Arusha Region


Arusha Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. Its capital and largest city is the city of Arusha. The region is bordered by Kajiado County and Narok County in Kenya to the north, the Kilimanjaro Region to the east, the Manyara and Singida regions to the south, and the Mara and Simiyu regions to the west. Major towns include Monduli, Namanga, Longido, and Loliondo to the north, Mto wa Mbu and Karatu to the west, and Usa River to the east. The region is comparable in size to the combined land and water areas of the United States state of Maryland.
Arusha Region is a tourist destination and is the center of the northern Tanzania safari circuit. The national parks and reserves in this region include Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Arusha National Park, the Loliondo Game Controlled Area, and part of Lake Manyara National Park. Remains of 600-year-old stone structures are found at Engaruka, just off the dirt road between Mto wa Mbu and Lake Natron. With a HDI of 0.721, Arusha is one among the most developed regions of Tanzania.

History

Much of the present area of Arusha Region used to be Maasai land. The Maasai are still the dominant community in the region. Their influence is reflected in the present names of towns, regional culture, cuisine, and geographical features.
The administrative region of Arusha existed in 1922 while mainland Tanzania was a British mandate under the League of Nations and known as Tanganyika. In 1948, the area was in the Northern Province, which includes the present day regions of Manyara and Kilimanjaro. In 1966, under the newly independent Tanzanian government, Arusha was given its own regional status.
In 2002, Manyara Region was created and was split from Arusha Region. Portions of the former Arusha Region districts of Kiteto, Babati, Mbulu, Hanang, and a tiny piece of Monduli were incorporated into the Manyara Region.
Arusha was the largest region in Tanzania from 1966-2002.

Geography

The Great Rift Valley runs through the middle of the region north-to-south. Oldonyo Lengai is an active volcano to the north of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Altitudes throughout the region vary widely, but much of it ranges from in elevation.
Mount Meru, the second highest mountain in Tanzania after Mount Kilimanjaro, peaks at. Arusha Region has the highest number of craters and extinct volcanoes in Tanzania. Other geographical features include the Monduli Mountains, Mount Loolmalasin, Mount Longido, and the Olduvai Gorge.
The city of Arusha, the capital of the region, is located at the southern foot of Mount Meru. The majority of Arusha residents live in the city and the surrounding southeastern part of Arusha Region.

Administration

Arusha Region is divided into one city and six districts, each administered by a council.

National parks, national monuments, and other sites

According to the 2012 national census, the Arusha Region had a population of 1,694,310.
The region is inhabited by various ethnolinguistic groups and communities. Among these are the Iraqw, Arusha, Maasai, Wameru,
Sonjo, Chagga, Pare, and Nguu.

Culture and cuisine

, the northern Tanzanian barbecue, is a popular dish among some communities in the Arusha Region, particularly the Maasai. Nyama Choma is properly served with a side of french fries, Pili Pili sauce and a cold local beer or soda.

Transportation

Roads

The A-23 Arusha-Himo road runs east-west and enters the region near Kilimanjaro International Airport. It connects Arusha with Moshi and then Himo at the Kenyan border. This roads ends at its junction with the A-104 road in the center of Arusha.
The A-104 runs northward, to the west of Mount Meru, from Arusha to Longido and Namanga at the Kenyan border before continuing to Nairobi. The A-104 also runs westward past Monduli to its junction at Makuyuni with the B-144 road that leads to Mto wa Mbu and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. After that, the A-104 curves southward to the east of Lake Manyara and continues on to Babati and Dodoma.
Most overland travel is done by bus from the city of Arusha. Within the city and smaller towns, privately owned and operated dala-dalas are used.

Waterways

The region is landlocked, and there are no navigable rivers. The larger lakes in the Rift Valley are not used for transportation. The region is home to Lake Eyasi, Lake Natron, Lake Duluti, Lake Empakaai, and the Momella lakes.

Airports

Arusha Region is served by the Kilimanjaro International Airport located in Hai District of Kilimanjaro Region. Its twelve international carriers are;
  1. Airkenya Express
  2. Air Uganda
  3. Condor
  4. Edelweiss Air
  5. Ethiopian Airlines
  6. Kenya Airways
  7. KLM
  8. Precision Air
  9. Qatar Airways
  10. RwandAir
  11. Safarilink Aviation
  12. Turkish Airlines
The smaller Arusha Airport serves small, medium and personal planes mainly to popular tourist areas such as Serengeti National Park, Seronera, Ndutu, Zanzibar etc. Planes using Kisongo Airport include;
  1. Coastal Air
  2. Flying Doctors
  3. AMREF
  4. Precision Air
  5. TFC
  6. Auric Air
  7. Grumeti Air
  8. Other personal planes.

    Notable people

The chief administrative officer of the region is the regional commissioner. Below is a table showing the regional commissioners serving the Arusha region from 1962 to present:
Name of Regional CommissionerFromToComments
Edward Barongo19621962first after independence
Peter Walwa19621963
Samuel Chamshama19631964first after union with Zanzibar
John Mhaville19641964second term
Wazir Juma19641968
Aaron Mwakangata19681973
Abdulanur Suleiman19731978
Peter Siyovelwa19781981
John Mhaville19811982
Charles Kileo19831985
Christopher Liundi19851987
Augustine Mwingira19871990
Anatoly Tarimo19901992
Ahmed Kiwanuka19921995
Daniel Ole Njoolay19952003longest serving commissioner
Mohammed Babu20032006
Abbas Kandoro20062006less than six months
Samuel Ndomba20062007
Isidore Leka Shirima20072011
Magesa Stanslaus Mulongo20112014
Daudi Felix Ntibenda20142016
Mrisho Gambo2016present