Bajuni Islands

Last updated
Bajuni Islands
Somalia location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Bajuni Islands
Bajuni Islands (Somalia)
Bajuni Islands
Geography
Total islands9
Major islands Chandra, Chovaye, Chula, Koyama, Darakasi, Ngumi
Administration
Somalia
Demographics
Ethnic groups Bajuni people

The Bajuni Islands (Somali : Jasiiradaha Jubbada Hoose, also known as the Bajun Islands [1] or Baajun Islands) are an archipelago in southern Somalia. [2] They are situated in the Somali sea off the southern coast of Jubaland, from Kismayo to Ras Kiyamboni.

Contents

Geography

Administratively, the islands are within the Lower Juba region of Somalia.

There are six main islands:

Chula, where the village of Ndowa is situated, is the only island with a significant population

In addition, there are several smaller islands, including Kandha Iwu, Fuma, and Ilisi. The island of Kismayo was attached to the coast in 1961 during the construction of Kismayo Port.

History

The islands were part of the ancient Somali empires [ dubious ], merchants, and fishermen who used it as an offshoot to trade with other civilizations in the spice world.[ citation needed ] The Somali Ajuran Dynasty utilized it for centuries as part of their kingdom. After the decline of several Somali empires later, the islands became less inhabited until the colonial invasion by the British East Africa prior to World War I. [1] The Bajuni Islands formed a constituent part of British Jubaland. In 1924, mainland Jubaland was ceded to Italy, while the Bajuni Islands were transferred two years later. [1] [3]

According to C. Wightwick Haywood, a British official in Kismayo who visited the islands in 1913, the only inhabited islands in the chain were Chovaye and Chula. Maize, millet, sweet potatoes and coconuts were grown on the islands, and dhows were used for transportation. While there, Haywood saw ruins of what he described as a "fair-sized town" on Chovaye. He mentioned that similar stone scrollwork could also be seen on houses in the Lamu Islands. Haywood thought some of the residents to be of Arab or Persian descent. [1]

Demographics

The islands are today mainly inhabited by the eponymous Bajuni people. [4]

See also

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Haywood, C. Wightwick (1935), "The Bajun Islands and Birikau", The Geographical Journal, 85 (1): 59–64, doi:10.2307/1787038, JSTOR   1787038
  2. Mwangi, Oscar Gakuo. "Jubbaland: Somalia’s new security dilemma and state-building efforts." Africa Review 8.2 (2016): 120-132.
  3. Cassanelli, Lee. "The Opportunistic Economics of the Kenya-Somali Borderland in Historical Perspective." Borders and Borderlands as Resources in the Horn of Africa (2010): 133-150.
  4. Land, Property, and Housing in Somalia - Page 52, Gregory Norton - 2008

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lower Juba</span> Region of Somalia

Lower Juba is an administrative region (gobol) in southern Somalia. With its capital at Kismayo, it lies in the autonomous Jubaland region. It has green forests and wildlife including lions, giraffes, hippos, crocodiles, and hyenas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jubba River</span> River in Somalia

The Jubba River or Juba River is a river in southern Somalia which flows through the autonomous region of Jubaland. It begins at the border with Ethiopia, where the Dawa and Ganale Dorya rivers meet, and flows directly south to the Somali Sea, where it empties at the Goobweyn juncture. The Jubba basin covers an area of 749,000 km2 (289,000 sq mi). The Somali regional state of Jubaland, formerly called Trans-Juba, is named after the river.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Greater Somalia</span> Area in East Africa where ethnic Somalis mostly live

Greater Somalia is a concept to unite all ethnic Somalis comprising the regions in or near the Horn of Africa in which ethnic Somalis live and have historically inhabited. The territory historically encompassed British Jubaland Province, British Somaliland, Italian Somaliland, parts of French Somaliland, the Somali Region in Ethiopia, the Northern Frontier District in Kenya, and the intra-46th meridian east territories. At the present, it encompasses Somalia proper, Jubaland, southern and eastern Djibouti, the Somali Region and Dire Dawa in Ethiopia, and the Garissa, Wajir and Mandera Counties in Kenya.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kismayo</span> Port city in Somalia

Kismayo is a port city in the southern Lower Juba province of Somalia. It is the commercial capital of the autonomous Jubaland region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Afmadow</span> Town in lower jubba, Somalia

Afmadow is a city in southern Somalia, located in the middle of the Juba region and bordered by Kenya, Badhadhe, Kismayo, Jamame, Jilib, Hagar, Bardhere and Elwaq in Somalia, it's 401 km southwest of the capital Mogadishu. It is home to a wide variety of wild animals, including the Big Five game. The vegetation in Afmadow consists of rich grassland, bounded by semi-desert. It is located northwest of Kismayo. Distance between Afmadow and Kismayo is 110 kilometers or 68 miles. the majority clans in Afmadow are the Mohamed Zubeyr, Ogaden Tribe

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bardere</span> City in Jubaland, Somalia

Bardere is a city in Jubaland State of Somalia. It is the second largest and most populous city in Jubaland with Kismayo being the largest and most densely populated city in the region. Bardera sits on the Jubba River around 250 km west of the city of Baidoa and is in a highland area with fertile soil. The city experiences extremely hot temperatures from December to April and heavy rainfalls from April to May knowns as Gu (spring) The city was formerly known as the "Onion capital of the World" for its production of the vegetable, the name Bardere means tall palm trees. The palms were cut to construct native homes or midille.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Garissa</span> Town in Garissa County, Kenya

Garissa is the capital of Garissa County, Kenya. It is situated in the former North Eastern Province.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Languages of Somalia</span>

The endoglossic language of Somalia has always been Somali, although throughout Somalia's history various exoglossic languages have also been used at a national level.

Sheikh Hassan Abdullah Hersi al-Turki was a Somali Islamist leader of al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI) and later of the Islamic Courts Union (ICU).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bajuni people</span> Bantu ethnic group

The Bajuni people are a Bantu ethnic group who live primarily in the Bajuni Islands of Somalia and coastal areas between the port city of Kismayo and the city of Mombasa in Kenya. They relocated from Shungwaya (Somalia) to their current location due to war with Cushitic groups, who drove them out from their ancestral territory.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oltre Giuba</span> 1924—25 Italian colony in modern Somalia

Oltre Giuba or Trans-Juba was an Italian colony in the territory of Jubaland in present-day southern Somalia. It lasted from 1924 until 1926, when it was absorbed into Italian Somaliland. Trans-juba is the former name of Jubaland, a federal member state of Somalia.

Bu'ale or Bu'aale is an agricultural city located in Middle Juba region of Somalia and the capital city of Jubaland state of Somalia.

Koyama is an island in southern Somalia, in the region of Jubaland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenya–Somalia relations</span> Bilateral relations

Kenya–Somalia relations are bilateral relations between Kenya and Somalia. Both countries are members of the African Union and Non-Aligned Movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jubaland</span> Federal member state of Somalia

Jubaland, the Juba Valley or Azania, is a Federal Member State in southern Somalia. Its eastern border lies 40–60 km (25–35 mi) east of the Jubba River, stretching from Gedo to the Indian Ocean, while its western side flanks the North Eastern Province in Kenya, which was carved out of Jubaland during the colonial period.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Port of Kismayo</span> Port in  Somalia

The Port of Kismayo also known as the Kismayo Port, is the official seaport of Kismayo, situated in southern Somalia. It is classified as a major class port. It has a harbour as well as a pier which juts into the Somali Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burgabo</span> Town in Lower Jubba, Somalia

Burgabo is a port town in Lower Jubba province in southern Somalia near the border with Kenya. Other names and variants of the town include Berikau, Bircao, Birikao, Birikau, Bur Gabo, Bur Gao, Bur Gavo, Hohenzollernhafen, Port Dunford, Port Durnford and Wubushi.

Chula is an island that is a part of the Bajuni Islands archepelago in southern Somalia in the Somali Sea. It is the most populated of the six islands.

Chovaye is an island that is a part of the Bajuni Islands archepelago in southern Somalia. in the Somali Sea. It does not have a permanent population, but rather only migratory fishermen. It is also called Tovai.

Jubaland has had a wide array of flags in its modern history, ranging from that during its British East Africa Province of Jubaland era, during the transitionary Trans-juba period of Jubaland, as well as the current Jubaland's federal state flag.