Pemba Island (; ''al-Jazīra al-khadrāʔ''; ; ) is a Tanzanian island forming part of the
Zanzibar Archipelago
Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. The c ...
, lying within the
Swahili Coast
The Swahili coast () is a coastal area of East Africa, bordered by the Indian Ocean and inhabited by the Swahili people. It includes Sofala (located in Mozambique); Mombasa, Gede, Kenya, Gede, Pate Island, Lamu, and Malindi (in Kenya); and Dar es ...
in the
Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean is the third-largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, covering or approximately 20% of the water area of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface. It is bounded by Asia to the north, Africa to the west and Australia (continent), ...
.
Geography
file:Map of Zanzibar Archipelago-en.svg, left, The main islands of the
Zanzibar Archipelago
Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. The c ...
: Unguja (left) and Pemba (right)
With a land area of it is situated about north of
Unguja
Unguja (also referred to as "Zanzibar Island" or simply "Zanzibar", in – as mentioned in The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'') is the largest and most populated island of the Zanzibar archipelago, in Tanzania.
History
Geography
Unguja is ...
, the largest island of the archipelago.
Surrounded by relatively deep water, the island of Pemba is thought to have been a part of the mainland, which split off along the Pemba rift approximately 10 million years ago.
In 1964,
Zanzibar
Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. ...
was united with the former colony of
Tanganyika to form
Tanzania
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...
. It lies east of mainland Tanzania, across the
Pemba Channel. Together with
Mafia Island (south of Unguja), these islands form the Spice Islands (not to be confused with the
Maluku Islands
The Maluku Islands ( ; , ) or the Moluccas ( ; ) are an archipelago in the eastern part of Indonesia. Tectonics, Tectonically they are located on the Halmahera Plate within the Molucca Sea Collision Zone. Geographically they are located in West ...
of
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...
).
Most of the island, which is hillier and more fertile than Unguja, is dominated by small scale farming. There is also large scale farming of cash crops such as
clove
Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or Aroma compound, fragrance in fin ...
s.
In previous years, the island was seldom visited due to inaccessibility and a reputation for
political violence
Political violence is violence which is perpetrated in order to achieve political goals. It can include violence which is used by a State (polity), state against other states (war), violence which is used by a state against civilians and non-st ...
, with the notable exception of those drawn by its reputation as a center for
traditional medicine
Traditional medicine (also known as indigenous medicine or folk medicine) refers to the knowledge, skills, and practices rooted in the cultural beliefs of various societies, especially Indigenous groups, used for maintaining health and treatin ...
and
witchcraft
Witchcraft is the use of Magic (supernatural), magic by a person called a witch. Traditionally, "witchcraft" means the use of magic to inflict supernatural harm or misfortune on others, and this remains the most common and widespread meanin ...
. There is a quite large
Arab
Arabs (, , ; , , ) are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in West Asia and North Africa. A significant Arab diaspora is present in various parts of the world.
Arabs have been in the Fertile Crescent for thousands of years ...
community on the
island
An island or isle is a piece of land, distinct from a continent, completely surrounded by water. There are continental islands, which were formed by being split from a continent by plate tectonics, and oceanic islands, which have never been ...
, who immigrated from
Oman
Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia and the Middle East. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman’s coastline ...
. The population is a mix of Arab and original
Waswahili inhabitants of the island. A significant portion of the population also identifies as
Shirazi people
The Shirazi people, also known as Mbwera, are an ethnic group inhabiting the Swahili coast and the nearby Indian Ocean islands. They are particularly concentrated on the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Comoros. . The overwhelming majority of the island's population follows
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
and identify as Muslim.
The most important towns in Pemba are
Chake-Chake (the capital),
Mkoani, and
Wete, which is the largest city. The centrally located Chake-Chake is perched on a mound with a view to the west on a bay and the tiny
Misali Island, where the tides determine when a
dhow
Dhow (; ) is the generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with settee or sometimes lateen sails, used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Typically sporting long thin hulls, dhows are trading vessels ...
can enter the local harbour. Pemba is, with the exception of a strip of land along its eastern coast, a very fertile place: besides
clove
Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or Aroma compound, fragrance in fin ...
trees, the locals grow mainly
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
,
coconut
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
,
banana
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus '' Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called plantains, distinguishing the ...
s,
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...
, and
red beans (called ''maharagwe'' in the
Swahili language
Swahili, also known as as it is referred to endonym and exonym, in the Swahili language, is a Bantu languages, Bantu language originally spoken by the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya, and Mozambique (along the East Af ...
).
Pemba is home to several dive sites, with steep drop-offs, untouched coral, and very abundant marine life.
Islets
*Fundo - is located few miles from Wete. It is the only inhabited island among the group of islets forming the north-west reef of Pemba. The other islets there include Njao, Kashani, Kokota, Funzi, and Uvinje.
**Njao - is the northernmost islet on the Fundo group. It is mainly used for agricultural purposes.
**Kashani - is on the same reef as Fundo but on the southernmost tip close to Ras Mkumbuu.
**Kokota - is located at the southern mouth of Wete port.
**Funzi - lies east of Kokota and south of Uvinje island.
**Uvinje - is used for farming and located at the southern mouth of Wete port.
*Kiweni (Shamiani) - located on the south west part of Pemba, it is an uninhabited islet used mainly for farming and livestock grazing. On its southernmost tip it has a very fine beach and some prospective investors were building a hotel in the late 1990s.
*Kojani - is the only inhabited island on the western side of Pemba island. It is home to some skilled artisanal fishermen in East Africa who seasonally travel to most parts of the coast in search of schools of fish to catch.
*Kwata - the island was the site of the first major outbreak of cholera in 1978 when travelers were temporarily quarantined at this island before being allowed into Pemba.
*Makoongwe - is few kilometers from Mkoani. It has characteristics similar to the opposite area on the island of Pemba with deep soils and hilly terrain. Makoongwe is inhabited and people do farming and fishing.
*Matumbini - is an islet with dense mangrove forest and popular among fishermen due to the presence of rich coral reef.
*Misali - has a rich coral reef, and has been declared a marine reserve.
*Mwangi - is a small islet close to Mtambwe on the main island of Pemba.
*Panza - is the southernmost island in Pemba and in fact is a series of islets but a bridge connects the two main parts of Mtondooni and Panza proper. Its topography is coral on the Panza side and deep soil on the Mtondooni part. Its inhabitants do farming and fishing.
*Vikunguni - is a small islet close to the north-west group of islands.
*Yombi - is a small islet east of Panza island.
Important Bird Area
Pemba has been designated an
Important Bird Area
An Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) is an area identified using an internationally agreed set of criteria as being globally important for the conservation of bird populations.
IBA was developed and sites are identified by BirdLife Int ...
(IBA) by
BirdLife International
BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding i ...
because it supports populations of
Pemba green pigeons,
Pemba scops owls,
Pemba white-eyes and
Pemba sunbirds.
Climate
Pemba has a tropical climate, yet somewhat milder than Tanzania's mainland and milder than in
Unguja
Unguja (also referred to as "Zanzibar Island" or simply "Zanzibar", in – as mentioned in The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'') is the largest and most populated island of the Zanzibar archipelago, in Tanzania.
History
Geography
Unguja is ...
island. This climate is classified as "Aw" by the
Köppen-Geiger system. The average temperature in
Chake Chake is . The average annual rainfall is 1,364 mm. The monthly average temperatures are usually between . There are two rain seasons, with most rainfall coming between April and May and smaller rain season coming between November and December. Drier months are January and February, and a longer drier season between June and October.
Archaeology
Archaeological research on Pemba has shown its centrality to the Swahili coast trading system as early as 600 AD. Along the northern coast, urban settlements at Chwaka later developed and flourished from the eleventh century to ~1500 AD.
West of Pemba's capital Chake-Chake, on a long stretched peninsula called
Ras Mkumbuu, one can find some of the oldest and best preserved series of early ruins on the islands (''Ndagoni ruins'', probably 14th century).
East of Chake-Chake one can find the ''Mkama Ndume ruins'' at Pujini village (south of the airport) within easy reach by road from Chake-Chake. This is the only known early fortification on the whole Swahili Coast; it is dated to the fifteenth century.
History

According to the Arab geographer
Yakut, in the mid-13th century there were two independent sultans ruling over parts of Pemba Island.
On 24 June 2016, the
Australian
Australian(s) may refer to:
Australia
* Australia, a country
* Australians, citizens of the Commonwealth of Australia
** European Australians
** Anglo-Celtic Australians, Australians descended principally from British colonists
** Aboriginal Aus ...
Minister for Infrastructure, Transport and Regional Development,
Darren Chester
Darren Jeffrey Chester (born 13 September 1967) is an Australian politician. He has been a member of the House of Representatives for Gippsland in Victoria, representing the Nationals since 2008. Chester had served as the Minister for Veterans ...
, said that a piece of aircraft debris was found on Pemba Island, possibly being from the missing
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370
Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 (MH370/MAS370) was an international passenger flight operated by Malaysia Airlines that disappeared from radar on 8 March 2014, while flying from Kuala Lumpur International Airport in Malaysia to its planned de ...
.
Administration

Pemba is part of the semi-autonomous
Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar
The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous government within Tanzania for Zanzibar
Zanzibar is a Tanzanian archipelago off the coast of East Africa. It is located in the Indian Ocean, and consists of many small Island, is ...
.
Administratively, it is divided into two regions,
North Pemba (Pemba Kaskazini)with its capital at
Wete, and
South Pemba (Pemba Kusini) with its capital at
Mkoani. Although the centrally located city of
Chake Chake, near the airport, is considered Pemba's capital, and is the seat of Pemba's court and the President of Zanzibar's official Pemba residence.
Economy
Fishing
Pemba is also famous for its rich fishing grounds. Between the island and the mainland there is the deep 50 kilometre wide Pemba Channel, which is one of the most profitable fishing grounds for game fishing on the Swahili Coast.
Farming and agriculture
Pemba is (with the exception of a strip of land along its eastern coast) highly fertile for agriculture which serves the global farming industry.
Cash crops
A large segment of Zanzibar export earnings comes from
cloves
Cloves are the aromatic flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae, ''Syzygium aromaticum'' (). They are native to the Maluku Islands, or Moluccas, in Indonesia, and are commonly used as a spice, flavoring, or fragrance in consumer products, ...
. The greatest concentration of clove trees in Zanzibar is found on Pemba (3.5 million trees), as growing conditions on the island are superior to those on
Unguja
Unguja (also referred to as "Zanzibar Island" or simply "Zanzibar", in – as mentioned in The ''Periplus of the Erythraean Sea'') is the largest and most populated island of the Zanzibar archipelago, in Tanzania.
History
Geography
Unguja is ...
island. Clove trees grow to a height of approximately 10 to 15 metres and can be harvested for sometimes over 50 years. Most of the island, which is hillier and more fertile than Unguja, is dominated by small scale farming. There is also large-scale farming of other crops, primarily
rice
Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...
,
coconuts
The coconut tree (''Cocos nucifera'') is a member of the palm tree family (biology), family (Arecaceae) and the only living species of the genus ''Cocos''. The term "coconut" (or the archaic "cocoanut") can refer to the whole coconut palm, ...
, and
red beans (called maharagwe in Swahili), as well as
cassava
''Manihot esculenta'', common name, commonly called cassava, manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America, from Brazil, Paraguay and parts of the Andes. Although ...
and
bananas
A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – berry (botany), botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large treelike herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa (genus), Musa''. In some countries, cooking bananas are called pla ...
.
Land surveying
For the promotion of tourism, the Department of Surveys and Mapping at Chake-Chake has been publishing maps with tourist guides since 1992.
[Pemba - The clove island 1:100,000, Map & Guide, 3rd edition, 2013, Dept. of Surveys and Mapping, Box 235, Chake-Chake]
Transport
Airport
Pemba Airport is also known as Wawi Airport or Karume Airport and connects the island to
Arusha
Arusha is a city in Tanzania. The city is the Capital city, capital of the Arusha Region. It has a population of 617,631 people. ,
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam (, ; from ) is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of the Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over 7 million people, Dar es Salaam is the largest city in East Africa by population and the ...
, and Zanzibar City.
Gallery
File:Island and Diving.jpg, Island near Chake Chake
File:Wharf at Mkoani. Havenpier in Mkoani, Pemba, Tanzania.jpg, A wharf at Mkoani during the daytime with fishing nets being dried in the sun
File:Seasonal clove buds drying on Pemba1.jpg, An example of clove buds being dried in the equatorial sun
File:Bep chaetodon auriga pemba.jpg, Threadfin butterflyfish (''Chaetodon auriga''). Underwater photograph at Pemba island
File:Bep chaetodon kleinii pemba.jpg, Sunburst butterflyfish (''Chaetodon kleinii'')
File:Bep chaetodon unimaculatus pemba.jpg, Yellow teardrop butterflyfish (''Chaetodon interruptus'')
See also
*
Geography of Tanzania
*
Ghurabiyya Shia
References
External links
Short documentary about Pemba Island on YouTube*
{{Authority control
Swahili city-states
Zanzibar Archipelago
Islands of Tanzania
Important Bird Areas of the Zanzibar Archipelago
Former sultanates
Island countries