There are many places on the planet Earth with unusual names. The island got its name long before that and has nothing to do with the criminal world.
Location and structure
The island is located in the Indian Ocean, in the territory of Tanzania. Closest to it is located in the Pwan region. Geographically, it belongs to the Zanzibar archipelago.
The approximate area of the island is 435 square kilometers, and more than 45 thousand people live on it. Most of them are engaged in fishing because in the water near the beaches there are many species of fish suitable for food. Given that this territory has a length of 50 kilometers and a width of 15, the beach area on it is large. This made it possible to place several small bays for boats.
Interesting fact: About 106 people live on one square kilometer of the Mafia island.
The island has a rather interesting structure. It is divided into Southern and Northern regions, which, in turn, are divided into small areas. So local authorities easier to manage the island and develop infrastructure. This is also done for the convenience of residents, so that they can more accurately communicate their place of residence to the address. For example, in both areas there may be streets with the same name, which can confuse a person.
Why is the Mafia island so called?
The island quickly became known to mankind. As far back as the Middle Ages, trade routes of many ships sailing the Indian Ocean ran through it.The name "Mafia" received from the Arabs, in the language of which this word means "a group of islands." In fact, they did not come up with something, but simply literally described this plot of land with small islands adjacent to it.
In 1498, the island rediscovered Vasco da Gama and annexed it to Portugal, establishing a colony on it. However, after some time, the land went to Germany. During the First World War in these areas, British troops began fighting, fighting with German soldiers. On the territory of the Mafia, a battle was going on for a long time, during which the British ousted the Nazis from the island, occupied it and declared it their land. In 1964, Tanzania, in the territory of which it was located, finally joined itself. Interestingly, despite the Mafia's belonging to this state, it is not part of the Tanzanian autonomy of Zanzibar.
Since then, in the second half of the 20th century, the inhabitants of Tanzania began to actively inhabit these territories. Already in 2000, the beaches were built up with small houses in which the families of fishermen lived. To this day, the coast of the island is dotted with boats, on which people sail daily into the sea in order to catch as many fish as possible.
Island nowadays
In recent decades, the Mafia has received increased attention from tourists. Civilization practically did not put their hands to these lands, therefore, primitive wildlife was preserved on them. People come here to enjoy the beautiful views and look at the local fauna inhabited by wild animals.
Divers also cannot walk past the island. The underwater world around him is almost untouched. Thanks to this, you can spend days exploring its large territory, observing many species of fish and other creatures.
On the territories of the beaches you can see not only sand and palm trees, but also small fossils, which are volcanic rocks. People have long “settled them” by installing bridges and small buildings directly on them. However, no one knows where these rocks came from.
The island received its unusual name in the Middle Ages from Arabs, in the language of which “Mafia” means “group of islands”. Since it is located on one of the trade routes of the Indian Ocean, they often sailed past it. Seeing that the lands consist of several islands, they gave this group a common name.
