Mombasa County is one of the 47 counties of Kenya and has its capital in Mombasa City. In terms of economy it is second most developed after Nairobi city.[2] Initially Mombasa was one of the districts of Kenya until 2013 when it was reconstituted as a county, on the same boundaries. It is the smallest county in Kenya, covering an area of 229.7 km2 excluding 65 km2 of water mass. The county is situated in the south eastern part of the former Coast Province, bordering Kilifi County to the north, Kwale County to the south west and the Indian Ocean to the east. Administratively, the county is divided into seven divisions, eighteen locations and thirty sub-locations.
Kenya was divided into eight provinces prior to 2013, which were subdivided into 47 counties. In the former Coast Province there are six counties, Mombasa being one of them. It is situated in the southeast of Coast Province, and the smallest in size, covering an area of 212.5 km2.[3] The county lies between latitudes 3°56′ and 4°10′ south of the equator and longitudes 39°34′ and 39°46′ east.[2]
Geographical area
The county and the city are divided into four divisions:
Mombasa is an urban city county and for this reason, there is a large population of both local and immigrant communities. The local communities include the Mijikenda, Swahili and Kenyan Arabs. The Mijikenda is the largest community in Mombasa County making up almost 35% of the total population in the county. The immigrant Kamba community is the second largest ethnic community in the county making almost 30% of the total population of the county. The Kamba people have been known for their expansive knowledge of business and trade ranging from small scale to large scale followed closely by their GEMA[clarification needed] counterparts. Other significant immigrant communities include the Luo, Luhya and Somali communities.
Mji wa Kale/Makadara, Tudor, Tononoka, Majengo Ganjoni/Shimanzi
Total
939,370
212.48
30
Mombasa County lies within the coast lowland, which rises gradually from the sea level in the east to slightly over 76 m above sea level in the mainland west. The highest point is at Nguu Tatu hills in the mainland north that rises up to 100 m above sea level.