Changuu Island

Also known as Changa Island, Prison Island, Changuu Private Island, Kibandiko Island, Quarantine Island

Changuu Island (also known as Kibandiko, Prison or Quarantine Island) (Kisiwa cha Changuu, in Swahili) is an island in the Mjini Magharibi Region, Tanzania, off the coast of Mjini District. It is situated in the Zanzibar Channel. It is located northwest of Stone Town. The island is around long and wide at its broadest point. The island was used as a prison for enslaved people in the 1860s and also functioned as a coral rag mine.

Key facts

Islands.name: Changuu Island
Islands.image_name: Restaurant in Chunguu Island, Mjini DC.jpg
Islands.image_caption: Restaurant in Changuu Island, Mjini DC
Islands.image_size: 250
Islands.pushpin_map: Tanzania
Islands.pushpin_relief: Yes
Islands.map_width: 200
Islands.location: Zanzibar Channel
Islands.waterbody: Indian Ocean
Islands.archipelago: Zanzibar Archipelago
Islands.length_km: 0.8
Islands.width_km: 0.2

Article

5 sections

Contents

History
Giant tortoises
Changuu today
References
Bibliography

The British First Minister of Zanzibar, Lloyd Mathews, purchased the island in 1893 and constructed a prison complex there. No prisoners were ever housed on the island and instead it became a quarantine station for yellow fever cases. The station was only occupied for around half of the year and the rest of the time it was a popular holiday destination. More recently, the island has become a government-owned tourist resort and houses a collection of endangered Aldabra giant tortoises which were originally a gift from the British governor of the Seychelles.