Lindi was founded in the 11th century. There is no record of a previous name of the
Swahili town. In the 17th century, the town was renamed by the
Omani Arab colonizers as Lindi meaning "deep channel". The
Omanis dominated local people and used the location as a port to sell and transport ivory and slaves to the global market. With the coming of the German occupation in the 19th century, and later on the British occupation after
World War I, the town was the administrative capital of the southern province until 1952 when it was moved to
Mtwara City due to its favorable
harbor potential in
Lindi Bay. In 1971, ten years after independence, the
Nyerere administration made Lindi the regional seat for Lindi Region. However, in the following year of 1972, due to a socialist policy, urban councils were abolished in favor of rural development, negatively affecting the economy of the town. However, in 1978, urban councils were reintroduced. ==Economy==