Pate Island

Pate Island or Paté island is among the best islands in Kenya and is located in the Indian Ocean close to the northern coast of Kenya, to which it belongs. It is the largest island in the Lamu Archipelago, which lies between the towns of Lamu and Kiunga, close to the border with Somalia. The island is almost completely surrounded by mangroves.

Like much of the Swahili Coast, Pate Island's history was marked by a steady transition from agricultural communities in the early first millennium into a specialized, urban trading society around the 10th century, likely earlier. Islam spread down the coast from African Muslims in the Horn of Africa, helping to develop what would be known as the Swahili culture. Pate Island is not a colony of Arab and Persian, but an African town frequented by trading Arabs, Persians, Indians, and others. It was the center of the Pate sultanate from the 13th–to the 19th centuries. The Swahili port of Pate long vied with Lamu and Takwa (on Manda Island) for economic dominance of the area, and came into prominence around the 14th century. It was subjugated by Lamu, however, in the late 19th century. Public transportation is provided by a few minibusses (so-called matatus). The main administrative center on the island, with the police station, is Faza.

Location: Lamu Archipelago, Kenya.