JAMAAME

also spelled Jamame, or Giamame, former Italian Margherita, town, southern Somalia, eastern Africa. Jamaame is situated on the eastern bank of the lower Jubba River, in the southeastern coastal lowlands near the Indian Ocean. The town is an important agricultural, commercial, and industrial centre. Bananas, the major crop, are exported through Kismaayo (Chisimayu), a port located 35 miles (56 km) to the south. Cotton, peanuts (groundnuts), and corn (maize) are also grown in the area. The National Plastic and Carton Company was established at Jamaame in collaboration with the Italian government in 1974. This industry was able to promote banana exports when it developed a local packing material to replace imported packing, thus reducing the price of Somali bananas in Europe. The town is connected by roads with Kismaayo and Mogadishu (Muqdisho). Pop. (latest census) 22,030.