Mombasa facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Mombasa
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City and city county
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Clockwise from top: Mombasa Island, Rooftop restaurant near KPLC offices, a roundabout at Moi Avenue, Sunset in the CBD.
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Nicknames:
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 Mombasa
Location in Kenya
Mombasa
Location in Horn of Africa
Mombasa
Location in Africa
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| Country |  Kenya |
| County | Mombasa County |
| Founded | 900 A.D. |
| Government | |
| • Type | County Government |
| • Body | County Assembly |
| Area | |
| • Land | 219.9 km2 (84.9 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
| Population
(2019)
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| • Urban | 1,208,333 |
| • Metro | 3,528,940 |
| Demonym(s) | mombasanese |
| Time zone | UTC+3 (EAT) |
| Area code(s) | 020 |
| GDP (2018) | US$7.2 billion (Mombasa Metro GDP) |
Mombasa (mom-BASS-ə) is a busy city on the coast of southeastern Kenya. It sits right along the Indian Ocean. It was once the first capital of British East Africa. Later, Nairobi became the capital in 1907. Today, Mombasa is the main city of Mombasa County.
People in Kenya often call Mombasa "the white and blue city." It is Kenya's oldest city, founded around 900 A.D. It is also the second-largest city after Nairobi. In 2019, about 1.2 million people lived there. Its larger metropolitan area has about 3.5 million people.
Mombasa's great location on the Indian Ocean made it a very important trading hub for a long time. Many countries wanted to control it because of this. History books in Kenya say Mombasa was founded around 900 A.D. An Arab geographer named al-Idrisi wrote about it in 1151. This shows it was already a busy trading town by then.
The oldest stone mosque in Mombasa, called Mnara, was built around 1300. Another mosque, Mandhry, built in 1570, has a special arch design. This shows that local African builders created their own unique styles.
Today, Mombasa is a popular place for tourists. It has one of Kenya's state houses. It also has a very large port and an international airport.