PEMBA ISLAND

Arabic Jazirat Al-khudrah, island in the Indian Ocean, lying 35 miles (56 km) off the coast of East Africa, opposite the port of Tanga, Tanzania. The island embraces 380 square miles (984 square km) and is 42 miles (67 km) long and 14 miles (22 km) wide. As the Arabic name, which means Green Island, suggests, it is more fertile than its sister island, Zanzibar, which lies 30 miles (48 km) to the southwest. Pemba is the world's leading producer of cloves. As in Zanzibar, the population and culture of the island have been greatly influenced by infusions of peoples from mainland Africa, the Middle East, and the Indian subcontinent. The chief settlement is Wete on the western side of the island. Pop. (1988 prelim.) 65,039.