Tanga Jiji la Tanga (Swahili) | |
---|---|
Nickname: Tanga raha | |
Coordinates: 5°04′27″S39°05′57″E / 5.07417°S 39.09917°E | |
Country | Tanzania |
Region | Tanga Region |
District | Tanga District |
Incorporated Town | 18911 |
Incorporated City | 1 July 2005 |
Government | |
• Type | City Council |
• Mayor | Omari Guledi |
Population (2022) | |
• Total | 393,429 |
Ethnic groups | |
• Settler | Swahili |
• Ancestral | Digo |
1The Germans designated Tanga a township after taking control of the coastal area from the Sultan of Zanzibar in April 1891. |
Tanga (Jiji la Tanga, in Swahili) is a historic city and the capital of Tanga Region. The city is the most northernly port city of Tanzania to the west of the Indian Ocean on Tanga Bay. The city has a population of 393,429 in 2022. Tanga is governed by the Tanga City Council. The city is also home to the Port of Tanga. The name Tanga means "sail" in Swahili. [1] The city is also the capital of Tanga District.
Due to close proximity to the equator and the warm Indian Ocean, the city experiences tropical climatic conditions similar to all Tanzanian coastal cities. The city experiences hot and humid weather throughout much of the year and has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen: Aw). Annual rainfall is approximately 1,290 mm (51 in), and in a normal year there are two rainy seasons: "the long rains" in April and May and "the short rains" in November and December. [2]
Climate data for Tanga | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 32.3 (90.1) | 33.0 (91.4) | 33.3 (91.9) | 31.1 (88.0) | 29.7 (85.5) | 29.3 (84.7) | 28.5 (83.3) | 28.6 (83.5) | 29.2 (84.6) | 30.2 (86.4) | 31.2 (88.2) | 32.2 (90.0) | 30.7 (87.3) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 27.8 (82.0) | 28.2 (82.8) | 28.4 (83.1) | 27.1 (80.8) | 26.0 (78.8) | 25.1 (77.2) | 24.3 (75.7) | 24.2 (75.6) | 24.6 (76.3) | 25.6 (78.1) | 26.8 (80.2) | 27.7 (81.9) | 26.3 (79.4) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.4 (74.1) | 23.6 (74.5) | 23.2 (73.8) | 22.3 (72.1) | 20.9 (69.6) | 20.1 (68.2) | 19.8 (67.6) | 20.1 (68.2) | 21.1 (70.0) | 22.4 (72.3) | 23.2 (73.8) | 22.0 (71.5) |
Average rainfall mm (inches) | 30 (1.2) | 27 (1.1) | 98 (3.9) | 225 (8.9) | 294 (11.6) | 84 (3.3) | 69 (2.7) | 63 (2.5) | 78 (3.1) | 106 (4.2) | 140 (5.5) | 76 (3.0) | 1,290 (51) |
Source: [2] |
Major exports from the port of Tanga include sisal, coffee, tea, and cotton. Tanga is also an important railroad terminus, connecting much of the northern Tanzanian interior with the sea via the Tanzania Railways Corporation's Link Line and Central Line. Tanga is linked to the African Great Lakes region and the Tanzanian economic capital of Dar es Salaam. The city is served by Tanga Airport.The harbour and surrounding is the centre of life in Tanga. It has several markets in several neighbourhoods.Tanga Cement is one of the major industries.
Tanga has a small airport and is currently served by only three regional airlines, providing scheduled services to Dar es Salaam, Pemba Island and Zanzibar. In 2014 the airport served less than 30,000 passengers. [3] There are also a small number of private airstrips in the surrounding area around the city that facilitate the private estates and surrounding industries.
Tanga city lies approximately 250 km from Chalinze on the A14 highway that runs from Chalinze to Mombasa. The town is 75 km away from Segera which is a junction linking the A14 and the B1. The B1 highway is a bypass that links Moshi and the northern corridor to Tanga. [4]
The port is historically the oldest operating harbour in the nation and its roots date back to around the 6th century. [5] The Port of Tanga is the second largest port in Tanzania and is a vital part to the city's initial development and economy. The port operates at 90% of its installed capacity and its main cargo is coal for the cement industry and is a new gateway for crude oil products. [6] The ports authority has major plans to upgrade the port increase capacity and provide an alternative route for cargo flowing into the country. [7]
Tanga is the starting point of the narrow gauge northern railway network that ends in Arusha. Construction of this line was started in the 19th century by the Germans. In 2018, the Government of Tanzania invested 5.7 billion Tanzanian Shillings to rehabilitate the line. As of July 2019, diesel powered cargo trains are leaving Tanga Railway Station again and passenger transport between Tanga and Arusha is set to start in September 2019. [8]
The first communities that called Tanga home were the Digo peoples and the Swahili states of the 11th to 16th Centuries. However, the earliest documentation about Tanga comes from the Portuguese. During their disruption of the previous trading links Tanga settlement remained a small trading post for the colonists during their occupation of the East African coast for 200 years between 1500 and 1700 when they were ousted . [9] The Sultanate of Oman battled the Portuguese and gained control of the settlement by mid-1700 along with Mombasa, Pemba Island and Kilwa Kisiwani. [10] The town continued to act as a trading port for ivory and slaves under the sultan's rule. [11] Tanga continued to be a prosperous trading hub for slaves with the Arab world up until 1873 when the European powers invaded and occupied thus abolishing the slave trade that was no longer serving the colonial powers. [10]
In the 19th Century, growing interests by Europeans for the Scramble for Africa brought the Germans to Tanga. The Germans bought the coastal strip of mainland Tanzania from the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1891. This takeover designated Tanga into a township and was the first establishment in German East Africa. [12] The town became the centre of German colonial administration before the establishment of Dar es Salaam in the early 20th century.
Tanga was chosen in 1889 as a military post of German East Africa, and it became a district office in 1891. The town saw rapid expansion and planned growth under the German occupation. A tram line was built in the city for domestic transport and a port was also built for exports. In 1896 the construction of the Usambara Railway began and was extended to Moshi by 1912. Roads, bridges and the railway enabled industrial growth in the region and many buildings and bridges that are still in operation today in the town are from the German colonial period. The local economy was based mainly on the production of sisal, which had been brought to the colony several years earlier, and population in the area grew rapidly. [13]
As the coastal town closest to British East Africa, Tanga was on the front line of the East African campaign at the beginning of World War I. On 4 November 1914 a landing by British and Empire forces was repelled in the Battle of Tanga. [14] On 13 June 1916 the Royal Navy battleship HMS Vengeance and protected cruisers Challenger and Pioneer bombarded Tanga. On 7 July the protected cruiser HMS Talbot and monitor Severn entered Manza Bay [15] and put troops ashore who occupied the town. [16] After the War, Britain gained control of Tanganyika and continued to develop Tanga and exploit its agricultural potential. In 1919 Tanga was the country's fourth largest city, but at independence it was the second largest city after Dar es Salaam.
In the early stages of independence, the Port of Tanga continued to be a gateway for the export of sisal from the region. However, following the adopting of the Ujamaa policy, global prices in sisal dwindling, the production that served the city's factories closed and the city lost its main source of income. With the government controlling the agriculture trade and the depreciation in the world prices of sisal the port began to lose revenue. [17]
Tanga city medical institutions include:
Nearby tourist attractions include Amboni Caves, Galanos hot springs, Saadani national park, Toten Island, URITHI Tanga Museum, war graves and memorials, Tongoni Ruins, Ndumi Village defense works, Mwarongo sand beaches and protected coastal mangroves.
Tanga is represented in the Tanzanian Premier League by football clubs Coastal Union, JKT Mgambo, and African Sports (Wana Kimanumanu) from the 2015–2016 season.
Tanga is twinned with:
Dar es Salaam is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of the Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over six million people, Dar es Salaam is the largest city in East Africa and the sixth-largest in Africa. Located on the Swahili coast, Dar es Salaam is an important economic center and one of the fastest-growing cities in the world.
Transport in Tanzania includes road, rail, air and maritime networks. The road network is 86,472 kilometres (53,731 mi) long, of which 12,786 kilometres (7,945 mi) is classified as trunk road and 21,105 kilometres (13,114 mi) as regional road. The rail network consists of 3,682 kilometres (2,288 mi) of track. Commuter rail service is in Dar es Salaam only. There are 28 airports, with Julius Nyerere International being the largest and the busiest. Ferries connect Mainland Tanzania with the islands of Zanzibar. Several other ferries are active on the countries' rivers and lakes.
Zanzibar is an insular semi-autonomous region which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25–50 km (16–31 mi) off the coast of the African mainland, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.
German East Africa was a German colony in the African Great Lakes region, which included present-day Burundi, Rwanda, the Tanzania mainland, and the Kionga Triangle, a small region later incorporated into Mozambique. GEA's area was 994,996 km2 (384,170 sq mi), which was nearly three times the area of present-day Germany and almost double the area of metropolitan Germany at the time.
Lindi is a historic southern Tanzanian coastal town and regional capital of the Lindi Region. The town is 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. The Lindi Region is a large, yet sparsely populated, region of Tanzania.
Shaaban bin Robert, also known as Shaaban Robert, was a Tanzanian poet, author, and essayist who supported the preservation of Tanzanian verse traditions. Robert is celebrated as one of the greatest Tanzanian Swahili thinkers, intellectuals and writers in East Africa and has been called "poet laureate of Swahili" and is also known as the "Father of Swahili." He is also honoured as the national poet.
Pangani District Council is one of eleven administrative districts of Tanga Region in Tanzania. The District covers an area of 1,756 km2 (678 sq mi). It is bordered to the north by Muheza District, to the east by Zanzibar Channel, to the south by the Chalinze District of Pwani Region, and to the west by the Handeni District. The district is comparable in size to the land area of Guadeloupe. The district seat (capital) and largest settlement in Pangani district is the town of Pangani. The district is named after the historic Pangani River. As of the 2012 census, the population was Pangani district was 54,025, making it the least populous district in Tanga Region.
Tanga Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of 26,667 km2 (10,296 sq mi). The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Burundi. The regional capital is the municipality of Tanga city. Located in northeast Tanzania, the region is bordered by Kenya and Kilimanjaro Region to the north; Manyara Region to the west; and Morogoro and Pwani Regions to the south. It has a coastline to the east with the Indian Ocean. According to the 2012 national census, the region had a population of 2,045,205.
The Amboni Caves are a limestone cave complex in East Africa. They are located in Kiomoni ward of Tanga in Tanga Region of Tanzania off the Tanga-Mombasa road, 8 km north of Tanga City center. The reported length of the longest cave is 755m. The caves were formed about 150 million years ago during the Jurassic age. It covers an area of 234 km². According to researchers the area was under water some 20 million years ago. There are altogether ten caves but only one is used for guided tours.
Tanga Island known during German East Africa as Toten Island in old colonial maps is a small uninhabited and protected island situated north of the city of Tanga's harbour on Tanga Bay in Tanga Region, Tanzania. It is within the Tanga Bay. The island is located entirely with the Tanga Coelacanth Marine Park (TCMP). The island is administered by Tanzania Marine Parks and Reserves.
Tanga City Council is one of eleven administrative districts of Tanga Region in Tanzania. The District covers an area of 596.5 km2 (230.3 sq mi) of which includes the historic city of Tanga and the Port of Tanga. Tanga district is bordered to the north by Mkinga District, to the east by the Indian Ocean, to the south and west by Muheza District. The district is comparable in size to the land area of Guam. The administrative seat is the ward Central. The district is the administrative and economic center of Tanga Region. In Swahili, the word Tanga means "sail". The City was also the theater for the battle of Tanga. According to the 2012 census, the district has a total population of 273,332.
Railway stations in Tanzania include:
Pangani is a historic town and capital of Pangani District in the Tanga Region of Tanzania. The town lies 45 km (28 mi) south of the city of Tanga, at the mouth of the Pangani River in which the town is named after. Administrately the town Pangani is situated within two wards, Pangani Mashariki and Pangani Magharibi. The town is currently the largest settlement in Pangani District and is a major tourist attraction in Tanga region and is a home to Muhembo, a Tanzanian National Historic Site.
Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA) is a parastatal public corporation acting under the aegis of the Ministry of Infrastructure Development, that has the responsibility "to manage and operate" the ocean ports and lake ports of the country of Tanzania. The Tanzania Ports Authrorty headquarters are located in Mchafukoge ward of Ilala District in Dar es Salaam Region. It is a member of the Port Management Association of Eastern and Southern Africa.
Mazinde is a community in the Korogwe District of the Tanga Region of Tanzania.
The Port of Dar es Salaam is the principal port serving Tanzania located in Kurasini ward of Temeke District of Dar es Salaam Region. The port is one of three ocean ports in the country and handles over 90% of the country's cargo traffic. According to the International Association of Ports and Harbors, it is the fourth largest port on the African continent's Indian Ocean coastline after Durban, Mombasa and Maputo. The port acts as a gateway for commerce and trade for Tanzania and numerous bordering landlocked states.
The Port of Tanga is the second largest port in Tanzania. It is located on Tanga Bay in Central ward of Tanga District of Tanga Region.
The Tanzam Highway leads from Lusaka in Zambia to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The highway was built from 1968 to 1973 in several stages and was intended to provide seaport access for Zambia and to expand the transport options for Zambia, Malawi and the then Zaire.
Mbuamaji or sometimes spelled Mbwamaji is a Medieval Swahili, National Historic Site located in Somangila ward of Kigamboni District in Dar es Salaam Region of Tanzania. Despite years of neglect that resulted in vandalism, the Tanzanian government is aiming to start restoration efforts as soon as possible.