Welcome to Mombasa, Kenya
Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya. The city is the centre of the coastal tourism industry. In Kiswahili it is called Kisiwa ya Mvita, which means "Island of War", due to the many changes in its ownership. The city has a population of around 900,000 and is located on Mombasa Island, which is separated from the mainland by two creeks; Tudor Creek and Killindini harbor. The island is connected to the mainland to the north by a bridge, to the south by ferry and to the west by a causeway along which runs the Uganda Railway. The port serves both Kenya and countries of the interior linking them to the Indian Ocean. The Muslim Miji Kenda/Swahili people mainly occupy the town but over the centuries there have been many immigrants particularly from the countries of the Middle East and Indian sub-continent. Recent immigrants are peoples from the interior of Kenya brought to the area by opportunities to work in the tourist industry. Traditional dress for the Swahili women is a brightly colored, printed cotton sheet called kanga, which may have inspirational slogans printed on it, and type of black headdress and veil called a bui bui. Men wear a type of sarong, which is colored in bright bands, called a kikoy. There are several places to visit in Mombasa; Fort Jesus, build by the Portuguese and the Old Town, which is by now in bad need of repair but still shows plenty of examples of the old Arab architecture.
History of Mombasa
Arab traders founded the city in the 11th century and it quickly became the most important trading centre of East Africa mostly exporting ivory and slaves. Vasco da Gama was the first known European to visit Mombasa, receiving a chilly reception in 1498. Two years later the Portuguese who built Fort Jesus sacked the town. The town was taken over by the Sultanate of Oman in 1698. In 1840 it was taken by the sultan of Zanzibar who presented the town to the British in 1898. It soon became the capital of the British East Africa Protectorate and is the sea terminal of the Uganda Railway, which was started in 1896. Many workers were brought in from British India to build the railway. Mombasa was part of the state of Zanzibar until 1963 when it was ceded to the newly independent state of Kenya.
Kenya’s Economy
The great majority of Kenyans are engaged in farming, largely of the subsistence type. Coffee, tea, sisal, pyrethrum, corn and wheat are grown in the highlands, mainly on small African-owned farms formed by dividing some of the large, formerly European-owned estates. Coconuts, pineapples, cashew nuts, cotton, sugarcane, sisal and corn are grown in the lower-lying areas. Much of the country is savanna, where large numbers of cattle are pastured. Kenya also produces dairy goods, pork, poultry, and eggs. The country’s leading manufactures include consumer goods such as plastic, furniture, textiles, cigarettes, and leather goods; refined petroleum; processed food; cement; and metal products. Industrial development has been hampered by shortages in hydroelectric power and inefficiency and corruption in the public sector; however, steps have been taken to privatize some state-owned companies. The chief minerals produced are limestone, soda ash, gold, salt and fluorospar; there are also deposits of titanium. Kenya attracts many tourists, largely lured by its coastal beaches and varied wildlife, which is protected in the expansive Tsavo National Park (8,034 square miles, 20,808 square kilometers) in the southeast. Kenya's population growth continually exceeds the rate of economic growth, resulting in large budget deficits and high unemployment.
posted by Hills @ 11:43 PM
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