- Kagera Region
Kagera Region is located in the northwestern corner of
Tanzania .Bukoba , Kagera Region's capital, is a fast growing town situated on the shore ofLake Victoria . Bukoba lies only 1 degree south of theEquator and is Tanzania's second largest port on the lake. The region neighborsUganda ,Rwanda andBurundi and lies across the lake fromKenya . You may arrive in Kagera by air from Mwanza, road from Rwanda or Uganda or by ferry from Mwanza.The regional commissioner of the Kagera Region is General T. Kiwelu. [http://www.tanzania.go.tz/govdirf.html]
Location
Kagera Region is situated in the northwestern corner of Tanzania. The regional capital is Bukoba Town, which is about 1,500 km from
Dar es Salaam by road. Kagera Region shares borders withUganda to the north,Rwanda andBurundi to the west, the Kigoma Region andMwanza Region s to the south andLake Victoria to the East.Kagera Region lies just South of
the equator between 1o00’ and 2o45’ South latitudes. Longitudinally it lies between 30o25’ and 32o40’ East of Greenwich. This includes a large part of the waters of Lake Victoria. Kagera Region covers a total area of 40,838 km². Out of the total area, 28,953 km². is land and 11,885 km². is covered by waters of Lake Victoria, Lakes Ikimba, Burigi, and Ngono and Kagera rivers.Kagera region is Tanzania’s 15th largest region and accounts for approximately 3.2% of the total 883,749 km². land area of Tanzania. Kagera lies at 3,750 feet above
sea level . It has reasonably fertile old soils but over use in some parts of the region has led tosoil exhaustion and a need for the use offertilizer .Districts
Kagera comprises eight administrative districts:
Bukoba Urban ,Bukoba Rural ,Misenyi ,Muleba ,Karagwe ,Ngara Chato ,andBiharamulo . [http://www.tanzania.go.tz/census/census/kagera.htm]Until recently, the
Bukuba Rural andBukoba Urban Districts were combined as the Bukoba District.Historical background
Kagera region was formally known as West Lake region. It was renamed Kagera region after the war between Tanzania and Uganda when
Idi Amin attempted to annex the region in1978 . The region takes its name from theKagera River , which flows from Rwanda through northern Tanzania before it penetrates the waters of Lake Victoria, to emerge as the river Nile, the longest river in the World. This makes Kagera River to be a source of the riverNile .Cultural history
For a period of about five centuries Kagera Region had nine different Kingdoms and a highly
hierarchical society. It was during this time that coffee was introduced as a cash crop and bananas were introduced as a staple food. Women of the time were thought to be inferior to men and were treated as virtual slaves. Kings lived in elaborate palaces and were respected as the direct link to god of their kingdoms. The demise of these kingdoms came after Tanzania gained its independence and president Nyerere saw them detrimental to creating National unity. These kingdoms are Kihanja, Karagwe, Kiziba, Misenye, Bugabo, Kyamtwara, Ihangiro, Bukara and Biharamulo. The regimes of these kingdoms were blended into the Germans who colonizedTanganyika in1890 who are reported to have liked theHaya , the ethnic group of Bukoba and Muleba Districts. Later the British took over from the Germans. Kagera region is considered to be the first area whereLutheran missionaries settled.Roman Catholic and other denominations also now enjoy a large following in the region, which is evidenced by the physical presence of the impressive cathedrals, mosques, jamats and churches found everywhere in the region.Population
Kagera Region comprises five Administrative Districts: Bukoba, Muleba, Karagwe, Biharamulo and Ngara. It has six Councils, which include Bukoba Town, Bukoba Rural, Karagwe, Muleba, Biharamulo and Ngara. According to the 2003 National Census, the population is at 2,003,888 with an annual growth rate of 3.1%.
National Parks
Kagera Region hosts Biharamulo,
Burigi ,Ibanda andRumanyika andOrugundu Game reserve s, aNational Park situated onRubondo Island and a wildlife sanctuary based on Saa Nane Island.External links
* [http://www.kagera.org Kagera Bukoba - the official webguide]
* [http://www.tanzania.go.tz/regions/kagera/index.html United Republic of Tanzania: Kagera Region]
* [http://www.tanzania.go.tz/census/census/kagera.htm Kagera Region Homepage for the 2002 Tanzania National Census]
* [http://www.tanzania.go.tz/govdirf.html Tanzanian Government Directory Database]
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