Tanga, Tanzania

Infobox Settlement
official_name = Tanga
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map_caption = Location of Tanga City in Tanga Region


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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_name = Tanzania
subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_name1 = Tanga Region
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government_type = City Council
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Salim Kisauji
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established_title = Incorporated Town
established_date = 1891¹
established_title2 = Incorporated City
established_date2 = 1 July 2005
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population_as_of = 2002
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population_total = 243,580
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timezone = EAT
utc_offset = +3
timezone_DST = "not observed"
utc_offset_DST = +3
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area_code = 027
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footnotes = ¹The Germans designated Tanga into a township after taking control of the coastal area from the Sultan of Zanzibar in April 1891

Tanga is both the name of the most northerly seaport city of Tanzania, and the surrounding Tanga Region. It is the Regional Headquarters of the region.

With a population of 243,580 in 2002, Tanga is one of the largest cities in the country. It is a quiet city compared to, for example, Arusha or Moshi with a comparable number of inhabitants.

The city of Tanga sits on the Indian Ocean, near the border with Kenya. Major exports from the port of Tanga include sisal, coffee, tea, and cotton. Tanga is also an important railroad terminus, connecting much of the northern Tanzanian interior with the sea. Via the Tanzania Railways Corporation's Link Line and Central Line, Tanga is linked to the African Great Lakes region and the Tanzanian economic capital of Dar es Salaam. The city is served by Tanga Airport.

The harbour and surrounding is the centre of life in Tanga. It is stretched out several km² into the country. It has several markets in several neighbourhoods.

History

Tanga was chosen in 1889 as a military post of German East Africa, and became a district office in 1891. The local economy was based on sisal, which had been brought to the colony several years earlier, and population in the area grew rapidly. The town was also established as the terminus of the Usambara railway line, which runs inland to Moshi at the foot of Kilimanjaro.

The name Tanga comes from the word for "farm" or "cultivated land" in several of the local languages (including Sambaa, Bondei, and Zigua.

As the coastal town closest to Kenya, Tanga was on the front line at the outset of World War I. A British landing was thrown back on 4 November 1914 in the Battle of Tanga, and the town was not taken until 7 July 1916.

see also Tanga District.

Economy

Tanga Cement Company is an important employer, with over 300 people on the payroll. [http://www.simbacement.co.tz/]

Healthcare

Tanga area medical institutions include:
*Amani Biomedical Research Laboratory
*Bombo Regional Hospital
*National Institute of Medical Research Center Tanga
*Tanga AIDS Working Group

Tourist Sites

Nearby tourist attractions include Amboni Caves, Galanos Hot Springs, Toten Island, Tanga War Graves and Memorials, Tongoni Ruins, Ndumi Village defense works, Mwarongo sand beaches and protected coastal mangroves.

ports and culture

Tanga is represented in the Tanzanian Premier League by the football club Coastal Union.

=Sister Cities=

* (since 1963)
*flagicon|United States Toledo, Ohio, USA (since August 28, 2001)

External links

* [http://www.simbacement.co.tz/ Tanga Cement Company home page]

References

* Byron Farwell, "The Great War in Africa, 1914-1918" (W. W. Norton, 1986)