Arusha Region

Arusha Mkoa wa Arusha
—  Region  —
Oldonyo Lengai (Mountain of God) near the town of Ngare Sero, Arusha Region
Nickname(s): Arusha Mkoani
Motto: Amazing Arusha
Location of Arusha Region in Tanzania
Coordinates: 3°0′S 36°0′E
Country	Tanzania
Capital	Arusha
Government
• Type	Local Regional Government
• Regional commissioner	Magesa Mulongo
Area
• Total	33,809 km2 (13,054 sq mi)
Population (2002)
• Total	1,288,088
• Density	Bad rounding here38/km2 (Bad rounding here99/sq mi)
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)
• Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+3)

Arusha is one of Tanzania's 30 administrative regions. With its capital and largest city at Arusha, it is divided into six districts. The region is bordered by Kajiado County and Narok County in Kenya to the north, the Kilimanjaro Region to the east, the Manyara and Singida regions to the south, and the Mara and Simiyu regions to the west. Major towns include Monduli, Namanga, Longido and Loliondo to the north, Mto wa Mbu and Karatu to the west, and Usa River to the east. The region is comparable in size to the combined land and water area of the U.S state of Maryland.

The City of Arusha with Mount Meru in the background.

Arusha Region is a global tourist destination and is the center of the northern Tanzania safari circuit. The national parks and reserves in this region include Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Arusha National Park, the Loliondo Game Controlled Area, and part of Lake Manyara National Park. Remains of 600-year old stone structures are found at Engaruka, just off the dirt road between Mto wa Mbu and Lake Natron.

History

Much of the present area of Arusha Region used to be Masai land. The Masai are still the dominant community in the region.^{[citation needed]} Their influence is reflected in the present names of towns, regional culture, cuisine, and geographical features.

The administrative region of Arusha existed in 1922 while mainland Tanzania was a British mandate under the League of Nations and known as Tanganyika. In 1948, the area was in the Northern Province, which includes the present day regions of Manyara and Kilimanjaro. In 1966, under the newly independent Tanzanian government, Arusha was given its own regional status.

In 2002, Manyara Region was created and was split from Arusha Region. Portions of the former Arusha Region districts of Kiteto, Babati, Mbulu, Hanang, and a tiny piece of Monduli were incorporated into the Manyara Region.

Arusha was the largest region in Tanzania from 1966-2002.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

The Great Rift Valley runs through the middle of the region north-to-south. Oldonyo Lengai (Mountain of God in the Masai language) is an active volcano to the north of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Altitudes throughout the region vary widely, but much of it ranges from 900 to 1,600 metres (3,000 to 5,200 ft) in elevation.^{[citation needed]}

Mount Meru, the second highest mountain in Tanzania after Mount Kilimanjaro, peaks at 4,655 metres (15,272 ft). Arusha Region has the highest number of craters and extinct volcanoes in Tanzania.^{[citation needed]} Other geographical features include the Monduli Mountains, Mt. Longido, and the Olduvai Gorge.

The city of Arusha, the capital of the region, is located at the southern foot of Mount Meru. The majority of Arusha residents live in the city and the surrounding southeastern part of Arusha Region.

Western Arusha Region, Tanzania

Giraffes Arusha National Park, Arusha Region, Tanzania

Colobus guereza Mantelaffen at Arusha National Park, Arusha Region.

Uhuru Monument Aug 2011

National parks, national monuments, and other sites

• Arusha National Park
• Lake Manyara National Park (part)
• Olduvai Gorge
• Uhuru Monument
• Ngorongoro Conservation Area
• Oldonyo Lengai
• Ngurdoto Crater
• Empakaai Crater
• Great Rift Valley
• Mount Longido Forest Reserve
• Mount Meru Forest Reserve
• Engaruka

Demographics

According to the 2002 Tanzania national census, the Arusha Region had a population of 1,292,973 people.

The region is inhabited by various ethnolinguistic groups and communities. Among these are the Maasai, Arusha, Kisankasa, Koningo, Akie, Hadza, Wameru, Rwa, Mbugwe, Sonjo, and Iraqw.^{[citation needed]}

Culture and cuisine

Nyama Choma, northern Tanzanian barbecue, is a popular dish among some communities in the Arusha Region, particularly the Masai.^{[citation needed]} Nyama Choma is properly served with a side of Pili Pili sauce and cold local beer or soda.^{[citation needed]}

Arusha cuisine

Administration

Districts

Arusha Region is divided into six districts.

Districts of Arusha Region
Map	District	Population (2002)	Capital	Area km²
	Arumeru	514,651	Akheri	2,896
	Arusha	281,608	Arusha	93
	Karatu	177,951	Karatu	3,300
	Longido	74,074	Longido	7,782
	Monduli	110,442	Monduli	6,419
	Ngorongoro	129,362	Loliondo	14,036
	Total	1,288,088		34,526
Source: Arusha Region

Transportation

Main article: Transport in Tanzania

The Arusha Region has three main paved highways and two airports.

Arusha Airport circa 2012

The first highway runs into the region from the east near Kilimanjaro International Airport. It runs east-west through the city of Arusha, then curves northward around Mt. Meru and continues on to Nairobi. It is commonly called the Nairobi road.

The second begins in the city of Arusha and goes west, through Kisongo and Meserani and past Monduli. After about 50 miles near Mto wa Mbu, the road begins curving southward to the east of Lake Manyara and continues on to Babati and Dodoma. It is commonly called the Dodoma road.

The third is a sealed highway from the Dodoma road near Mto wa Mbu to the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. It accommodates many tourists and passes through Mto wa Mbu and Karatu before ascending to the rim of Ngorongoro Crater.

Arusha Region is landlocked and there are no navigable rivers. The larger lakes in the Rift Valley are not used for transportation. The region is home to Lake Eyasi, Lake Natron, Lake Duluti, Lake Empakaai, and the Momella lakes.

Lake Duluti

Arusha Region is home to the Kilimanjaro International Airport, which serves the cities of Moshi and Arusha and is the largest airport in northern Tanzania. Its international carriers are Condor Flugdienst, Edelweiss Air, Ethiopian Airlines, Fly540, Kenya Airways, KLM, Precision Air, Qatar Airways, RwandAir, Safarilink Aviation, and Turkish Airlines.

Most overland travel is done by bus from the city of Arusha. Within the city and smaller towns, privately owned and operated Dala-dalas (mini-buses) are used.

The road referred to as Nairobi Road is Arusha-Moshi Road. The Nairobi Road is the one that passes through Ngarenaro, eventually joining the Arusha-Moshi road. They then join and continue with one name 'Nairobi Road' as they head towards Sakina, Azimio, Ngaramtoni and eventually Nairobi.

The Dodoma Road ceased to be in the 1980s when Tanzania lost its then Prime Minister, Edward Moringe Sokoine. The road was renamed Sokoine Road in his honour as it leads to his home village.

Famous people

• Filbert Bayi grew up in the Arusha Region.
• Edward Sokoine Tanzania's second prime minister
• Edward Lowassa Tanzania's tenth prime minister from 2005-2008
• Frederick Sumaye Tanzania's ninth prime minister from 1995-2005

Regional commissioners

The chief administrative officer of the region is the Arusha Regional Commissioner. Those who have served as regional commissioners for Arusha Region are:

Name	From	To	Comments
Edward Barongo	1962	1962	first after independence
Peter Walwa	1962	1963
Samuel Chamshama	1963	1964	first after union with Zanzibar
John Mhaville	1964	1964	second term
Wazir Juma	1964	1968
Aaron Mwakangata	1968	1973
Abdulanur Suleiman	1973	1978
Peter Siyovelwa	1978	1981
John Mhaville	1981	1982
Charles Kileo	1983	1985
Christopher Liundi	1985	1987
Augustine Mwingira	1987	1990
Anatoly Tarimo	1990	1992
Dr. Ahmed Kiwanuka	1992	1995
Daniel Ole Njoolay	1995	2003	longest serving commissioner
Mohammed Babu	2003	2006
Abbas Kandoro	2006	2006	less than six months
Col. Samuel Ndomba	2006	2007
Isidore Leka Shirima	2007	2011
Magesa Mulongo	2011	date

See also

• Arusha Airport
• Geography of Tanzania
• Arusha Accords
• Arusha Cultural Heritage Centre
• Arusha Declaration
• Selian

External links

• Language maps for eastern Tanzania