Ukerewe Island
Encyclopedia
Ukerewe is the largest island in Lake Victoria
and the largest inland island in Africa, with an area of approximately 530 km². Part of Tanzania, and location of the Ukerewe District, it is situated 45 km (25 nautical miles) north of Mwanza
to which it is linked by ferry, but a shorter vehicle ferry crossing of only 3.8 km also links the island across the Rugezi Channel to a dirt road on the eastern lake shore, which runs to Kibara and Musoma
. The shoreline of Ukerewe Island is carved into numerous bays and it is surrounded by at least a dozen smaller islands. Its largest community is Nansio
.
Ukerewe is known for having a large population of Africans with albinism
. Many of the first of them to live there were taken to and abandoned on the island by their families as children. Despite comprising an exceptionally high percentage of the island's population, they are still, as throughout Tanzania, an oppressed minority.
Lake Victoria
Lake Victoria is one of the African Great Lakes. The lake was named for Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom, by John Hanning Speke, the first European to discover this lake....
and the largest inland island in Africa, with an area of approximately 530 km². Part of Tanzania, and location of the Ukerewe District, it is situated 45 km (25 nautical miles) north of Mwanza
Mwanza
Mwanza is a mid-sized port city on the southern shores of Lake Victoria in northwestern Tanzania. With an urban population of 1.2 million and a metropolitan population of 2 million, it is Tanzania's second largest city, following Dar es Salaam and ahead of other major Tanzanian cities of Arusha,...
to which it is linked by ferry, but a shorter vehicle ferry crossing of only 3.8 km also links the island across the Rugezi Channel to a dirt road on the eastern lake shore, which runs to Kibara and Musoma
Musoma
Musoma is a city located in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of Mara Region. It has a population of 103,497 . Musoma sits on the eastern edge of Lake Victoria not far from the Kenyan border. There are boats that take you across Lake Victoria from Musoma.- Geography :The town is sited in a...
. The shoreline of Ukerewe Island is carved into numerous bays and it is surrounded by at least a dozen smaller islands. Its largest community is Nansio
Nansio
Nansio is a settlement on the island of Ukerewe, Lake Victoria, in Tanzania. It is the most populous settlement in the Ukerewe District, and is a port of entry for passenger and freight shipping services from Mwanza. The ward of Nansio, one of 28 in the district of Ukerewe, had a population of 5967...
.
Ukerewe is known for having a large population of Africans with albinism
Albinism
Albinism is a congenital disorder characterized by the complete or partial absence of pigment in the skin, hair and eyes due to absence or defect of an enzyme involved in the production of melanin...
. Many of the first of them to live there were taken to and abandoned on the island by their families as children. Despite comprising an exceptionally high percentage of the island's population, they are still, as throughout Tanzania, an oppressed minority.
External links
- Detailed map of Ukerewe Island and Ukara IslandUkara IslandUkara is an island in Lake Victoria. Part of Tanzania, it is located 10 km north of Ukerewe Island, in the Ukerewe District, Mwanza Region. Also known as Bukara....
.