Iringa is a city in

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 and ...

with a population of 151,345 (). It is situated at a

latitude In geography, latitude is a coordinate that specifies the north– south position of a point on the surface of the Earth or another celestial body. Latitude is given as an angle that ranges from –90° at the south pole to 90° at the north pol ...

of 7.77°S and

longitude Longitude (, ) is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east–west position of a point on the surface of the Earth, or another celestial body. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees and denoted by the Greek letter l ...

of 35.69°E. The name is derived from the Hehe word ''lilinga'', meaning

fort A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

. Iringa is the administrative capital of

Iringa Region Iringa Region (''Mkoa wa Iringa'' 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 Guinea Bissau. Iringa Region is bor ...

. Iringa Municipal Council is the administrative designation of the Municipality of Iringa. Iringa has been one of the coldest regions in Tanzania due to its geographical location but that has attracted a lot of tourists from colder regions abroad especially Western Europe. Iringa also hosts one of Africa’s largest national parks the Ruaha National Park.

Geography

The town stretches along a hilltop overlooking the Little Ruaha River to the south, and spreads along ridges and valleys to the north. Iringa is in the

Udzungwa Mountains The Udzungwa Mountains are a mountain range in south-central Tanzania. The mountains are mostly within Iringa Region, south of Tanzania's capital Dodoma. The Udzungwa Mountains are part of the Eastern Arc Mountains, and are home to a biodiverse ...

, and the altitude of the town's environs is more than above

sea level Mean sea level (MSL, often shortened to sea level) is an average surface level of one or more among Earth's coastal bodies of water from which heights such as elevation may be measured. The global MSL is a type of vertical datuma standardised g ...

. The months of June, July, and August can see low temperatures near freezing. The

Tanzam Highway The Tanzam Highway leads from Lusaka in Zambia to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The highway was built from 1968 to 1973 in several stages and was intended to provide seaport access for Zambia and to expand the transport options for Zambia, Malawi ...

passes through the valley below the town; the highway distance from Iringa's limits to

Dar es Salaam Dar es Salaam (; from ar, دَار السَّلَام, Dâr es-Selâm, lit=Abode of Peace) or commonly known as Dar, is the largest city and financial hub of Tanzania. It is also the capital of Dar es Salaam Region. With a population of over s ...

is , via

Morogoro Morogoro is a city in the eastern part of Tanzania west of Dar es Salaam. Morogoro is the capital of the Morogoro Region. It is also known informally as "Mji kasoro bahari" which translates to “city short of an ocean/port." The Belgian based ...

Climate

Iringa has a fairly dry

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ( ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Cwb'') bordering on a

tropical savanna climate Tropical savanna climate or tropical wet and dry climate is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification categories ''Aw'' (for a dry winter) and ''As'' (for a dry summer). The driest month has less than of p ...

(''Aw'') with a wet season from December to April.

History

The Isimila Stone Age site, which lies about to the southwest, contains archeological artifacts, particularly stone tools, from human habitation about 70,000 years ago. Iringa Region is home to the

Hehe people The Hehe ( Swahili collective: Wahehe) are a Bantu ethnolinguistic group based in Iringa Region in south-central Tanzania, speaking the Bantu Hehe language. In 2006, the Hehe population was estimated at 805,000, up from the just over 250,000 ...

. After their defeat at Lugalo by the Hehe, led by

Chief Mkwawa Chief Mkwavinyika Munyigumba Mwamuyinga (1855 – 19 July 1898), more commonly known as Chief Mkwawa or Sultan Mkwawa, was a Hehe tribal leader in German East Africa, based in Kalenga, Iringa region, who opposed the German colonization. The name ...

, the Germans built a military station at 'Neu Iringa' to avenge the death of their commander

Emil von Zelewski Emil von Zelewski was a German officer of Kashubian descent who served as commander of the Schutztruppe for German East Africa. In the Hehe Revolt he was killed in action during the . Early years Emil von Zelewski was born in Bendargau in the ...

and to teach the Hehe respect for German authority. The fortress and headquarters of Chief Mkwawa was in the nearby village of

Kalenga Kalenga is an administrative ward in the Iringa Rural district of the Iringa Region of Tanzania. In 2016 the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics reported its population to be 7,286, up from 6,963 in 2012. Kalenga, which is situated along ...

, Alt Iringa.

Education

Iringa has several institutions of higher education, including Tumaini University,

Iringa University College University of Iringa (formerly Tumaini University, Iringa University College) is now a full-fledged University. The University operates as a private university under the ownership of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania. References Exte ...

Mkwawa University College of Education The Mkwawa University College of Education (MUCE) is a constituent college of the University of Dar es Salaam in Iringa, Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a coun ...

(a constituent college of the

University of Dar es Salaam The University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM) is a public university in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. It was established in 1961 as an affiliate college of the University of London. The university became an affiliate of the University of East Africa (UEA) in 1 ...

), and Ruaha Catholic University (RUCU)). There are also secondary schools like Tosamaganga high school, Malangali high school, Iringa girls' secondary school, Ifunda technical school and Ruaha Secondary School.

Economy

Main road with the clock tower in Iringa city Iringa has a well-established industrial base, including food processing and logistics industries. Most of its electricity comes from the nearby

Mtera Dam Mtera Dam is a hydroelectric dam in Tanzania. The dam is located midway between Iringa and Dodoma on the border between the Iringa Region and the Dodoma Region. The travel time from Dodoma is about two hours on a tarmac road. Overview Mtera Dam ...

. Iringa is a minor transport hub for regular bus travelers. It is a center for trucking services to

Mbeya Mbeya is a city located in south west Tanzania, Africa. Mbeya's urban population is 620,000 according to the 2022 census. Mbeya is the capital of the surrounding rural Mbeya region (population, with Mbeya, totals approx. 2 million). Mbeya is sit ...

Songea Songea is the capital of Ruvuma Region in southwestern Tanzania. It is located along the A19 road. The city has a population of approximately 203,309, and it is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Songea. Between 1905 and 1907, the cit ...

, and

Dodoma Dodoma ( in Gogo), officially Dodoma City, is the national capital of Tanzania and the capital of the Dodoma Region, with a population of 410,956. In 1974, the Tanzanian government announced that the capital would be moved to Dodoma for social a ...

and other regions of

. It is also a servicing town for trucks going to neighboring countries such as

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

Democratic Republic of Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

Malawi Malawi (; or aláwi Tumbuka: ''Malaŵi''), officially the Republic of Malawi, is a landlocked country in Southeastern Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the west, Tanzania to the north and northeast ...

Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili language, Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French language, French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the ...

and other EAC countries.

Crafts

Iringa is known for its woven baskets, made from local reeds. The baskets are used across Tanzania and exported internationally. The city is also known for the award-winnin
Neema Crafts Centre.

Media

Iringa municipality has seven FM radio stations: Trap Gang Radio, Ebony FM, Country FM and Nuru FM (youth entertainment and commercial radios), Overcomers Radio and Radio Furaha (Christian stations), Kibra Ten Radio (a Muslim station). There are other radio stations elsewhere in Iringa region, such as Kitulo community radio in Makete and another FM radio station in Njombe. Iringa has one TV station: Municipal Television, a multi-age TV station with diversified programmes.

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Iringa Region Regional capitals in Tanzania