historical sites of great significance, such as Takwa and Manda Town (both on

) and Shanga (on

). Some have been partially excavated in later years, shedding important new light on Swahili history and culture. There are some other accounts that mention Chinese ships of

Zheng He Zheng He (; 1371–1433 or 1435) was a Chinese mariner, explorer, diplomat, fleet admiral, and court eunuch during China's early Ming dynasty. He was originally born as Ma He in a Muslim family and later adopted the surname Zheng conferr ...

's fleet sinking near

in Kenya in 1415. Survivors settled on the island and married local women. This has been proven recently by archaeological work on the island that has resulted in the finding of evidence to suggest this connection. Further DNA testing done on some residents show that they indeed have Chinese ancestors.

References

Bibliography

*Allen, James de Vere: ''Lamu, with an appendix on Archaeological finds from the region of Lamu by H. Neville Chittick.'' Nairobi: Kenya National Museums. * * *Martin, Chryssee MacCasler Perry; Martin, Esmond Bradley: "Quest for the Past: An Historical Guide to the Lamu Archipelago" Marketing and Publishing Ltd., 1973.

Gallery

File:TakwaArch.jpg, The 16th century Takwa Ruins on

File:Kiwayuusmall.JPG, The west side of Kiwayuu Island Lamu County Coast Province Coastal islands of Kenya Archaeology of Eastern Africa {{CoastKE-geo-stub