Zanzibar Channel
Encyclopedia
The Zanzibar Channel is the strait
separating Unguja
(also known as Zanzibar) from mainland Tanzania
. The channel is 120 km long and 30-40 km wide, with depth varying from a few dozen metres (in the center) to a few hundred meters to the north and to the south. In ancient times the overall depth of the channel has been considerably smaller (about 120 m less during the last ice age
).
The southern entrance to the Channel is indicated by a lighthouse
located on the mainland coast on the Ras Kanzi promontory
, 22 km south of Dar es Salaam
.
Strait
A strait or straits is a narrow, typically navigable channel of water that connects two larger, navigable bodies of water. It most commonly refers to a channel of water that lies between two land masses, but it may also refer to a navigable channel through a body of water that is otherwise not...
separating Unguja
Unguja
Unguja as mentioned in The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea is the largest and most populated island of Zanzibar, in Tanzania.-Geography:...
(also known as Zanzibar) from mainland Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
. The channel is 120 km long and 30-40 km wide, with depth varying from a few dozen metres (in the center) to a few hundred meters to the north and to the south. In ancient times the overall depth of the channel has been considerably smaller (about 120 m less during the last ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
).
The southern entrance to the Channel is indicated by a lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located on the mainland coast on the Ras Kanzi promontory
Promontory
Promontory may refer to:*Promontory, a prominent mass of land which overlooks lower lying land or a body of water*Promontory, Utah, the location where the United States first Transcontinental Railroad was completed...
, 22 km south of Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
.