Koyama (also known as Kunyama Kundeeq) (also spelled Kwayama and Coiama) is an island in southern

Somalia Somalia, officially the Federal Republic of Somalia, is the easternmost country in continental Africa. The country is located in the Horn of Africa and is bordered by Ethiopia to the west, Djibouti to the northwest, Kenya to the southwest, th ...

, in the region of

Jubaland Jubaland (; ; ), or the Juba Valley (), is a States and regions of Somalia, Federal Member State in southern Somalia. Its eastern border lies no more than east of the Jubba River, stretching from Dolow to the Indian Ocean, while its western si ...

. Koyama is the second largest island of the

Bajuni Islands The Bajuni Islands (; ; , also known as the Bajun Islands or Baajun Islands) are an archipelago in southern Somalia. They are situated in the Somali sea off the southern coast of Jubaland, from Kismayo to Ras Kamboni. Geography Administratively ...

archipelago in the Somali sea, situated only from the mainland coast of

. It is long and up to wide, and features a large bay or

lagoon A lagoon is a shallow body of water separated from a larger body of water by a narrow landform, such as reefs, barrier islands, barrier peninsulas, or isthmuses. Lagoons are commonly divided into ''coastal lagoons'' (or ''barrier lagoons'') an ...

opening towards the mainland coast. At , it is almost equal in size to Chula, which measures . Koyama island has two separate villages, Koyama and Koyamani. Koyama is rich in

Swahili Swahili may refer to: * Swahili language, a Bantu language officially used in Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda and widely spoken in the African Great Lakes. * Swahili people, an ethnic group in East Africa. * Swahili culture, the culture of the Swahili p ...

historic ruins and monuments such as

pillar tomb A pillar tomb is a type of monumental grave wherein the central feature is a single, prominent pillar or column, often made of stone. Overview A number of world cultures incorporated pillars into tomb structures. Examples of such edifices are f ...

Demographics

The Inhabitants of Koyama Island were historically Koyamas, a Bajuni sub clan. The

Dhulbahante The Dhulbahante, (, ) are a Somali sub-clan, part of the Harti branch of the larger Darod clan. They primary reside in and around their traditional territories of Nugaal, as well as Doollo. The clan's progenitor is buried at Badweyn. The cur ...

and other

Harti Harti () is a Somali clan that traces its lineage back to Saleh Abdi Harti. They are a sub-clan of the larger Darod clan. Notable sub-clans within Harti include the Majeerteen, Warsangali, Warsengeli, Dishishe, and the Dhulbahante. They predomi ...

sub-clans have migrated to the islands over the past two centuries. The island has history of a Bajuni community. Today Dhulbahante have established houses alongside the coastal line.

References

Islands of Somalia Islands of the Indian Ocean Somali Sea {{Somalia-geo-stub

Demographics

See also

References