Chato District is one of the five districts in

Geita Region Geita Region (''Mkoa wa Geita'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Slovenia. for Slovenia at Geita Regio ...

of northwestern

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands ...

. Its administrative centre is the town of Chato. The main ethnic group in the district are the Sukuma. The late

John Magufuli John Pombe Joseph Magufuli (29 October 1959 – 17 March 2021) was the fifth president of Tanzania, serving from 2015 until his death in 2021. He served as Minister of Works, Transport and Communications from 2000 to 2005 and 2010 to 2015 and w ...

, who used to be as

President of Tanzania The President of the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Rais wa Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania) is the head of state and head of government of the United Republic of Tanzania. The President leads the executive branch of the Government of Tanza ...

from 2015—2021, was born in Chato.

History

The Chato District was formed around 2005 within

Kagera Region Kagera Region (''Mkoa wa Kagera'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of . The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Netherlands. Kagera Region is border ...

after being separated from

Biharamulo District Biharamulo District is one of the eight districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by Karagwe District and Muleba District, to the east and south by Geita Region, to the west by Ngara District, and to the southwest b ...

. In 2012, it was transferred to the newly created Geita Region. In March 2006, Rwandan refugees who had settled in the district were evicted. The following year, a few who had been evicted improperly were allowed to come back.

Transport

Airport

The district hosts the largest airport in the

Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physical geography), human impact characteristics ( human geography), and the interaction of humanity an ...

the

Geita Airport Geita Airport is a small regional airport in northern Tanzania serving the city of Geita. It is located near the south western shores of Lake Victoria approximately from the city Chato. The airport has the longest runway and only asphalt runw ...

, south of Chato Town.

Road

The paved truck road T4 (from

Mwanza Mwanza City, also known as Rock City to the residents, is a port city and capital of Mwanza Region on the southern shore of Lake Victoria in north-western Tanzania. With an urban population of 1,182,000 in 2021, it is Tanzania's second largest c ...

Bukoba Bukoba is a city with a population of 128,796 (2012 census), situated in the north west of Tanzania on the south western shores of Lake Victoria. It is the capital of the Kagera region, and the administrative seat for Bukoba Urban District. ...

) passes through southern part of the Chao district.

Geography

Location

Chato District neighbours Lake Victoria to the northeast, Geita District to the east, the districts of Mbogwe and Bukombe to the south, and

of the

to the west and north.

Topology

Climate

The annual rainfall in Chato District is adequate for crops, being between per year. The maximum temperature averages around and the minimum temperatures around .

Administration Division

Wards

The Chato District is divided into 23 wards: * Bukome * Buseresere * Butengorumasa * Buziku * Bwanga * Bwera * Bwina * Bwongera * Chato * Minkoto * Ichwankima * Ilemela * Ilyamchele * Iparamasa * Kachwamba * Kasenga * Katende * Kigongo * Makurugusi * Muganza * Muungano * Nyamirembe * Nyarutembo

Economy

The primary economic activity is

subsistence farming Subsistence agriculture occurs when farmers grow food crops to meet the needs of themselves and their families on smallholdings. Subsistence agriculturalists target farm output for survival and for mostly local requirements, with little or no su ...

without irrigation, using only rain.

Food Crops

Common crops for local consumption are bananas, beans, maize,

cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', commonly called cassava (), manioc, or yuca (among numerous regional names), is a woody shrub of the spurge family, Euphorbiaceae, native to South America. Although a perennial plant, cassava is extensively cultivated ...

s, and sweet potatoes.

Cash Crops

Commercial farming is not well developed, but cotton, sunflower, tobacco and coffee are grown for sale.

Livestock

Livestock rearing is usually an adjunct to farming, with some commercial ranches.

Tourism

Rubondo Island National Park Rubondo Island National Park is one of two Tanzanian national parks located on an island in Lake Victoria (the other being Saanane Island National Park). The Island is administered by Geita District of Geita Region, and as a National Park, the i ...

is located on an island in Lake Victoria just off the coast of Chato District. It can be reached by ferry from Kasenda, a village in the north of the district.

References

Districts of Geita Region {{Tanzania-geo-stub