Tanga Island known during
German East Africa
German East Africa (GEA; ) was a German colonial empire, German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Portugu ...
as Toten Island in old colonial maps (
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 ...
''Toten'', adapted from
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
''Toteninsel'', meaning "Island of the Dead") is a small uninhabited and protected island situated north of the city of
Tanga's harbour on
Tanga Bay
Tanga Bay (''Ghuba la Tanga'', in Swahili) is a bay in Mkinga District of Tanga Region of Tanzania. The bay is home to Tanga Island and is surrounded in the north by Chongoleani ward, west by Mabokweni and Mzizima wards. To the south is Ce ...
in
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 municipalit ...
,
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 is within the Tanga Bay. The island is located entirely with the
Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park (TCMP). The island is administered by
Tanzania Marine Parks and Reserves.
Historical Site
The island is a historical site that contains ruins of two Medieval
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 ...
mosques and tombs. The current name comes from the
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
word for "dead bodies" alluding to the numerous graves on the island.
Until 1854 Toten Island was still inhabited by people. In 1884 the remaining people moved to what is present day Tanga city.
[http://www.urithi.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=2&Itemid=1 ]
See also
*
Historic Swahili Settlements
*
National Historic Sites in Tanzania
National Historic Sites of Tanzania is an official list of places in Tanzania that have been designated as National Historic Sites as per the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism of Tanzania under the Antiquities Division. The list is not co ...
*
Swahili architecture
Swahili people, Swahili architecture is a term used to designate a whole range of diverse building traditions practiced or once practiced along the eastern and southeastern coasts of Africa. Rather than simple derivatives of Islamic architecture ...
References
Islands of Tanzania
Coastal islands of Tanzania
Islands of Tanga Region
Uninhabited islands of Tanzania
Geography of Tanga Region
Swahili people
Swahili city-states
Swahili culture
Tanga, Tanzania
National Historic Sites in Tanga Region
National Historic Sites in Tanzania
Archaeological sites in Tanzania
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