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Pemba
Island
Located
about 80km from Zanzibar Island, about the same distance
directly east of Tanga on the Tanzanian mainland. With its hilly
landscape its highest point is less than 100 metres above sea
level, by size Pemba is smaller than Unguja.
Arab sailors once named Pemba as 'El Huthera', meaning the
Green, due to her dense and lush vegetation. There are more
natural forests and plantations than on Zanzibar Island, and
Pemba grows more cloves than her Zanzibar. Today,
earnings from the clove crop are supported by other agricultural
products, cattle raising, and by fishing, which is an important
source of livelihood. Pemba is also popular for its voodoo and
traditional healers. People come from throughout East Africa
seeking cures or to learn the skills of the art from practioners
on Pemba.
The interesting point about Pemba is its wealth of
natural resources ranging from beaches to mangrove ecosystems to
natural forests. The coral reefs surrounding the island protect
a massive amount of marine species and offer some of the best
diving spots in the world. While much of the coast is lined with
mangroves, there are a few amazing stretches of shoreline and
enough attractive offshore islands with pure, clean beaches and
interesting bird-life to keep someone busy for quite a while.
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