Malindi

Malindi, town and seaport, eastern Kenya, eastern Africa. Located in Coast province, about 100 km (60 mi) north of Mombasa, it lies near the mouth of the Galana River on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Traditional economic activities in the area include the growing and processing of cotton, the production of sisal (a species of agave), and fishing, although the major source of income is tourism—the Malindi National Marine Park, which lies to the south of the town, is a popular tourist destination, with displays of coral reefs and marine life. Malindi’s architecture reflects the city’s Arabic and Portuguese heritage.

Inhabited for almost 2,000 years, Malindi was one of the east African Zenj city-states that were established by Arabian traders from the 9th century ad onward. By the 11th century Malindi and Mombasa were the most important of these states, rich from the trade in ivory, gold, and slaves. The Chinese explorer Zheng He visited Malindi between 1417 and 1419 on an expedition to Africa. In 1498 the Portuguese explorer Vasco da Gama, after encountering Muslim opposition in the south at Moçambique, found a safe landing at Malindi. For the next 100 years the town was the base for Portuguese East Africa and it was from Malindi that the Portuguese controlled the ocean trade route to India. Arabian control of the town was reasserted in the 18th century. A stone cross that Vasco da Gama erected as a navigational aid still stands today on a promontory at the southern end of Malindi’s bay.