Uvinza is one of the eight administrative districts of

Kigoma Region Kigoma Region (''Mkoa wa Kigoma'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital is the city of Kigoma. Kigoma Region borders Kagera Region, Geita Region, Katavi Region, Tabora Region, DRC and Burundi According ...

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 ...

. Uvinza is bordered to the northwest by

Kigoma District Kigoma District is one of the eight administrative districts of Kigoma Region in Tanzania. The district lies north of the city of Kigoma-Ujiji. Uvinza District, to the west and south of Ujiji, was split off from the Kigoma District in 1 July, ...

and

Kigoma-Ujiji District Kigoma-Ujiji District is one of the eight administrative districts of Kigoma Region in Tanzania. The District covers an area of . It is bordered to the west by Uvinza District in the south east and to the north by Kigoma District. The western ...

. North of the district is bordered by

Kasulu District Kasulu District is one of the 8 districts of Kigoma Region, Tanzania. The Kasulu District is the rural district council to the Kasulu Town Council which separated from the Kasulu District Council in 2011. It is bordered to the north by Bur ...

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika () is an African Great Lake. It is the second-oldest freshwater lake in the world, the second-largest by volume, and the second-deepest, in all cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. It is the world's longest freshwater lake. ...

borders the district on the west.

Mpanda District Mpanda District is one of the five districts of the Katavi Region of Tanzania. Its administrative seat is the city of Mpanda. The district is bordered to the northwest by the Kigoma Region, to the northeast by the Tabora Region, to the east by ...

Katavi Region Katavi Region (''Mkoa wa Katavi'' 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 Estonia. Kagera Region is bordered to ...

boders the district to the south and

Kaliua District Kaliua District is one of the seven districts of the Tabora Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the north by Kahama and Ushetu Districts, to the east by Uyui District and Urambo District, to the south by Katavi Region and to the west by Uvinza ...

Tabora Region Tabora Region (''Mkoa wa Tabora'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital is the municipality of Tabora. The region is located in mid-western part of Tanzania. Tabora is bordered by Shinyanga to the nort ...

borders the district to the east. The district is named in honor of the

Vinza people The Vinza (''Wavinza'' in Swahili) are a Bantu ethnic and linguistic group based in Kigoma Region, Tanzania. In 1987 the Vinza population was estimated to be 10,000. The Vinza people speak the Vinza language, also known as Kivinza, which belong ...

whom the western part of district was their historic kingdom. Southern Uvinza District is home to the

Mahale Mountains National Park Mahale Mountains National Park lies on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika in Uvinza District of Kigoma Region, Tanzania. Named after the Mahale Mountains range that is within its borders, the park has several unusual characteristics. First, i ...

. A unique park that is home to both

Chimpanzee The chimpanzee (''Pan troglodytes''), also known as simply the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forest and savannah of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed subspecies. When its close relative th ...

s and

lion The lion (''Panthera leo'') is a large Felidae, cat of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Africa and India. It has a muscular, broad-chested body; short, rounded head; round ears; and a hairy tuft at the end of its tail. It is sexually dimorphi ...

s in the same habitat.

History

The area that is currently Uvinza district is historically known for its salt production in Tanzania. Uvinza was ruled by the

for hundred of years. During 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 ...

colonial period the town was named Neu Gottorp and under their occupation a railway line was built in the 1900s linking it 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 ...

. The district council was created from the Kigoma District on 1 July 2013.

Geography and Climate

Due to its immense size, Uvinza district has diverse geography. It covers an area of . Thus making it the largest district in the Kigoma region. The district is home to

and shares the largest coastline to Lake Tanganyika in Kigoma Region. The climate is

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 ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

''Aw'').

Demographics

In 2016 the Tanzania National Bureau of Statistics report there were 387,442 people in the district, from 383,640 in 2012. Average household estimates in 2017 were 5.6, and 4.1% growth a year.

Economy

Uvinza town is the economic heart of Uvinza district. The town has a station on the Tanzanian Railways. The region is dominated by salt production, forestry,and agriculture. Fishing is also one of the economic activities, with the most prominent fish across the country the Nguruka fish. In October 2007, it was proposed to build a branch railway to

Bujumbura Bujumbura (; ), formerly Usumbura, is the economic capital, largest city and main port of Burundi. It ships most of the country's chief export, coffee, as well as cotton and tin ore. Bujumbura was formerly the country's normal capital. In late ...

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 ...

junctioning off from there.

Railway Gazette International ''Railway Gazette International'' is a monthly business magazine and news website covering the railway, metro, light rail and tram industries worldwide. Available by annual subscription, the magazine is read in over 140 countries by transport p ...

November 2007, p. 688 It is also served by Uvinza Airport, which is located around northeast of the town center. The airport consists of a single, non-paved airstrip which is approximately long. There is currently a railway that will go from Uvinza to Gitega planned to be completed in 2027.

Administrative subdivisions

Uvinza District is administratively divided into 16

wards Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a priso ...

, 61 villages and 328 hamlets. The district's headquarter is at Lubufu. In 2014 the Simbo ward was moved from Uvinza District to the

Wards

* Basanza (14,657) * Buhingu (18,682) * Herembe (10,181) * Igalula (26,272) * Ilagala (29,333) * Itebula (27,305) *

Kalya Kalya ( he, קַלְיָה) is an Israeli settlement organized as a kibbutz in the West Bank. It was originally established in 1929 but was occupied and destroyed by the Jordanians in 1948; it was later rebuilt in 1968 after the Six-Day War. L ...

(24,751) * Kandaga (26,083) * Kazuramimba (37,551) * Mganza (27,323) * Mtego wa Noti (16,850) * Mwakizega (22,429) * Nguruka (29,916) * Sigunga (12,335) * Sunuka (39,651) *

Uvinza Uvinza is one of the eight administrative districts of Kigoma Region in Tanzania. Uvinza is bordered to the northwest by Kigoma District and Kigoma-Ujiji District. North of the district is bordered by Kasulu District . Lake Tanganyika borders ...

(24,122)

References

{{Uvinza District Districts of Kigoma Region