Mombasa

Mombasa is with 915,000 inhabitants ( 2009), the second largest city in Kenya and the most important port in East Africa. Mombasa Mombasa is located on Iceland on the Indian Ocean and is the capital of the county of the same name.

• 6.1 Non-fiction
• 6.2 Fiction

History

Mombasa was founded in the 11th century by Arabs, and rapidly developed by ivory and slave trade became an important East African commercial metropolis. Vasco da Gama was in 1498 one of the first Europeans who arrived in this city.

Beginning of the 16th century, the Portuguese took possession of Mombasa. In 1698 they were expelled by the Arabs from Oman. In 1728 the Portuguese returned back again, forcing a base in Fort Jesus, but in October 1729 they were driven back. A last attempt at reconquest was launched on 23 January 1730. A fleet of five ships was sent under the command of Luis Melo de Sampaio to Mombasa, they returned but without an attack attempt back to Mozambique. But the maniacs stayed much longer. Already in 1741, as in Oman, the dynasty of the Bû Sa'eed (Said Dynasty ) came to power, to Mombasa declared under the local dynasty of the Mazrui independent. Only in 1837 were able to impose their rule over the city after several failed attempts, finally the Bû Sa'eed.

Since 1856 Mombasa was part of the Sultanate of Zanzibar. 1887 leased the Sultan the coast of present-day Kenya Mombasa to the Imperial British East Africa Company. It was under the 1895 the administration of the East Africa Protectorate, from 1920, the colony Kenya, but remained under international law part of the Sultanate until Kenya became independent in 1963.

From the time of the occupation by the Portuguese until the second half of the 19th century, Mombasa and its harbor an important center for the slave trade. Every Saturday was slave market.

Climate

The climate is tropical in Mombasa, where the amount of rainfall depends on the season. Most precipitation falls during the months of March to May (large rainy season ) and from October to December ( short rains ). In April, falling by an average of 250 mm of rain. The temperatures are relatively constant throughout the year, with average daytime highs at just under 30 ° C and low values ​​of about 20 ° C.

Economy and infrastructure

Mombasa is a major business center in Kenya. In addition to coffee trade, food and chemical industry, there is a steel, an aluminum rolling mill, an oil refinery, a cement plant. Mombasa is the most important port in East Africa, which is also used by the neighboring countries Tanzania and Uganda for their import and export trade. The harbor is occasionally visited by U.S. warships. Took formerly the loading and unloading of ships in the harbor in average weekly, the wait time could be shortened in recent times to three days after Chinese companies have modernized the port facilities. Chinese companies also have the road between the with of the 500 kilometers from the Kenyan capital Nairobi and Mombasa, which was previously in very poor condition, expanded free. For them various privileges were granted at the port of Mombasa. In addition, Mombasa is connected to Nairobi and Uganda by a railway line and has an international airport ( Moi International Airport).

Traffic

The Kenya Ferry Services operates with six ships, including the Kwale, two ferry lines that connect the city to the south of the mainland. The north is connected by the Mombasa Nyali Bridge with the coast.

Tourism

Tourism also plays an economic role but it has suffered greatly in recent years under the unstable political and social situation of the country, partly because of robberies on tourists.

For worldwide headlines Mombasa made ​​in November 2002, when a bomb, Hotel Paradise badly damaged (15 deaths) and a Boeing 757 of the Israeli airline Arkia with 261 passengers narrowly escaped a rocket attack. One of the alleged perpetrators was Saleh Ali Saleh Nabhan.

In 2003 there was a fire in four hotels in Mombasa. These hotels were built in 2003 again. In the city stationed Bundeswehr soldiers helped partially the transport of tourists.

Attractions

• Fort Jesus Museum (16th century)
• Mombasa Old Town
• Wholesale market (spices, fruits, vegetables, among others )
• Tusks ( tusks as Archway )
• Haller Park

The Old Market Hall

The old Post Office

The Shree Swamnarayan Academy