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East African Coral Coast
The East African coral coast is a marine ecoregion along the eastern coast of Africa. It extends along the coasts of Kenya, Tanzania, and northern Mozambique, from Lamu in Kenya (2º30' S) to Angoche in Mozambique (16°14 S). It adjoins the Northern Monsoon Current Coast ecoregion to the north, and the Bight of Sofala/Swamp Coast ecoregion to the south. Major habitat types Fringing coral reefs extend along much of the coast, extending .5 to 2 km from the shore on the narrow continental shelf. Fringing reefs extend along the coasts of Kenya and Tanzania as far as the Ruvuma River, which forms the Tanzania-Mozambique boundary. The fringing reefs are interrupted by major river mouths, including the Tana and Athi rivers in Kenya and the Rufiji in Tanzania. Unguja Island has a fringing reef along its eastern shore and extending around the southern and northern tips of the island. Mafia Island has a fringing reef along its eastern shore which extends south to the Songo Songo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Marine Ecoregion
A marine ecoregion is an ecoregion, or ecological region, of the oceans and seas identified and defined based on biogeographic characteristics. Introduction A more complete definition describes them as “Areas of relatively homogeneous species composition, clearly distinct from adjacent systems” dominated by “a small number of ecosystems and/or a distinct suite of oceanographic or topographic features”. Ecologically they “are strongly cohesive units, sufficiently large to encompass ecological or life history processes for most sedentary species.”Spalding, Mark D., Helen E. Fox, Gerald R. Allen, Nick Davidson et al. "Marine Ecoregions of the World: A Bioregionalization of Coastal and Shelf Areas". Bioscience Vol. 57 No. 7, July/August 2007, pp. 573–58/ref> Marine Ecoregions of the World—MEOW The global classification system Marine Ecoregions of the World—MEOW was devised by an international team, including major conservation organizations, academic institutions an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nyawira Muthiga
Nyawira A. Muthiga is an African conservation zoologist who is Director of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association Marine Programme in Kenya. She is a conservation scientist for the Wildlife Conservation Society. Early life and education Muthiga was born in Kenya, and spent part of her childhood in Dar es Salaam. She earned her undergraduate degree in biological oceanography in the United States. She completed her master's degree at the Florida State University, where she studied the impact of salinity on the photosynthesis of ''Siderastrea siderea''. Muthiga returned to Kenya for her doctoral research, where she joined the University of Nairobi. Research and career In 2000 Muthiga was elected President of the Western Indian Ocean Marine Science Association Board of Trustees (WIOMSA). She oversaw the growth of the WIOMSA internationally, building local chapters and networks. Muthiga worked for the Kenya Wildlife Service where she led the coastal and wetland progra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Olive Ridley Sea Turtle
The olive ridley sea turtle (''Lepidochelys olivacea''), also known commonly as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a species of turtle in the family Cheloniidae. The species is the second-smallest and most abundant of all sea turtles found in the world. ''L. olivacea'' is found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans, but also in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean. This turtle and the related Kemp's ridley sea turtle are best known for their unique synchronised mass nestings called ''arribadas'', where thousands of females come together on the same beach to lay eggs. Taxonomy The olive ridley sea turtle may have been first described as ''Testudo mydas minor'' by Georg Adolf Suckow in 1798. It was later described and named ''Chelonia multiscutata'' by Heinrich Kuhl in 1820. Still later, it was described and named ''Chelonia olivacea'' by Johann Friedrich von Eschscholtz in 1829. The species was placed in the subgenus ''Lepidochelys'' by ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hawksbill Sea Turtle
The hawksbill sea turtle (''Eretmochelys imbricata'') is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only extant species in the genus ''Eretmochelys''. The species has a global distribution that is largely limited to tropical and subtropical marine and estuary ecosystems. The appearance of the hawksbill is similar to that of other marine turtles. In general, it has a flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like limbs, adapted for swimming in the open ocean. ''E. imbricata'' is easily distinguished from other sea turtles by its sharp, curving beak with prominent tomium, and the saw-like appearance of its shell margins. Hawksbill shells slightly change colors, depending on water temperature. While this turtle lives part of its life in the open ocean, it spends more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs. The World Conservation Union, primarily as a result of human fishing practices, classifies ''E. imbricata'' as crit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Green Sea Turtle
The green sea turtle (''Chelonia mydas''), also known as the green turtle, black (sea) turtle or Pacific green turtle, is a species of large sea turtle of the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in the genus ''Chelonia''. Its range extends throughout tropical and subtropical seas around the world, with two distinct populations in the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but it is also found in the Indian Ocean. The common name refers to the usually green fat found beneath its carapace, due to its diet strictly being seagrass, not to the color of its carapace, which is olive to black. The dorsoventrally flattened body of ''C. mydas'' is covered by a large, teardrop-shaped carapace; it has a pair of large, paddle-like flippers. It is usually lightly colored, although in the eastern Pacific populations, parts of the carapace can be almost black. Unlike other members of its family, such as the hawksbill sea turtle, ''C. mydas'' is mostly herbivorous. The adults usually inhabit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mozambique Island
The Island of Mozambique () lies off northern Mozambique, between the Mozambique Channel and Mossuril Bay, and is part of Nampula Province. Prior to 1898, it was the capital of colonial Portuguese East Africa. With its rich history and sandy beaches, the Island of Mozambique is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of Mozambique's fastest-growing tourist destinations. It has a permanent population of approximately 14,000 people and is served by nearby Lumbo Airport on the Nampula mainland. The name of the country, Mozambique, is derived from the name of this island. History Pottery found on Mozambique Island indicates that the town was founded no later than the fourteenth century. According to tradition, the original Swahili population came from Kilwa. The town's rulers had links with the rulers of both Angoche and Quelimane by the fifteenth century. In 1514, Duarte Barbosa noted that the town had a Muslim population and that they spoke the same Swahili dialect as Angoch ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Primeiras And Segundas Archipelago
The Primeiras and Segundas Archipelago is a chain of 10 sparsely inhabited barrier islands and two coral reef complexes situated in the Indian Ocean off the coast of the Zambezia Province of Mozambique. The islands lie in two groups along the western side of the Mozambique Channel with the Segundas Islands located near the coastal city of Angoche. Description The islands lie in a string along Africa's continental shelf. The five Segundas islands are in the north, separated by a stretch of open water and reefs from the five islands of the Primeiras chain to the south. The eastern sides of the islands are fringed with coral reefs, composed mainly of soft corals, with hard corals at their southern edges. Beds of seagrass are situated between the islands and the mainland, which are important habitats for sea turtles and dugongs. The southern islands support Mozambique's largest nesting grounds for green sea turtles. Hawksbill sea turtles and Olive ridley sea turtles use the islands to ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Quirimbas Islands
The Quirimbas Islands lie in the western Indian Ocean off northeastern Mozambique, close to Pemba, the capital of the province of Cabo Delgado. The archipelago consists of about 32 islands, including Ibo, Matemo, Medjumbe, Quirimba, Metundo, Quisiva, Vamizi Island and Rolas Island all going up to the border of the Tanzanian region of Mtwara . History Originally home to Makonde fishing settlements, the islands' population grew around Swahili trading posts and declined under the Portuguese trading routes when it was known as the Ilhas de São Lázaro (Islands of St. Lazarus) during the 16th century. When the Portuguese started occupying cities in the islands such as Ibo, the Swahili merchants fled to other parts of the island to operate in. The Swahili merchants refused to trade with the Portuguese, in which started an attack resulting in 60 Muslim merchants casualties and property being burnt down. The island was in control by the Portuguese until Mozambique gained ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mozambique Channel
The Mozambique Channel (, , ) is an arm of the Indian Ocean located between the Southeast African countries of Madagascar and Mozambique. The channel is about long and across at its narrowest point, and reaches a depth of about off the coast of Mozambique. A warm current, the Mozambique Current, flows in a southward direction in the channel, leading into the Agulhas Current off the east coast of Southern Africa. Extent The International Hydrographic Organization (IHO) defines the limits of the Mozambique Channel as follows: ::''On the North.'' A line from the estuary of the River Rovuma () to Ras Habu, the northernmost point of Ile Grande Comore, the northernmost of the Comore (Comoro) Islands, to Cap d'Ambre (Cape Amber), the northern extremity of Madagascar (). ::''On the East.'' The west coast of Madagascar. ::''On the South.'' A line from Cap Sainte-Marie, the southern extremity of Madagascar to Ponto do Ouro on the mainland (). ::''On the West.'' The coast ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Upwelling
Upwelling is an physical oceanography, oceanographic phenomenon that involves wind-driven motion of dense, cooler, and usually nutrient-rich water from deep water towards the ocean surface. It replaces the warmer and usually nutrient-depleted surface water. The nutrient-rich upwelled water stimulates the growth and reproduction of primary producers such as phytoplankton. The biomass of phytoplankton and the presence of cool water in those regions allow upwelling zones to be identified by cool sea surface temperatures (SST) and high concentrations of chlorophyll a. The increased availability of nutrients in upwelling regions results in high levels of primary production and thus fishery production. Approximately 25% of the total global marine fish catches come from five upwellings, which occupy only 5% of the total ocean area.Jennings, S., Kaiser, M.J., Reynolds, J.D. (2001) "Marine Fisheries Ecology." Oxford: Blackwell Science Ltd. Upwellings that are driven by coastal ocean curr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mafia Archipelago
The Mafia Archipelago or The Mafia Islands (''Funguvisiwa vya Mafia'', in Swahili language, Swahili) is a group of islands across the Mafia Channel in the Mafia District of Pwani Region's coast on the Sea of Zanj in Tanzania's Indian Ocean coast. The archipelago is composed of 9 islands and around 12 coral reefs. In total, the Mafia archipelago covers in total, of which 407 km2 are land and 565 km2 are water. and has an average elevation of . Of the 12 reefs in the archipelago the most famous one is the Tutia Reef. The largest island in the archipelago is Mafia Island also known as ''Chole Shamba'' locally. The other eight islands inside Mafia District in addition to Mafia Island are; Juani Island, Chole Island, Jibondo Island (Kibondo), Bwejuu Island, Shungumbili Island (Thanda), Barakuni Island, Miewi Island, and Niororo Island (Nyororo). Geography Off Tanzania's central coast, close to the Rufiji Delta, is a collection of islands known as the Mafia Archipelago. The main isla ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tanga Region
Tanga Region () is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions of Tanzania, regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Burundi. The regional capital is the municipality of Tanga, Tanzania, Tanga city. Located in northeast Tanzania, the region is bordered by Kenya and Kilimanjaro Region to the north; Manyara Region to the west; and Morogoro Region, Morogoro and Pwani Region, Pwani Regions to the south. It has a coastline to the east with the Indian Ocean. According to the 2022 national census, the region had a population of 2,615,597. History The most noteworthy feature of Tanga's history is its sovereignty. The earliest inhabitants were the Bantu peoples, Bantu, who broke into several ethnic groups: the Shambaa people, Sambaa, Digo people, Digo, Bondei people, Bondei, Ngulu people, Nguu, Segeju people, Segeju and Zigua people, Zigua communities. In the Middle Ages the Swahili people, Swahili settled in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
