# Homa Bay

> city in Kenya

**Wikidata**: [Q1009161](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1009161)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homa_Bay)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/homa-bay

## Summary

Homa Bay is a city located in southwestern Kenya, serving as the administrative center of Homa Bay County. Situated along the shores of Lake Victoria at coordinates 0°31′S 34°27′E, the city had a recorded population of 32,174 residents as of 1999 and maintains the postal code 40300. The city is distinct from Homa Bay County, though they share the same geographic region, and is notable for its presence in multiple international knowledge bases and classification systems.

## Key Facts

- **Classification**: City (instance_of)
- **Location**: Homa Bay County, Kenya
- **Geographic Coordinates**: Latitude -0.51666667, Longitude 34.45
- **Population**: 32,174 (recorded in 1999)
- **Postal Code**: 40300
- **Country**: Kenya
- **Wikidata Description**: city in Kenya
- **Wikipedia Title**: Homa Bay
- **Commons Category**: Homa Bay
- **Sitelink Count**: 24 (Wikipedia articles linking to this entry)
- **Wikipedia Languages**: 23 language versions including English, Swahili, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and others
- **Image**: File available on Wikimedia Commons
- **WOEID**: 1527289 (Yahoo! Where On Earth ID)
- **GeoNames ID**: 196742
- **Freebase ID**: /m/099zx4
- **VIAF ID**: 159612276 (Virtual International Authority File)
- **GNS Unique Feature ID**: -2246017
- **Who's On First ID**: 890436593
- **OpenWeatherMap City ID**: 196742
- **Library of Congress Authority ID**: n96088573
- **National Library of Israel J9U ID**: 987007533340305171
- **Yale LUX ID**: place/2b3e9c0e-ae6c-4c66-897f-4ae4ce2d73c2
- **Quora Topic**: Homa-Bay
- **Category of Associated People**: Category:People from Homa Bay
- **Topic's Main Category**: Category:Homa Bay
- **Alias**: ホマ湾 (Japanese transliteration)
- **Different From**: Homa Bay County (distinction explicitly noted in source)

## FAQs

**What type of administrative area is Homa Bay?**

Homa Bay is classified as a city, representing a large human settlement in southwestern Kenya. It serves as the administrative center of Homa Bay County and is distinct from the county itself, though they share the same regional identity.

**Where exactly is Homa Bay located?**

Homa Bay is situated in southwestern Kenya on the shores of Lake Victoria. Its precise geographic coordinates are latitude -0.51666667 and longitude 34.45, placing it in the Lake Victoria basin region of East Africa.

**What is the population of Homa Bay?**

The recorded population of Homa Bay was 32,174 residents according to census data from 1999. This figure represents the last documented population count available in the source material.

**How is Homa Bay identified in international databases?**

Homa Bay appears in multiple international identification systems: its GeoNames ID is 196742, WOEID is 1527289, Freebase ID is /m/099zx4, VIAF ID is 159612276, and it has a Library of Congress authority ID of n96088573. These identifiers facilitate cross-referencing across different knowledge bases.

**What is the relationship between Homa Bay and Homa Bay County?**

Homa Bay city and Homa Bay County are distinct entities that share the same name and geographic region. The city serves as the administrative center for the county, and this distinction is explicitly noted in the source material to prevent confusion between the urban settlement and the administrative region.

**What languages have Wikipedia articles about Homa Bay?**

Homa Bay has Wikipedia articles in 23 different languages, including English, Swahili, French, German, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, Dutch, Italian, Portuguese, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Japanese, Korean, Georgian, Azerbaijani, Urdu, Swahili, Zulu, Cebuano, and Persian.

## Why It Matters

Homa Bay serves as a significant urban center in southwestern Kenya, functioning as the administrative heartbeat of Homa Bay County. Its location on the shores of Lake Victoria positions it within a region of substantial economic, ecological, and cultural importance to East Africa. The city's presence in numerous international classification systems—including GeoNames, Yahoo's WOEID, the Virtual International Authority File, and the Library of Congress authority system—demonstrates its recognition as a notable geographic entity within global knowledge infrastructure.

The city's classification as a distinct settlement from Homa Bay County, despite their geographic overlap, reflects the importance of distinguishing between urban administrative centers and the broader administrative regions they serve. This distinction matters for governance, statistical collection, geographic information systems, and international data interoperability.

Homa Bay's inclusion in 23 different Wikipedia language editions indicates its relevance to a diverse global audience, from local Kenyan readers to international researchers, journalists, and knowledge seekers. The city's representation across multiple authority files and identifier systems facilitates academic research, geographic data integration, and cross-referencing between different knowledge bases.

## Notable For

- **Administrative Significance**: Serves as the county seat and administrative center of Homa Bay County
- **Lake Victoria Location**: Situated directly on the shores of Africa's largest lake
- **International Database Presence**: Listed in at least 8 major international authority and identification systems
- **Multilingual Coverage**: Wikipedia articles available in 23 different languages
- **Distinct Identity**: Explicitly distinguished from Homa Bay County in authoritative sources
- **Historical Population Data**: Population records dating to 1999 provide longitudinal demographic insight

## Body

### Geographic and Administrative Context

Homa Bay is positioned at coordinates 0°31′S 34°27′E, placing it on the northeastern shores of Lake Victoria in southwestern Kenya. The city functions as the administrative capital of Homa Bay County, serving as the regional center for government operations, commerce, and services. The postal code 40300 identifies the city within Kenya's postal system, facilitating mail distribution and geographic addressing.

The distinction between Homa Bay city and Homa Bay County is explicitly documented in the source material, with the Wikipedia entry noting the difference to prevent administrative confusion. This separation is typical in Kenyan administrative structures, where urban centers often share names with their parent counties but represent distinct governmental units.

### Population and Demographics

The documented population figure for Homa Bay stands at 32,174 residents, based on census data from 1999. This population count represents the most recent specific demographic figure available in the source material, providing a baseline for understanding the city's scale during that period. The population figure is recorded with a point-in-time qualifier of 1999, indicating it reflects the population at the end of the 1990s decade.

### International Identification Systems

Homa Bay's presence across multiple international identification systems reflects its recognition within global geographic and knowledge infrastructure:

The **GeoNames ID 196742** links the city to the GeoNames geographic database, which provides geographic feature information including names, coordinates, and classifications. The same numeric identifier (196742) serves as the **OpenWeatherMap City ID**, enabling weather forecasting services and meteorological data integration for the location.

The **WOEID (Where On Earth Identifier) 1527289** was assigned by Yahoo! for use in their geographic tagging systems, though this identifier system is now largely historical. The **Freebase ID /m/099zx4** connected the city to Google's structured knowledge base, which has since been succeeded by Wikidata.

The **VIAF (Virtual International Authority File) ID 159612276** links Homa Bay to the international authority file system that coordinates authority records across national libraries worldwide, facilitating bibliographic and research connections.

The **Library of Congress Authority ID n96088573** provides the city's entry in the United States Library of Congress authority files, while the **National Library of Israel J9U ID 987007533340305171** represents its presence in Israel's national library system.

The **GNS (Geographic Names Information System) Unique Feature ID -2247217** identifies the city in the USGS geographic names database, and the **Who's On First ID 890436593** provides the city's identifier in the open-source geographic place registry.

### Wikipedia and Multilingual Coverage

Homa Bay maintains a significant international digital presence through Wikipedia, with articles available in 23 different language editions. The English Wikipedia entry serves as the primary version, with the sitelink count of 24 indicating that 24 Wikipedia language editions link to the Wikidata entry for Homa Bay.

The covered languages span multiple regions: European languages (English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Swedish, Finnish, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian), Asian languages (Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Georgian, Azerbaijani, Persian, Urdu), African languages (Swahili, Zulu), and other languages (Arabic, Cebuano, Swahili). This extensive multilingual coverage indicates the city's relevance to diverse global audiences and its significance as a reference point in international knowledge systems.

### Category Associations

The city is associated with several organized knowledge categories. The **commons category: Homa Bay** organizes media files on Wikimedia Commons, while **Category: Homa Bay** serves as the topic's main category on Wikipedia. The **Category: People from Homa Bay** documents notable individuals associated with the city, creating a biographical connection to the location.

The **Quora Topic: Homa-Bay** indicates the city's presence on the Q&A platform Quora, where it serves as a topic for user-generated questions and answers about the location.

### Aliases and Transliterations

The city is known by multiple name forms across different writing systems. The Japanese transliteration ホマ湾 (Homa-wan) provides the Japanese language representation, while the primary English name "Homa Bay" serves as the standard international designation. These alternative name forms facilitate cross-language reference and research.

### Knowledge Base Integration

The Yale LUX ID "place/2b3e9c0e-ae6c-4c66-897f-4ae4ce2d73c2" indicates Homa Bay's integration into Yale University's LUX semantic web system, which provides linked open data for academic research. This connection positions the city within a major research university's knowledge infrastructure.

The SNARC ID classification as "T Tauri-type star" appears in the source material, though this appears to be either an error in data entry or an unusual classification that does not align with the city's status as an earthly settlement. This entry should be treated with caution as it contradicts the clear classification of Homa Bay as a city in Kenya.

### Physical Infrastructure

The city's postal code 40300 is used for mail sorting and delivery within Kenya's postal system, providing a standardized addressing mechanism for the location. This postal code connects Homa Bay to Kenya's national postal infrastructure and facilitates commercial and personal correspondence.

## References

1. Virtual International Authority File
2. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
3. Flickr Shapefiles Public Dataset 2.0
4. GeoNames
5. Quora
6. National Library of Israel Names and Subjects Authority File