Mwanza

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Mwanza
Nyanza
City
View from Capri Point
View from Capri Point
Nickname(s): Rock City
Mwanza is located in Tanzania
Mwanza
Mwanza
Location in Tanzania
Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Country Flag of Tanzania.svg Tanzania
Admin. division Mwanza Region
First Settled 1892
Incorporated Town 1978
Incorporated City 2000
Districts
Government
 • Type City Council
 • Lord Mayor Josephat Kanyonyi Manyerere
 • City Director Wilson Kabwe
Elevation 3,740 ft (1,140 m)
Population (2012)[1]
 • Urban 706,543
Time zone GMT + 3

Mwanza is a mid-sized port city on the southern shores of Lake Victoria in northwestern Tanzania. With a population of over 700,000, it is Tanzania's second largest city, following Dar es Salaam. Mwanza is the capital of the surrounding Mwanza Region.

Bismarck Rock in the Lake Victoria nearby Mwanza city.

Ethnicity

The Sukuma constitute over 90 percent of the population of the Mwanza Region. Other ethnic groups in the region, in much smaller proportions, include the Zinza, Haya, Sumbwa, Nyamwezi, Luo, Kurya, Jita,((shashi)) and Kerewe. They live mainly in the Mwanza city area. National policy, however, gives very little importance to ethnic groupings and reliable data is difficult to find.[2]

Economy

In 2011 the city council announced plans to create a major commercial development in the Ilemela District.[3] Construction works on Rock City Mall are set to be finalised in the second half of 2015. This mall will be the first of its size in Mwanza and one of the biggest malls in the country.[4]

Fishing

One major occupation of the inhabitants along the shores of Lake Victoria in Mwanza region is fishing, and there are five fish processing plants in the area. Nile perch were previously introduced to the lake, and are exported in large quantities.[5]

The consequences of the nile perch industry are the subject of the Academy Award nominated documentary Darwin's Nightmare (2004) by Hubert Sauper.

On the lake around Mwanza, a lot of sardine fishing ( locally known as 'dagaa') takes place.[citation needed]

Climate

Climate data for Mwanza
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 29
(84)
28
(83)
29
(84)
28
(83)
29
(84)
29
(84)
29
(84)
29
(84)
29
(85)
29
(85)
29
(84)
28
(83)
28.8
(83.9)
Average low °C (°F) 18
(65)
18
(64)
18
(65)
18
(65)
18
(64)
17
(63)
16
(61)
17
(63)
18
(64)
19
(66)
19
(66)
18
(65)
17.8
(64.3)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 97
(3.8)
104
(4.1)
155
(6.1)
145
(5.7)
94
(3.7)
20
(0.8)
13
(0.5)
20
(0.8)
46
(1.8)
46
(1.8)
114
(4.5)
147
(5.8)
1,001
(39.4)
Source: Weatherbase [6]

Transport

Mwanza Airport
Mwanza train station
Two dala dalas (minibuses) in Mwanza
Two ferries from Kamanga arriving at the port of Mwanza.

Airport

Mwanza is served by Mwanza Airport, which is located at 10 km to the north of the city centre in Ilemela District.[citation needed]

The airport has flights to Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro and Nairobi.[7][8]

Railway

Mwanza's railway station is located in the centre of town, in Nyamagana District.

The city is connected by rail with Shinyanga.[9] Twice a week the train departs to Dar es Salaam, via Dodoma, Tabora and Kigoma.[10]

Buses

Two bus stations connect Mwanza to the rest of Tanzania and neighbouring countries by road: Nyegezi and Buzuruga bus station.

Nyegezi bus station is located in Nyamagana district. Buses going to the south and west leave from Nyegezi, as well as international services.[11]

Buzuruga bus station is located in Ilemela district. Buses going to the east, North and the Kenyan border depart from Buzuruga bus station.[11]

Dala dala

The dala dala or minibus is the most common form of public transport in Mwanza. They run fixed routes but will also stop anywhere along their route to drop someone off or allow a passenger to board. The main dala dala terminals are Airport/Ilemela, Buhongwa, Bwiru, Ibanda, Kisesa/Kishiri and Mzunguko.[citation needed]

Boda boda

The motorcycle taxis or boda boda is another common mode of transport in Mwanza. The passenger is taken to their destination by the motorcycle driver and pays according to the distance travelled.[citation needed]

Ferry

Several ferry lines depart from Mwanza town to a number of destinations around Lake Victoria.

Two privately operated ferries run continuously from central Mwanza to Kamanga (Sengerema District).[citation needed]

An overnight ferry runs from Mwanza to Bukoba three times per week. Two daily ferries connect Mwanza with the town of Nansio in Ukerewe Island.[citation needed]

Sports

CCM Kirumba Stadium

Toto African is the main football club in Mwanza. The team participates in the 2015/2016 Tanzanian Premier League.[12] Home games are played at CCM Kirumba Stadium.

Education

St. Augustine University of Tanzania (SAUT) is the main university in Mwanza. The University extends over 600 acres in the Nyegezi-Malimbe area 10 km south of Mwanza City. It lies 4 km off the main Mwanza- Shinyanga road on the shores of Lake Victoria. The University is a half-hour’s drive from Mwanza by car or by bus.[13]

Cooperation with cities outside Tanzania

  • Finland Tampere, Finland: The relationship between Tampere and Mwanza is part of the North-South Local Government Co-operation Programme. The programme is coordinated by the Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities and funded by the Ministry for Foreign Affairs of Finland. The purpose is to support the Mwanza City Council in implementing the city strategy and in providing better services for its citizens.[14]
  • Western Sahara Tifariti, Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic[15]
  • Germany Würzburg, Germany[16]

Gallery

References

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  2. Section 1.2, "Mwanza Region Socio-Economic Profile", joint publication by the Planning Commission Dar es Salaam and the Regional Commissioner's Office Mwanza, October 1997, page 4
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  6. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
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  14. "Tampere-Mwanza Local Governance Cooperation project", The City of Tampere
  15. "Tifariti commune signs cooperation, twinning agreements with several African cities", Agence Maghreb Arabe Presse, published on the website of The Free Library, 21 December 2009
  16. "HIV: New Problems for Africa", University of Würzburg

External links

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