The Makonde Plateau, also known as the Newala Plateau, is a plateau in southeastern

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 ...

. It is mostly within

Mtwara Region Mtwara Region (''Mkoa wa Mtwara'' in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital is the municipality of Mtwara. Mtwara Region is home to one of the most infuluencial people in Tanzania, the Makonde. Mtwara i ...

, with the northeast corner in

Lindi Region Lindi Region (''Mkoa wa Lindi'' 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 Sri Lanka. The regional capital is the mu ...

. The Makonde Plateau is a roughly rectangular, rising from the coast west of

. There are steep escarpments along its western edge and along the

Ruvuma River Ruvuma River, formerly also known as the Rovuma River, is a river in the African Great Lakes region. During the greater part of its course, it forms the border between Tanzania and Mozambique (in Mozambique known as ''Rio Rovuma''). The river is ...

to the south. The Lukuledi River runs along its northern edge. The eastern portion is dissected by many stream valleys, while the western end is higher, reaching 900 meters elevation. Rough Guides (2015). ''The Rough Guide to Tanzania''. Rough Guides UK, 2015. , 9780241237496.

Newala Newala is one of the five districts of the Mtwara Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the west by the Masasi District, to the east by the Tandahimba District, to the south by Newala Town, and to the north by the Tandahimba and Masasi Ma ...

is the plateau's main town. It is located on the southwest corner of the plateau, and has expansive vistas over the plains to the west, and south across the Ruvuma River into

Mozambique Mozambique (), officially the Republic of Mozambique ( pt, Moçambique or , ; ny, Mozambiki; sw, Msumbiji; ts, Muzambhiki), is a country located in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Mala ...

. The

Makonde people The Makonde are an ethnic group in southeast Tanzania, northern Mozambique, and Kenya. The Makonde developed their culture on the Mueda Plateau in Mozambique. At present they live throughout Tanzania and Mozambique, and have a small presence in ...

inhabit the plateau and the adjacent lowlands. The Makonde people also inhabit the

Mueda Plateau The Mueda Plateau, also known as the Maconde Plateau, is a plateau in Cabo Delgado Province of northeastern Mozambique. Geography The Mueda Plateau lies between the Ruvuma River on the north, which forms the border with Tanzania, and the Messalo ...

, which lies immediately south of the Ruvuma River in Mozambique. The Mueda Plateau is also referred to as the Makonde or Maconde plateau. The Makonde Plateau is in the

Southern Zanzibar-Inhambane coastal forest mosaic Southern may refer to: Businesses * China Southern Airlines, airline based in Guangzhou, China * Southern Airways, defunct US airline * Southern Air, air cargo transportation company based in Norwalk, Connecticut, US * Southern Airways Express, M ...

ecoregion.

References

{{Mtwara-geo-stub Geography of Lindi Region Geography of Mtwara Region Southern Zanzibar–Inhambane coastal forest mosaic Plateaus of Africa