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Mombasa

Mombasa is a major port and is the second largest city in Kenya.

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The port serves both Kenya and countries of the interior using the Uganda Railway. The city has a population of around 900,000 and is located on Mombasa Island.

The town is mainly occupied by the Miji Kenda /Swahili people 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: the area is an important part of Kenya's tourist industry.

History

The city was founded by Arab traders 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 town was sacked by the Portuguese who built Fort Jesus. The town was taken over by the Sultanate of Oman in 1698.

In 1840 it was taken by the sultan of Zanzibar who in 1898 presented the town to the British. 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.

In November 2002, a suicide car bomb exploded at the Israeli-owned beachfront Paradise Hotel killing three Israelis and ten Kenyans. An attempt was made to shoot down a tourist plane taking off from nearby Mombasa International Airport. The main suspect for both attacks is Al Qaeda.


Last updated: 02-07-2005 09:43:39
Last updated: 04-25-2005 03:06:01