Koma Island Explained

Koma Island
Pushpin Map:Tanzania
Pushpin Relief:Yes
Map Width:200
Location:Mafia Channel
Length Km:1.6
Width Km:1.4
Ethnic Groups:Ndengereko & Rufiji
Languages:Swahili
Country Admin Divisions Title:Region
Country Admin Divisions:Pwani Region
Country Admin Divisions Title 1:District
Country Admin Divisions 1:Mkuranga District
Country Admin Divisions Title 2:Ward
Country Admin Divisions 2:Kisiju

Koma Island also known as Charka Island (Kisiwa cha Koma, in Swahili) is an island located in Kisiju ward of Mkuranga District in southern Pwani Region of Tanzania. The only historical source to mention this island is by Arab navigator Ibn Majid in 1470. In 1996, Felix Chami discovered a small Early Iron Age (EIA) or Early Iron Working (EIW) site on Koma island. The TIW (triangular incised ware) pottery sherds, however, were absent in the island site, indicating that it was eventually abandoned. The Bantu settlement existed from the third to the sixth centuries.[1] [2] [3]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Koma Island history . 21 October 2023.
  2. Chami, Felix A. "The Early Iron Age on Mafia island and its relationship with the mainland." AZANIA: Journal of the British Institute in Eastern Africa 34.1 (1999): 1-10.
  3. Web site: Koma Island . 21 October 2023.