Tana River County
| Year dem found am | 4 March 2013  |
|---|---|
| Country | Kenya |
| Capital | Hola |
| Edey de administrative territorial entity insyd | Kenya |
| Coordinate location | 1°30′0″S 40°0′0″E |
| Office head of government hold | Governor of Tana River County |
| Dema official website | http://tanariver.go.ke/ |
Tana River County be a county insyd de former Coast Province of Kenya. E be named after de Tana River, de longest river insyd Kenya. E get an area of 38,437 km2 (14,841 sq mi) wey e get a population of 315,943 as of de 2019 census. De county borders Kitui County to de west, Garissa County to de northeast, Isiolo County to de north, Lamu County to de southeast, Kilifi County to de south den de Indian ocean[1] De administrative headquarters of de county be Hola dem sanso know as Galole. De County get five sub Counties; Tana Delta, Tana River, Tana North, Galedyertu, den Bangal.
Apart from de River Tana, der be several seasonal rivers insyd de county dem popularly know as Galan, wich dey flow insyd a west–east direction from Kitui den Makueni Counties, wey dey drain into de River Tana den eventually into de Indian Ocean.[2][3]
De historic town of Ungwana
[edit | edit source]De historic town of Ungwana, near de mouth of de Tana River, be home to two important mosques wey dey share a curious relationship plus de great mosques of Gedi.
De Friday mosque: expansion den transformation
[edit | edit source]De city ein Friday mosque, originally 17 metres long, feature an ogee arch wey dey frame de mihrab (prayer niche). Decorative coral bosses den de imprint of a lost square plaque (possibly ceramic anaa marble) adorn de lintel. Archaeological excavations unearth ceramic fragments wey dey date to de 14th century, wey dey give an indication of de possible date of de mosque ein construction.[4]
A significant extension to de east mark de early 15th century for de Friday mosque. Dis new rectangular section mirror de length of de original structure buh e offer slightly more width. Dem divide de prayer hall into four bays wey three rows of six square columns separate. De extension include additional entrances: four to de west provide access to de older section, while two plus ogee arches to de east lead to an antechamber den rooms wey dey flank de mihrab.
A notable feature of dis extension be de addition of an octagonal pillar directly opposite de mihrab den a substantial seven-step minbar dem build against de qibla wall.[5] De back of de minbar get intricate plaster mouldings, wey small holes indicate de presence of a former wooden balustrade. Dese changes, dem estimate to occur between 1400 den 1450, raise intriguing questions about de motivations behind such a significant transformation.
Interesting parallels plus Gedi
[edit | edit source]De timing of dis expansion of de Friday mosque dey coincide plus de construction of de new Grand Mosque insyd Gedi. Dis synchronicity dey suggest a possible connection, possibly relate to a wider religious anaa political shift insyd de region around de mouth of de Tana River den Mida Bay. In particular, de addition of de third column opposite de mihrab no fi be purely functional buh fi reflect de influence of another Muslim sect within de community.
De second mosque
[edit | edit source]Ungwana dey boast a second mosque plus a collection of intriguing architectural elements. De northern section of dis mosque dey retain ein original teak lintels dem import from India, dem intricately carve plus alveolar motifs. De mihrab arch get a unique design, wey be combine an ogee shape plus a semicircle at de apex. De structure dey display a rich array of decorative elements, wey dey include inlaid ceramics on de lintel den tympanum, an architrave dem decorate plus fish bone motifs, den single-block coral columns plus inlaid panels.
De apse plan dey deviate from de norm, plus triangular shapes den mouldings. In particular, de mihrab be surmounted by a bulbous dome topped plus a ceramic celadon bottle, similar to dat of de Fakhr al-Din mosque, instead of a semi-dome. Dis borrowing of de bulbous dome concept dey suggest a diffusion of styles across de region. However, ein widespread adoption fi be limited by de complex construction techniques dem require.
District subdivisions
[edit | edit source]Despite de large area of de Tana River district, ein only local authority be Tana River County Council.[6] De district get three constituencies: Garsen, Galole den Bura, 15 wards, 54 locations, den 109 sub-Locations.[7]
| Administrative divisions | |||||
| Division | Population* | Urban population* |
population density |
Area (km2) | Headquarters |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bangale | 14,853 | 0 | 2 | x | Murarandia |
| Bura | 28,848 | 0 | 6 | x | Bura |
| Galole | 34,948 | 9,383 | 4 | x | Hola |
| Garsen | 51,592 | 4,885 | 4 | x | Garsen |
| Kipini | 16,243 | 0 | 19 | x | Kipini |
| Madogo | 21,731 | 0 | 12 | x | Kamwangi |
| Wenje | 12,686 | 0 | 23 | x | Wenje |
| Total | 180,901 | 14,268 | 5 (average) | x | |
| * 1999 census. Sources:[8][9] | |||||
Religion
[edit | edit source]De county dey consist of 81% Muslims, 18% Christians den 1% of people insyd oda religions (wey dey include Atheism).[10]
Population
[edit | edit source]| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1979 | 92,401 | — |
| 1989 | 128,426 | +39.0% |
| 1999 | 180,901 | +40.9% |
| 2009 | 240,075 | +32.7% |
| 2019 | 315,943 | +31.6% |
| source:[11] | ||
Religion
[edit | edit source]Religion insyd Tana River County[10]
| Religion (2019 Census) | Number |
|---|---|
| Islam | 256,422 |
| Protestant | 22,866 |
| Catholicism | 11,306 |
| Oda Christian | 11,148 |
| Evangelical Churches | 6,791 |
| African Instituted Churches | 4,015 |
| No Religion / Atheists | 1,044 |
| Oda | 453 |
| Traditionists | 226 |
| Orthodox | 176 |
| Hindu | 115 |
| Dem no know | 80 |
| Dem no state | 68 |
Villages den settlements
[edit | edit source]- Ariti
- Balguda
- Bangale, Kenya
- Baomo
- Baomo
- Borobini
- Bohoni
- Bongonoko
- Chathoro
- Chewani
- Chiffiri
- Laini
- Fitina
- Furaha
- Handarako
- Idsowe
- Ingile
- Irangi
- Wacha Kone
- Wenje
- Maziwa
- Ngao, Kenya
- Wema
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ "About Us". County Government of Tana River (in American English). Archived from the original on 2022-10-27. Retrieved 2022-10-27.
- ↑ "Makueni County", Wikipedia (in English), 2022-09-15, retrieved 2022-10-27
- ↑ "About Us". County Government of Tana River. Archived from the original on 27 October 2022. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
- ↑ Abungu, Islam on the Kenyan coast: an archaeological study of mosques (1986).
- ↑ Kirkman, Ungwana on the Tana (1966): 78–79.
- ↑ "Tana River District second-order administrative division, Coast Province, Kenya". ke.geoview.info (in English). Archived from the original on 2024-12-15. Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ "Tana River". girlchildnetwork.org (in American English). Retrieved 2026-06-23.
- ↑ Communications Commission of Kenya – Status of Coverage of Communications Services Archived 16 June 2007 at the Wayback Machine
- ↑ International Livestock Research Institute – Urban Poverty Archived 18 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine (.xls)
- 1 2 "2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census Volume IV: Distribution of Population by Socio-Economic Characteristics" (PDF). Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. 2 May 2021. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 23 June 2026.
- ↑ Kenya: Administrative Division population statistics
External links
[edit | edit source]
- Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs – Kenya AdminLevels 1-4
- Tana River District: a showcase of conflict over natural resources Archived 28 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine at ITDG
- Map of the District
- Bura Irrigation and Settlement Project
- Article title