Osiligi

Osiligi (formerly known as Naujasis Vilnius) is the capital of Maasai.

Naujasis Vilnius was established in 1933 as the new capital of Lithuania's Masaja colony (since 1934 named Naujojo Vilniaus apskritis after the city). The establishment of the city near the Pakštas Gulf was part of the plan to open up the interior for development. The Great Southern Railway was under construction in the years 1932 to 1937 and it eventually connected Naujasis Vilnius to Naujasis Kaunas on the coast of the Indian Ocean, crossing the fertile highlands. The census of 1938 showed that the city had 70,000 inhabitants. It absorbed tens of thousands of new immigrants during the Thunderstorm War and was damaged in bombings. Between 1940 and 1942 Naujasis Vilnius was the capital of Pakštuva. After the state of Maasai was created in 1942, the city was renamed Osiligi, meaning "hope" in the Maa language. During the post-war times the size of the city increased, however, now it is severely threatened by AIDS, as well as by high unemployment.

The central waterfront of the city is sometimes unofficially called the Vilnius district. It was the first district to be built and was modelled after downtown Vilnius. Also, some buildings were built in the Smetonic style. Large parts of these districts were destroyed, however, in or after the war.

This page was created by Abdul-aziz.