Mombasa

Mombasa (pop. 425,600), large port city in Kenya, on the Indian Ocean, an international center of shipping and industry. It contains an airport, state buildings, an oil refinery, and tourist facilities. Its major industries include cement, food processing, and glass. First settled by the Persians and Arabs in the 8th century, Kenya was later ruled variously by Portugal, Oman, and Great Britain until it was declared independent in 1963.