Bukoba
| Bukoba | |||
|---|---|---|---|
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| Coordinates | 1 ° 20 ′ S , 31 ° 49 ′ E | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Tanzania | ||
| Kagera | |||
| ISO 3166-2 | TZ-05 | ||
| Residents | 128,796 (2012) | ||
 View over Bukoba
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Bukoba is a city on the west coast of Lake Victoria in northwestern Tanzania . It is the capital of the Kagera region with its last official population of 128,796 (2012 census).
The ferry Bukoba , which sank in 1996, was named after the city.
Geopolitical data
Bukoba is 1 ° south of the equator on the shores of Lake Victoria at an altitude of 1134 m above sea level . Bukoba is the largest city and the administrative seat of the Regional Commissioner of the Kagera region . The city is also the triple bishopric of the Roman Catholic diocese of Bukoba , the northwest diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania and the Orthodox diocese of Bukoba.
Population development
The following overview shows the number of inhabitants by area since the 1978 census.
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1978 (census) | 21,547 |
| 1988 (census) | 28,702 |
| 2002 (census) | 59,157 |
| 2012 (census) | 128,796 |
history
Early history and colonial times
A first settlement on the soil of today's Bukoba can be proven since the beginning of the era. In the 1970s, while building an additional port in Bukoba, workers found blast furnaces for iron smelting from this period, which operated at up to 1700 ° C.
The name Bukoba is derived from the original inhabitants of the region, the Koba people. These mingled with the Haya people who were invading from the north and who now inhabit the region. Bukoba is located in the center of the historical Buhaya Empire , whose economic basis was based on the relatively intensive cultivation of bananas .
In 1890, the Silesian doctor and former governor of Equatoria Emin Pasha chose the fishing village of Bukoba for the construction of a station after he switched from Ottoman to German service. The German colonial administration built a fort in which the 7th Company of the Schutztruppe for German East Africa was stationed. In 1906, Bukoba became the seat of Bukoba residences for the Haya area . The Uganda Railway , which was driven to Kisumu on the British side of Lake Victoria in 1901 and leads to Mombasa on the Indian Ocean, became important for the economic development of Bukoba .
During the observation period between 1897 and 1914, a weather station of the Deutsche Seewarte was active near Bukoba . In 1910 the construction of a radio station for wireless telegraphy began, which began work on March 20, 1911. The interest of German settlers and business people remained low despite the good climatic conditions. The city prospered through the cultivation of coffee and the farmers from the Haya people were considered to be one of the wealthiest peoples in colonial Tanganyika . This development continued under British rule.
Independence and the Bukoba disaster
After independence and when the price of coffee fell, Bukoba's economic influence declined. Today it is mainly Indian business people who determine the economic life of the city.
The city also became known for the largest ship accident in the history of East Africa (and one of the largest ship disasters on freshwater lakes) when on May 21, 1996 the Bukoba ferry of the same name capsized about 30 kilometers northwest of Mwanza on the journey from Mwanza to Bukoba up to a thousand people were killed. It was approved for 430 passengers.
economy
After Mwanza, Bukoba is the second largest port in Tanzania on Lake Victoria . There is a ferry connection with Mwanza and Kampala in Uganda and a small airport with regular flights to Mwanza. There are also bus connections to the capital of Uganda, Kampala.
The city is characterized by regional coffee cultivation . There are two larger coffee processing plants in the city (TANICA and BUKOP), which are the city's most important employers.
Attractions
The city is considered a pleasant city for tourists due to the climate . In addition, it is an important crossing point for travelers due to its connections to Mwanza, Rwanda and Uganda.
Tourist destinations include the Bunena Church, a neo-Gothic style church that was built in 1913 by the Catholic Mission in the south of the city. There are also a few houses from the German colonial era between the Lake Hotel and the harbor. Below is the former German fort ( Boma ). Overall, however, a visit to the city is less worthwhile for its tourist attractions than for its pleasant and friendly urban climate.
Near Bukoba there is also the only beach that is free from schistosomiasis snails. There is therefore the opportunity to swim.
Sports
Bukoba is represented by the Kagera Sugar FC team in the Tanzanian Premier League . In the 2007/2008 season they reached 5th place in the table. The non-profit association Jambo Bukoba uses sport to improve education, health and equality in Bukoba.
Web links
- Official site of the Kagera region (English)
- Entry “Bukoba” in the German Colonial Lexicon from 1920
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated November 29, 2006 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ^ Tanzania: Regions and Cities - Population Statistics in Maps and Tables. Retrieved January 7, 2019 .
- ^ German Weather Service: Station list of the overseas stations. As of June 2, 2017, p. 6. (PDF, approx. 170 kB) ( page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Reinhard Klein-Arendt: "Kamina calls Nauen!" The radio stations in the German colonies 1904-1918 . 3rd edition, Cologne: Wilhelm Herbst Verlag, 1999, pp. 130ff., ISBN 3-923925-58-1 .
