Մասնակից:Նանե Մելիքսեթյան/Ավազարկղ16

Մաֆիա կղզին գտնվում է Տանզանիայի արևելյան ափի մոտ՝ Ռուֆիջի գետի դելտայի դիմաց^[1]։ Դելտայի և կղզու միջև ընկած ջրի 20 կիլոմետր (12 մղոն) լայնությունը կոչվում է Մաֆիայի ալիք: Մաֆիա կղզին փոքր արշիպելագի մի մասն է, որն ունի մի քանի շատ ավելի փոքր կղզիներ, որոնցից մի քանիսը բնակեցված են: Մաֆիայի գլխավոր քաղաքը Կիլինդոնն է արևմտյան ափին: Արևելյան ափին Չոլի ծովածոցն է՝ մաֆիայի պաշտպանված խորջրյա խարիսխը և բնօրինակ նավահանգիստը: Ծոցը պատված է կղզիներով, ավազի ափերով և լողափերով, իսկ արևելքից պաշտպանված է խութերով և Խուանի կղզով։

Կղզու ամենահյուսիսային կետը մարջանային ժայռ է, որը բարձրանում է Ռաս Մկումբի կոչվող ծովից մոտավորապես 4,5 մետր (15 ոտնաչափ) բարձրությամբ, ժայռից այն կողմ ցամաքը աստիճանաբար բարձրանում է մինչև 24 մետր (79 ոտնաչափ)^[8]։ Ռաս Մկումբիում փարոս կա։

Մաֆիա կղզին և հարակից արշիպելագը ձևավորվել են մայրցամաքային ափի մի մասի ճեղքման և վերելքի արդյունքում Պլեյստոցենի ժամանակ^[1][9]

Կղզու հիմնական էկոհամակարգերն են մանգրոյի ճահիճները, ափամերձ անտառները, մացառուտները և խոտածածկ տարածքները^[1]։

A 115,000 ha area, encompassing Chole Bay, the southern coastline of Mafia and its associated smaller islands, along with the intervening marine waters, has been designated an Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International because it supports populations of western reef egrets, Terek sandpipers and crab plovers.^[10]

Mafia Island is home to fruitbats (flying foxes) of the genus Pteropus.^[1]

Mafia island has a tropical climate. This climate is classified as "Aw" by the Köppen-Geiger system. The average temperature in town of Kilindoni is 26.7 °C (80.1 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,705 mm. The monthly average temperatures are usually between 24.8–28.3 °C (76.6–82.9 °F). There is one major rain season, with most rainfall coming between March and May. Dry season spans between July to October.

Mafia Island is mentioned at least as early as the 8th century. The island once played a major role in ancient trade between the people of East Asia and East Africa. It was a regular stop for Arab boats. On the tiny island of Chole Mjini, just offshore in Chole Bay, once stood a settlement that constituted one of the most important towns controlling trade from the silver mines of Eastern Zimbabwe, which reached the town via the old ports of Kilwa and Michangani.^[11]

In the mid-1820s, the town of Kua on Juani Island was attacked by Sakalava cannibals arriving from Madagascar with 80 canoes, who ate many of the locals and took the rest into slavery.^[11]

A 3D documentation of the Kua Ruins on Juani Island was carried out in 2018 by the Zamani Project.^[12]

Under a treaty of 1890, Germany took control of Mafia and constructed the buildings still evident on Chole. Germany paid Sultan Sayyid Ali bin Said al-Said of Zanzibar M 4 million for both the island and part of the mainland coast. On January 12, 1915, Mafia was taken by British troops as a base for the air and sea assault on the light cruiser Königsberg.

The name "Mafia" derives from the Arabic morfiyeh, meaning "group" or "archipelago"^[փա՞ստ], or from the Swahili mahali pa afya, meaning "a healthy dwelling-place".

In 1995 Mafia Island had financial help from the WWF to make a natural marine wildlife centre which led to establishment of the first Marine Park in Tanzania. The organization continued to provide support to the Island under Rufiji-Mafia-Kilwa (RUMAKI)^[13] seascape project to improve socio-economic well-being of the communities through the sustainable, participatory and equitable utilization and protection of their natural resources. Under the current EU-WWF Fisheries Co-management Project,^[14] the organization aims at building effective long-term fisheries co-management through establishment of 10 Beach Management Units and to continue supporting Village Community Banks (VICOBA) in the Island to generate optimal, sustainable and equitable livelihood benefits, and which provide a source of lesson-learning for other coastal communities. The WWF Mafia office is under three technical staff - Paul Kugopya (Mafia Fisheries Co-management Officer), Marko Gideon^[15] (EU-WWF Fisheries Co-management Project Communication/Awareness Officer) and Renatus Rwamugira (Project Accountant for Mafia).

Tanzania's first multi-user marine park at Mafia Island was established in 1995 following management recommendations and data from surveys conducted by the Society for Environmental Exploration.^[16]

In August 2016, a diver, Alan Sutton, from Seaunseen, who had originally been looking for the remains of an old fort rumoured to have been washed away to sea, instead came across the remains of a wall stretching almost 4 km off Mafia Island. The discovery was detailed in a blog post by Sutton, with images showing remnants of the wall.^[17]

The island's Mafia Airport can be reached from Dar es Salaam by flights operated by Auric Air^[18] and Coastal Aviation.^[19]

Boats depart depending on the presence of the boat from the village of Nyamisati on the mainland to Kilindoni on Mafia island. As of 2021 the departure from Nyamisati is 16:00 p.m. with a roll call between 15:00-16:00p.m. The journey takes approximately 4.5 hours. Tickets are purchased beforehand in Nyamisati at a cost of 16,000 Tsh one way.

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  A map of Tanzania showing Mafia Island
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  Districts of Pwani Region showing Mafia District
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  Historical nautical chart
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  Harbour of Mafia Island as seen from a departing boat
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  Beach on Mafia Island