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 ...

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 ...

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 let ...

of 35.69°E. The name is derived from the Hehe word ''lilinga'', meaning fort. Iringa is the administrative capital of Iringa Region. 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, 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 standardis ...

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

Climate

Iringa has a fairly dry subtropical highland climate ( Köppen ''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 ...

(''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. After their defeat at Lugalo by the Hehe, led by Chief Mkwawa, the Germans built a military station at 'Neu Iringa' to avenge the death of their commander Emil von Zelewski 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 al ...

, 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 (a constituent college of the University of Dar es Salaam), 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 i ...

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

, Mbeya, Songea, and Dodoma 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, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most central point. Its neighbours are t ...

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 northe ...

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

and other

EAC EAC may refer to: Education * Eastern Arizona College, in Thatcher, Arizona, United States * Emilio Aguinaldo College, in Manila, Philippines Government and politics * East African Community, a trade bloc * East Asian Community, a proposed tr ...

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