The Swahili Coast refers to the coast or coastal area of East Africa inhabited by the Swahili people, mainly Kenya, Tanzania, and north Mozambique. The term may also include the islands such as Zanzibar, Pate or Comoros which lie off the Swahili Coast. The Swahili Coast has a distinct culture, religion and geography, and as a result - along with other factors, including economic - has witnessed rising secessionism.
The major settlements of the Swahili Coast include:
- Lamu
- Malindi
- Mombasa
- Tanga
- Pangani
- Bagamoyo
- Dar es Salaam
- Zanzibar
- Pemba
- Mafia Island
- Comoros
- Mayotte
- Sofala
- Quelimane
Famous quotes containing the word coast:
“Frequently also some fair-weather finery ripped off a vessel by a storm near the coast was nailed up against an outhouse. I saw fastened to a shed near the lighthouse a long new sign with the words “ANGLO SAXON” on it in large gilt letters, as if it were a useless part which the ship could afford to lose, or which the sailors had discharged at the same time with the pilot. But it interested somewhat as if it had been a part of the Argo, clipped off in passing through the Symplegades.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)