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Karagwe is one of the eight districts of the
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 borde ...
of
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 ...
. It is bordered to the north by
Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
, to the east by the
Bukoba Rural District Bukoba Rural District is one of the eight districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by Missenyi District, to the east by Lake Victoria and Bukoba Urban District, to the south by Muleba District and to the west by ...
, to the southeast by the
Muleba District Muleba is one of the six districts of the Kagera Region of 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 ...
, to the south by the
Ngara District Ngara District is one of the eight districts of the Kagera Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by Karagwe District, to the east by Biharamulo District, to the south by the Kigoma Region, to the northeast by Muleba District and ...
and to the west by Republic of
Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
, from which it is divided by the River Kagera. Small lakes such as the Ikimba, Burigi, Rushwa, and Rwakajunju provide fishing opportunities for residents of the Karagwe District. The district covers and area of .


History

The present day Karagwe district 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 ...
, was part of a greater kingdom called the
Karagwe Kingdom Karagwe Kingdom is in north-western Tanzania between Rwanda and Lake Victoria. Karagwe Kingdom was influential kingdom in the history of East Africa led by a hereditary of Kings and chief said to have descended from the Bachwezi. It enjoye ...
. The Karagwe kingdom was part of the many Great Lakes Kingdoms, in
East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa: Due to the historical ...
. Like many other Great Lakes kingdoms, the Karagwe people, known as Abanyambo, claim inheritance from the ancient Kitara empire, ruled by a dynasty known as the
Bachwezi The Kingdom of the Banyakitara, also known as Union of Kitara (Union of Chwezi) or Chwezi Union, and better known as the Kitara Empire, was an empire in East Africa. It existed in the region from around the early bronze age to about 500 C.E. ...
. The first indigenous leader of Karagwe kingdom before the coming of Ruhinda's generation was Nono Marinja ''(Nono ya Marinja)''. This indigenous leader was from one of Nyambo clans "Abasiita". His clan was therefore the ruling clan before Hamtik's arrival in this ''centralized'' state in the interlacustrine region. The Karagwe kingdom reached its apex during the 19th century. Archaeological evidence suggests that growth occurred during the early part of the 1800s. King Ndagara came to power around 1820 and ruled until 1853, at which time he was replaced by Rumanyika. The area has strong linguistic and historical ties to the Bugandan states to the north and to central African symbolic forms. Near the end of the 18th century, Karagwe's prosperity became well known and traders came to barter
salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quantitie ...
,
pepper Pepper or peppers may refer to: Food and spice * Piperaceae or the pepper family, a large family of flowering plant ** Black pepper * ''Capsicum'' or pepper, a genus of flowering plants in the nightshade family Solanaceae ** Bell pepper ** Chili ...
,
oranges An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...
,
copper Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from la, cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkis ...
, and
millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most species generally referred to as millets belong to the tribe Paniceae, but some millets al ...
for local goods. Around 1800,
beans A bean is the seed of several plants in the family Fabaceae, which are used as vegetables for human or animal food. They can be cooked in many different ways, including boiling, frying, and baking, and are used in many traditional dishes th ...
and cooking bananas were introduced from
Uganda }), is a landlocked country in East Africa East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territor ...
. Early in the 1840s,
Arab The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
s arrived and trade flourished, especially the
slave trade Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
. The cowrie was introduced as hard currency and many new crops were introduced (e.g. sweet banana,
tomato The tomato is the edible berry of the plant ''Solanum lycopersicum'', commonly known as the tomato plant. The species originated in western South America, Mexico, and Central America. The Mexican Nahuatl word gave rise to the Spanish word ...
es,
maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. Th ...
,
cassava ''Manihot esculenta'', common name, 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 ...
, pawpaw, vegetables and citrus fruits). Throughout the 1890s, Karagwe was ravaged by local wars, epidemics, and pests. The outbreak of rinderpest and
smallpox Smallpox was an infectious disease caused by variola virus (often called smallpox virus) which belongs to the genus Orthopoxvirus. The last naturally occurring case was diagnosed in October 1977, and the World Health Organization (WHO) c ...
reduced human and livestock population. Tribal wars were eventually settled by the
German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...
authorities in
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. T ...
). Around 1900, commercial
coffee Coffee is a drink prepared from roasted coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulant, stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content. It is the most popular hot drink in the world. S ...
growing was introduced by the Germans, which was further developed under British rule. Coffee production was mainly sold in
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
. In 1935, coffee processing industries in Bukoba were established by the
India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
ns. During and after the Second World War, the first farmer associations were established and many farmers migrated from Bukoba to Karagwe. During the late 1990s, 165,000 refugees from
Rwanda Rwanda (; rw, u Rwanda ), officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley of Central Africa, where the African Great Lakes region and Southeast Africa converge. Located a few degrees south of the Equator ...
were divided over five camps in the Karagwe District. Other agricultural products that are at its peak are NANASI from Kagutu village, Chanika village, and other places though in a small scale.


Demographics

There are many sub-groups but the main tribe in Karagwe is Nyambo, who call themselves Abanyambo. They can also be referred to as Wanyambo and they speak Kinyambo. According to the 2012 Tanzania National Census, the population of Karagwe District was 332,020, from 424,287 in 2002, and 284,137 in 1988, with a population density of .


Wards

Karagwe District is administratively divided into more than 20 wards, these include: * Bugene * Bweranyange * Igurwa * Ihanda * Ihembe * Kanoni * Kayanga * Kibondo * Kihanga * Kamagambo * Kiruruma * Kituntu * Ndama * Nyabiyonza * Nyaishozi * Nyakahanga * Nyakakika * Nyakabanga * Nyakasimbi * Rugu


Transportation

To get to the Karagwe region the easiest way is taking a bus. To get around use dalla-dallas (small buses) or piki-pikis (motorbikes)


References


External links


Karagwe District page at United Republic of Tanzania Gateway


{{Coord, 1.5020, S, 30.9900, E, source:wikidata-and-enwiki-cat-tree_region:TZ, display=title Districts of Kagera Region