Tanga, Tanzania

Tanga
—  City  —
Tanga Location in Tanzania
Coordinates: 05°04′S 39°06′E
Country	Tanzania
Region	Tanga Region
Incorporated Town	18911
Incorporated City	1 July 2005
Government
• Type	City Council
• Mayor	Omari Guledi
Area
• City	536 km2 (207 sq mi)
• Land	474 km2 (183 sq mi)
• Water	62 km2 (24 sq mi)
Population (2012)
• City	2,045,205
• Density	452.7/km2 (1,172/sq mi)
• Urban	179,400
• Rural	63,240
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)
• Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+3)
Postcode	211xx
Area code(s)	027
Website	www.tanga.go.tz
1The Germans designated Tanga into a township after taking control of the coastal area from the Sultan of Zanzibar in April 1891

Postcard

City centre

Tanga Bay

Tanga is both the name of the most northerly seaport city of Tanzania, and the surrounding Tanga Region. It is the Regional Headquarters of the region.

With a population of 243,580 in 2002, Tanga is one of the largest cities in the country. It is a quiet city compared to, for example, Arusha or Moshi with a comparable number of inhabitants.

The city of Tanga sits on the Indian Ocean, near the border with Kenya. 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 is stretched out several km² into the country. It has several markets in several neighbourhoods.

History

Cliff Block, Bombo Hospital

Tanga was chosen in 1889 as a military post of German East Africa, and became a district office in 1891. The local economy was based on sisal, which had been brought to the colony several years earlier, and population in the area grew rapidly. The town was also established as the terminus of the Usambara Railway line, which runs inland to Moshi at the foot of Kilimanjaro.

The name Tanga comes from the word for farm or cultivated land in several of the local languages (including Sambaa, Bondei, and Zigua).^{[citation needed]} Tanga gave its name to Tanganyika, literally meaning "Sisal Farm", the territory which in 1964 joined with the island of Zanzibar to form the modern nation of Tanzania.

As the coastal town closest to Kenya, Tanga was on the front line at the outset of World War I. A British landing was thrown back on 4 November 1914 in the Battle of Tanga, and the town was not taken until 7 July 1916.

Transport

Tanga is served by a metre gauge railway of the national railway system However, this has not functioned in many years

Healthcare

Tanga area medical institutions include:

• Bombo Regional Hospital
• National Institute of Medical Research Centre, Tanga
• Amani Biomedical Research Laboratory
• Tanga AIDS Working Group

Tourist sites

Nearby tourist attractions include Amboni Caves, Galanos hot springs, Saadani national park, Toten Island, URITHI Tanga Museum, Tanga War Graves and Memorials, Tongoni Ruins, Ndumi Village defense works, Mwarongo sand beaches and protected coastal mangroves. For more information visit Tanga cultural heritage tourism

Sports and culture

Tanga is represented in the Tanzanian Premier League by the football club Coastal Union. Tanga is a Persian word with four meanings: straight; a green valley; the road beside a mountain river; and a farm on a rolling hill or mountain.

Much of Tanga’s heritage is being lost to the vestige of time. This loss is further exacerbated by the unfortunate socio-economic situation in the town and the region. Concern for this historically significant loss motivated a small group of Tanga residents to establish Urithi with the mission to conserve and promote the heritage of Tanga. There are many aspects of the heritage of Tanga; the history, the people and their culture, arts and crafts, buildings and architectures, languages and natural environments. The intention of the founders of Urithi is to conserve as much as possible of this heritage and where possible to make use of this heritage in present day activities. To educate and train the new generation in the useful aspects of the heritage and to derive socio-economic benefit for the town and the region from this heritage. However, it would be folly to believe that Urithi, on its own, could achieve the magnanimous task of conserving and promoting all aspects of Tanga’s heritage.

Urithi was established in 1999 to conserve and promote the heritage of Tanga, AND by then the Board Members were as follows: Chairman: Tamim Amijee V/chairman: Steven Kimambo Secretary: Yakub Hasham Treasurer: Alnoor Hussein Members: Joseph Kotta Mohamed Majura Jaring van Rooijen Luuk Schoonman

THE URITHI PROPOSED TARGETS FOR ITS STRATEGIC PLAN OF 2000-2003 • Complete rehabilitation of Usambara Courthouse. • Establish Urithi office and an efficient working organization structure • Start a museum of Tanga and tourist information centre • Establish a research and documentation centre • Determine a priority list of the heritage of Tanga • Undertake research on Tanga’s history • Hold another 100 years of Tanga’ celebrations in September 2001 • Establish a national and International network of friends, supporters and relevant organizations • Publish a quarterly newsletter; maintain a website

• Publish publicity and educational materials to raise awareness of heritage of Tanga and to promote tourism

• Rehabilitate the Clock Tower and adjacent area.

• Undertake rehabilitation of at least two other key historical buildings

• Train youths and develop skills in rehabilitation work, art and crafts, research, promotions and other related areas which can assist in self-employment and income generating activities.

• Work closely with the Municipal Council and the Antiquities Department to establish guidelines for conservation and development of historic part of town.

• Raise the funds necessary to implement the plan.

THE CURRENT BOARD MEMBERS ARE: Chairman: Mohamed Majura V/Chairman: Alnoor Hussein Secretary: Raymond Mhando Treasurer: Luuk Schoonman Members: Joel Niganile

URITHI TANGA MUSEUM: It is located along the Independent Revenue Road. The building was formerly used as Germany Province Commissioner’s administration building and thereafter British administration. He used to leave upstairs and the ground floor was used as offices. After Independence, the building was taken by the government and Regional Commissioner used the same building for administration purposes as well as home stay. After a while the building was left bare after RC offices being shifted to Gofu area. Urithi Tanga Museum depicts mostly culture of the region itself, from the ancient times to the present, based on tangible and intangible heritage. The building is one of the ancient buildings that were built in 1890 during the colonial period.

Burton, the explorer, described Tanga in 1857 as “patch of thatched” pent roofed huts, built upon a bank overlooking the sea”. He estimated the population to be 4000-5000, which included fifteen Baluchis and twenty Indians merchants. The town was under the rule of Sultan of the Zanzibar. Tanga got a short in the arm with the coming of the Germans to East Africa in the last quarter of 19th Century. Tanga settlement probably offered least resistance to the Germans compared to, for example, Pangani which put up stiff resistance. The Germans took control of the coastal area from the Sultan of Zanzibar in April 1891. In the same year, Tanga was designated a township. About 1 million visitors every year visit towns and cities around Tanga, Mombasa and other cities, though Tanga has an ability to accommodate even more than 10,000 visitors every year, yet the city receives less than 2000 visitors every year.

HINTS- SHAABAN ROBERT (TANGA’S FORGOTTEN HERO) Shaaban Robert was born at Vibambani village near Machui, 10 km south of Tanga town, on New Year’s day of the year 1909. His parents were of the Mganga clan of the Wayao tribe from southern parts of the country. He, however, never considered himself a Yao preferring to simply be one among the Waswahili. There is confusion on how he obtained the name Robert, a European name, completely alien to his African Islamic background. One past record indicates that it was a name of his father while another states that it was not his father’s name. He received his education at Msimbazi School in Dar es Salaam between 1922 and 1926. He started working with the Colonial Civil Service as clerk at the customs department in Pangani in 1926. He remained at this department for eighteen years till 1944. During this time he produced many of his literary works. In total, he wrote 22 books of prose, essay and poems. He died on the 22nd of June 1962 and was buried at Machui, near his birthplace. He was married thrice and had ten children.

For more information about Tourism Contact: +255713131775 or +255783467213 .

Twin towns - sister cities

• Eckernförde, Germany (since 1963)
• Tifariti, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic
• Toledo, USA (since August 28, 2001)
• Kemi, Finland (since 2007)
• Weihai, China

See also

• Tanga District
• Railway stations in Tanzania

References

• Byron Farwell, The Great War in Africa, 1914-1918 (W. W. Norton, 1986)

External links

• Tanga Tourist Guide
• Tanga Cement Company home page
• Tanga Christian Bible College home page
• MSN Map
• TANGA REGIONAL SOCIO-ECONOMIC PROFILE