Makonde Plateau

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Makonde Plateau
Makonde Plateau escarpment.JPG
Highest point
Elevation 900 m (3,000 ft)
Coordinates 10°53′46″S39°14′42″E / 10.896°S 39.245°E / -10.896; 39.245 Coordinates: 10°53′46″S39°14′42″E / 10.896°S 39.245°E / -10.896; 39.245
Geography
Tanzania relief location map.svg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Makonde Plateau
Location of the Makonde Plateau in Tanzania
CountryTanzania
Regions Mtwara and Lindi

The Makonde Plateau, also known as the Newala Plateau, is a plateau in southeastern Tanzania. It is mostly within Mtwara Region, with the northeast corner in Lindi Region.

The Makonde Plateau is a roughly rectangular, rising from the coast west of Mtwara. There are steep escarpments along its western edge and along the Ruvuma River to the south. The Lukuledi River runs along its northern edge. The eastern portion is dissected by many stream valleys, while the western end is higher, reaching 900 meters elevation. [1]

Newala is the plateau's main town. It is located on the southwest corner of the plateau, and has expansive vistas over the plains to the west, and south across the Ruvuma River into Mozambique.

The Makonde people inhabit the plateau and the adjacent lowlands. The Makonde people also inhabit the Mueda Plateau, which lies immediately south of the Ruvuma River in Mozambique. The Mueda Plateau is also referred to as the Makonde or Maconde plateau.

The Makonde Plateau is in the Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic ecoregion.

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Geography of Tanzania

Tanzania comprises many lakes, national parks, and Africa's highest point, Mount Kilimanjaro. Northeast Tanzania is mountainous, while the central area is part of a large plateau covered in grasslands. The country also contains the southern portion of Lake Victoria on its northern border with Uganda and Kenya.

Lindi Municipality, Regional Capital of Lindi Region

Lindi Town is a southern Tanzanian coastal town and regional capital of Lindi Region located at the far end of Lindi Bay, on the Indian Ocean in southeastern Tanzania. The town is 450 kilometres (280 mi) south of Dar es Salaam and 105 km (65 mi) north of Mtwara, the southernmost coastal town in Tanzania, and gives its name to the surrounding Lindi Region, one of the largest regions in Tanzania and one of most sparsely populated regions of the country.

Mtwara Region Region of Tanzania

Mtwara Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital is the municipality of Mtwara. According to the 2012 national census, the region had a population of 1,270,854, which was lower than the pre-census projection of 1,374,767. For 2002-2012, the region's 1.2 percent average annual population growth rate was the 26th highest in the country. It was also the fourteenth most densely populated region with 76 people per square kilometer.

Ruvuma Region Region of Tanzania

Ruvuma Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital is the municipality of Songea. According to the 2012 national census, the region had a population of 1,376,891, which was lower than the pre-census projection of 1,449,830. For 2002–2012, the region's 2.1 percent average annual population growth rate was the twentieth highest in the country. It was also the 28th most densely populated region with 22 inhabitants per square kilometre (57/sq mi).

The Makonde are an ethnic group in southeast Tanzania, northern Mozambique, and Kenya. The Makonde developed their culture on the Mueda Plateau in Mozambique. At present they live throughout Tanzania and Mozambique, and have a small presence in Kenya. The Makonde population in Tanzania was estimated in 2001 to be 1,140,000, and the 1997 census in Mozambique put the Makonde population in that country at 233,358, for an estimated total of 1,373,358. The ethnic group is roughly divided by the Ruvuma River; members of the group in Tanzania are referred to as the Makonde, and those in Mozambique as the Maconde. The two groups have developed separate languages over time but share a common origin and culture.

Ruvuma River

Ruvuma River, formerly also known as the Rovuma River, is a river in the African Great Lakes region. During the greater part of its course, it forms the border between Tanzania and Mozambique. The river is 800 kilometres (497 mi) long, with a drainage basin of 155,500 square kilometres (60,000 sq mi) in size. Its mean annual discharge is 475 m³/s at its mouth.

Mueda Place in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique

Mueda[ˈmwɛða] is the largest town of the Makonde Plateau in northeastern Mozambique. It is the capital of the Mueda District in Cabo Delgado Province. It is the center of the culture of the Makondes, and the production of their ebony sculptures.

Masasi District Region in Tanzania

Masasi is one of the six districts of the Mtwara Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by the Lindi Region, to the east by the Newala District, to the south by the Ruvuma River and Mozambique and to the west by Nanyumbu District.

Newala District Region in Tanzania

Newala is one of the five districts of the Mtwara Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the west by the Masasi District, to the east by the Tandahimba District, to the south by the Ruvuma River and Mozambique, and to the north by the Tandahimba and Masasi Districts.

Tandahimba is one of the six districts of the Mtwara Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the east by the Mtwara Rural District, to the south by Mozambique, to the west by the Newala District, and to the north by the Lindi Region.

Mtwara Rural is one of the five districts of the Mtwara Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the south by Mozambique, to the west by the Tandahimba District, to the north by the Lindi Region and to the east by the Mtwara Urban District and the Indian Ocean.

Unity Bridge

The Unity Bridge across Ruvuma River at Negomano, Mozambique, between Tanzania and Mozambique, was proposed as early as 1975, shortly after Mozambique's independence. It was the idea of the two countries' former Presidents, Mwalimu Nyerere and Samora Machel. Several design studies and limited construction work were completed in the early 1980s, but the Unity Bridge was not finished due to lack of funds.

Makonde may refer to:

Southern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic Tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of eastern Africa

The Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic, also known as the Southern Swahili coastal forests and woodlands, is a tropical moist broadleaf forest ecoregion of eastern Africa. It is a southern variation of Northern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic. The ecoregion supports habitats of forest, savanna and swamps. The southern portion of the ecoregion is not as well studied due to the 1977-1992 civil war in Mozambique.

Negomano Place in Cabo Delgado Province, Mozambique

Negomano or Ngomano is a village in northern Mozambique, in Cabo Delgado Province. It is located on the border with Tanzania on the confluence of the Ruvuma River and the Lugenda River.

The Lukuledi is a river in The United Republic Of Tanzania, south-eastern region of Africa. With a total length of 160 km, it rises from the boundary between the Lindi and Mtwara regions.

The name Makonde art refers to East African sculptures or, less frequently, to modern paintings created by craftspeople or artists belonging to the Makonde people of northern Mozambique and southern Tanzania, separated by the Ruvuma river. Art historians, dealers and collectors have created this genre of African art, that can be subdivided into African traditional artifacts or modern artistic works. This genre can be traced back to the 1930s, when the first documented exhibition of Makonde art was held at the Centro Cultural dos Novos in Mozambique.

Mtwara Development Corridor

The Mtwara Development Project is a major infrastructure development project involving southern Tanzania, northern Mozambique, eastern Malawi and Eastern Zambia. The goal of this project is to provide road, rail and waterway access from the surrounding region to the Port of Mtwara. The region and the corridor has been neglected by the respective governments for over 40 years and the recent discovery of oil, gas and various minerals has kick started the development of the project. A road and rail link is to be built from the port of Mtwara to Mbamba Bay on Lake Nyasa to link Malawi to the corridor and further road links into Mozambique will facilitate access to northern Mozambique.

Mozambique–Tanzania relations Bilateral relations

Tanzania–Mozambique relations are bilateral relations between Tanzania and Mozambique.

Mueda Plateau

The Mueda Plateau, also known as the Maconde Plateau, is a plateau in Cabo Delgado Province of northeastern Mozambique.

References

  1. Rough Guides (2015). The Rough Guide to Tanzania. Rough Guides UK, 2015. ISBN   0241237491, 9780241237496.