Menai Bay
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| Menai Bay | |
|---|---|
| Ghuba la Menai (Swahili) | |
 Satellite view of Menai Bay of Zanzibar | |
  Menai Bay Location in Tanzania | |
| Location |  Tanzania,Mjini Magharibi Region, Tanga City Council |
| Group | Zanzibar Channel |
| Coordinates | 6°22′12″S 39°20′43″E / 6.37000°S 39.34528°E |
| Type | Bay |
| Ocean/sea sources | Indian Ocean |
| Designation | Protected waterbody |
| Max. length | 15 km (9.3 mi) |
| Max. width | 10 km (6.2 mi) |
| Islands | Kwale Island, Zanzibar, Pamunda Island, Sume Island, Miwi Island, Niamembe Island & Pungume Island |
| Settlements | Fumba, Unguja Ukuu |
Menai Bay (Ghuba ya Menai, in Swahili) is a bay in Mkinga District of Mjini Magharibi Region of Tanzania. The bay is geographically part of the Zanzibar Archipelago.
It is a 10 km wide bay on the Zanzibar Channel of the Western Indian Ocean.[1] The long coastline of Menai Bay has nineteen villages, with a total population of around 17,000. The villages are within the Unguja South Region of Zanzibar. The Menai Bay Conservation Area (MBCA) is a marine reserve protecting the habitats and biota of the bay area.[2]
Mangrove degradation
The mangroves in Menai Bay that are closest to settlements like Unguja Ukuu, Pete, and Uzi are losing the most of their natural state. Therefore, the western portion of Menai has more mangrove deterioration than the eastern part. Though there are currently legal and regulatory structures in place to slow the deterioration of mangroves, the rate of degradation in Zanzibar is concerning. B. gymnorrhiza, R. mucronata, and C. tagal are the most impacted mangrove species.[3]
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