Kigoma (kēgō'mä'), municipality, capital of Kigoma prov., W Tanzania, a port on Lake Tanganyika. It is the terminus of the railroad from Dar-es-Salaam (completed 1914) and is connected by ship with Congo (Kinshasa) and Burundi. There are fisheries and food processing plants. Kigoma was an important settlement of Arab and Swahili ivory and slave traders between c.1850 and c.1890. The region was occupied by the Germans in the 1890s. Kigoma and Ujiji, to the southeast, were formerly combined into a single municipality. Kigoma was a major focus for refugees from Burundi in 1994-96.
Kigoma
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For the town in Burundi, see Kigoma, Burundi.
| Kigoma | |
|---|---|
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  Kigoma
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| Coordinates: 4°53′S 29°38′E / 4.883°S 29.633°E | |
| Country |  Tanzania |
| Region | Kigoma Region |
| District | |
| Population (2002) | |
| - Total | 130,142 |
| Time zone | East Africa Time (UTC+3) |
Kigoma is a town and lake port in western Tanzania, on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika and close to the border with Burundi. It serves as the capital for the surrounding Kigoma Region and has a population of 130,142 (2002 census) and an elevation of 775 m.
The historic trading town of Ujiji is 6 km south-east of Kigoma.
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Kigoma Port
Kigoma is one of the busiest ports on Lake Tanganyika, as a consequence of being the only one (as of 2007) with a functioning railway connection (since the one at Kalemie in DR Congo is not operational). Furthermore it is a direct link to the seaport at Dar-es-Salaam. Kigoma Port in Kigoma Bay has a wharf of two hundred metres and several cranes and is equipped to handle shipping containers.[1] However, the bay is suffering from silting up as a result of soil erosion from surrounding hills, and the water depth at wharfside has diminished from 6 m to 1.8 m which threatens the economic future of the port. In May 2007 the Tanzanian Government announced a plan to create an economic zone at the port to stimulate trade.[2]
Lake ferries including the MV Liemba sail from Kigoma to Bujumbura in Burundi, Kalundu-Uvira in DR Congo, Mpulungu in Zambia at the southern tip of the lake, and a number of other lakeside towns in Tanzania.
Road connections for Kigoma are poor however. A gravel road links the town northeast to the national road network, and earth tracks link north to Burundi and southeast to Sumbawanga.[3]
Kigoma-Dar es Salaam Railway
The Tanzania Railways Corporation line runs from Kigoma to the port of Dar-es-Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast via Tabora and Dodoma. It was completed in 1915 when Kigoma was part of German East Africa. In Tabora, there is connection to Mwanza on Lake Victoria, with ferry connections to Uganda. At Tabora you can also travel by train to Mpanda.
See also
References
- ^ Tanzania Railways Corporation: Kigoma Port. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
- ^ Daily News, Tanzania: "500m/- set for Kigoma economic zone." Monday, May 28, 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
- ^ Michelin Motoring and Tourist Map (2000): "No 955 Africa Central and South". Michelin, Paris.
External links
References
- ^ Tanzania Railways Corporation: Kigoma Port. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
- ^ Daily News, Tanzania: "500m/- set for Kigoma economic zone." Monday, May 28, 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
- ^ Michelin Motoring and Tourist Map (2000): "No 955 Africa Central and South". Michelin, Paris.
Coordinates: 04°53′S 29°38′E / 4.883°S 29.633°E
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Mentioned in
- Ujiji (city, Tanzania)
- Tabora (city, Tanzania)
- Simba Wanyika (World Artist, '70s-'90s)
- Dar-es-Salaam (capital, Tanzania)
- Kigoma Region
- Kasulu
- Katanga (province, Zaire)
- Kabanga, Kigoma Region
- Ha (ethnic group)
- Roman Catholic Diocese of Kigoma
- Tanzania (country)
- Kibondo
- Kigoma Airport
- CCM Kirumba Stadium
