Musoma
Coordinates: 1 ° 30 ′ S , 33 ° 48 ′ E
Musoma ( Swahili for "peninsula") is the capital of the Mara region , Tanzania . The city is located directly at the confluence of the Mara River in Lake Victoria . At the extreme edge of the estuary, the landscape forms a peninsula, which gave the city its name.
population
Musoma shows rapid population growth, as is typical for cities in developing countries. 134,327 people currently live in the city (according to 2012 census). The population is multiethnic and includes a. Luo and Kuria , who traditionally settle on the eastern edge of the lake. However, the majority of the population is made up of the resident Kwaya .
| year | population |
|---|---|
| 1978 (census) | 31.051 |
| 1988 (census) | 63,652 |
| 2002 (census) | 104,851 |
| 2012 (census) | 134,327 |
history
Musoma was founded in 1912 by the German colonial government at the time . Musoma was to replace Shirati as the port and branch of the Muansa district office . In August 1913 a customs post was set up in Musoma for goods traffic with the English colonies of Uganda and British East Africa on Lake Victoria.
In 1914 work began on a port in Musoma, which was to replace the unfavorable port of Shirati in the north. At that time, Musoma was also one of the locations of the German protection force . The First World War stopped the further development of Musoma as an administrative seat and port in German East Africa. From this time there is an old administration building near the post office, which now houses the police (attention: no photography).
economy
The most important food and economic source of the population of Musoma is fishing . There are some fish factories in the city owned by Indian and European businessmen. The agriculture is only for subsistence , d. H. to maintain one's own livelihood. Many residents sell the produce from their fields at small stalls by the roadside.
The inhabitants quarry the granite rocks on the shores of Lake Victoria to build local houses.
tourism
The tourism plays - despite the proximity Musomas the Serengeti National Park - no big role. Musoma is only a stopover for travelers between Kenya and the Tanzanian city of Mwanza . Notable hotels are the Afrilux, Tembo Beach, Peninsula and the Orange Tree.
Not far from Musoma is the birthplace of the former head of state Julius Nyerere , for whom a museum has been set up.
traffic
The bus station is in the center of the city. The city is connected to the surrounding area by a well-developed bus network. Buses run south to Mwanza , north to the Kenyan border and east to Arusha . For buses going east, the transit fees for the Serengeti and Ngorongoro National Parks are added to the fare.
Musoma has a ferry port and a landing strip for aircraft. Ferry and flight operations have almost come to a standstill. From the fish market near Kawawa Street "Taxiboats" drive to the nearby towns and islands.
Individual evidence
- ^ Tanzania: Regions and Cities - Population Statistics in Maps and Tables. Retrieved January 7, 2019 .
- ↑ Jacob E. Mabe (ed.): The small Africa Lexicon. Stuttgart 2002, ISBN 3-87294-885-7 (Peter Hammer Verlag), ISBN 3-476-01538-6 (Verlag JB Metzler), p. 184, map 31.
- ^ Heinrich Schnee : German East Africa in the World Wars . Verlag Quelle & Meyer, Leipzig 1920, page 100
literature
- Jörg Gabriel: Tanzania, Sansibar, Kilimanjaro , ReiseKnowHow, Bielefeld 2000, ISBN 3-8317-1138-0 .