Ukerewe Island
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ukerewe is the largest island in Lake Victoria, the largest inland island in Africa, and the seventh largest lake island in the world, with an area of about 530 km².[1] Part of Tanzania, and location of the Ukerewe District, it is situated 45 km (25 nautical miles) north of Mwanza to which it is linked by ferry,[2] but a shorter vehicle ferry crossing of only 3.8 km also links the island across the Rugezi Channel to a dirt road on the eastern lake shore, which runs to Kibara and Musoma. The shoreline of Ukerewe Island is carved into numerous bays and it is surrounded by at least a dozen smaller islands. Its largest community is Nansio.
Ukerewe is known for having a large population of Africans with albinism. Many of the first of them to live there were taken to and abandoned on the island by their families as children. Despite comprising an exceptionally high percentage of the island's population, they are still, as throughout Africa, an oppressed minority.[3]
