Mombasa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mombasa
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City
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![]() Clockwise: Fort Jesus, Mombasa Town Hall, Mombasa Old Town, Nyali beach, sunset panorama, Moi Avenue's elephant tusks and Downtown Mombasa
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Motto(s):
Utangamano kwa Maendeleo
(Unity for Development) |
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Country | ![]() |
County | Mombasa County |
Founded | 900 A.D. |
Elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
Population
(2016)
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• Urban | 1,400,000 |
• Metro | 3,000,000 |
Demonym(s) | Mombasite |
Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
Area code(s) | 020 |
Website | mombasa.go.ke |
Mombasa is a seaport city on the coast of Kenya, along the Indian Ocean. It is the country's oldest (circa 900 AD) and second-largest city (after the capital Nairobi), with an estimated population of about 1.4 million people in 2016. Its metropolitan region is the second largest in the country and has a population of approximately 3 million people. Administratively, Mombasa is the county seat of Mombasa County.
Mombasa is a regional cultural and economic hub; it has an extra-large port and an international airport, and is an important regional tourism centre. Located on the east coast of Kenya, it also is the home of one of the State House (Kenya), and is considered by some as a second capital in all but name. In Mombasa County and the former Coast Province, Mombasa's situation on the Indian Ocean made it a historical trading centre, and it has been controlled by many countries because of its strategic location.
Description
Mombasa city has a population of about 939,000 per the 2009 census. It is located on Mombasa Island and sprawls to the surrounding mainlands. The island is separated from the mainland by two creeks: Tudor Creek and Kilindini Harbour. It is connected to the mainland to the north by the Nyali Bridge, to the south by the Likoni Ferry, and to the west by the Makupa Causeway, alongside which runs the Kenya-Uganda Railway. The port serves both Kenya and countries of the interior, linking them to the ocean. The city is served by Moi International Airport located in the northwest mainland suburb of Chaani.
Mombasa has a cosmopolitan population, with the Swahili people and Mijikenda predominant. Other communities include the Akamba and Taita Bantus as well as a significant population of Luo and Luhya peoples from Western Kenya. The major religions practised in the city are Islam, Christianity and Hinduism. Over the centuries, many immigrants and traders have settled in Mombasa, particularly from the Middle East, Somalia, and the Indian sub-continent, who came mainly as traders and skilled craftsmen.
Images for kids
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Mombasa was under Portuguese rule from 1593 to 1698 and again from 1728 to 1729. Portuguese presence in Kenya lasted from 1498 until 1730.
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New Dwarikadham Hindu temple in Nyali