Mafia District
Mafia District
Wilaya ya Mafia (Swahili) | |
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From top to bottom: Boat in Mafia District, Whale shark in Mafia Island Marine Park & Mangrove and gardens on Mafia Island | |
| Nickname: Home of the Whale Shark | |
Mafia District in Pwani | |
| Coordinates: 5°3′31.68″S 38°51′8.28″E / 5.0588000°S 38.8523000°E | |
| Country | Tanzania |
| Region | Pwani Region |
| Capital | Kilindoni |
| Area | |
• Total | 642 km2 (248 sq mi) |
| • Rank | 6th in Pwani |
| Highest elevation (Ndagoni ward) | 232 m (761 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
• Total | 46,438 |
| • Rank | 6th in Pwani |
| • Density | 72/km2 (190/sq mi) |
| Ethnic groups | |
| • Settler | Swahili, Bajuni, Pokomo & Omani Arabs |
| • Native | Matumbi, Ndengereko & Rufiji |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Tanzanian Postcode | 617 |
| Website | Mafia District Council |
| Symbols of Tanzania | |
| Bird | Masked booby |
| Fish | Chevron butterflyfish |
| Mammal | Seychelles flying fox |
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Mafia District Council (Swahili: Wilaya ya Mafia) is one of eight administrative districts in the Pwani Region of Tanzania. It administers the main Mafia Island as well as the Mafia Archipelago. The district covers an area of 642.6 km2 (248.1 sq mi), and is surrounded by the Sea of Zanj. Rufiji District lies on the other side of the Mafia Channel to the west. The district is comparable in size to the land area of Saint Lucia.
The town of Kilindoni serves as its administrative capital. The district is home to the largest concentration of Whale Sharks in Africa, the Mafia Island Marine Park, the historic Chole Island Ruins, the Kisimani Mafia, the Kua Ruins, and the Mlola Forest Reserve. According to the 2012 Tanzania National Census, the population of the Mafia District was 46,438.