KigomaRegion is located in Western part of Tanzania
between latitudes 3.6° and 6.5° degrees south and longitudes 29.5° and 31.5°
degrees east along the shores of Lake Tanganyika, the second deepest fresh
water lake in the world. The capital municipality, which draws its name from
the regional name Kigoma, is closely linked with Ujiji. It has a wonderful
natural beauty, nestled under the hills of the western arm of the Great Rift
Valley on the edge of the Lake. In the wet season the place is especially
spectacular, with its emerald green and clear sparkling water. The region
encompasses an area of 45,075 Sq. km. of which 8,552 Sq. km. are covered by
water.
Administratively, the region is divided into six
districts, namely Buhigwe, Kakonko, Kasulu, Kibondo, Kigoma, and Uvinza. Whereby, Kigoma/Ujiji is a municipality and
lake port in western Tanzania, on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. It
serves as the capital for the Kigoma Region and a trade hub of the Great Lakes Region. The Region borders with Burundi, Democratic of Congo (DRC) and Zambia. Kigoma is
the busiest ports on Lake Tanganyika. It is the terminus of the railroad
from Dar-es-Salaam and is connected by ship with Congo (Kinshasa) and Burundi. Since
the Slave and Ivory trade it has continued to be the only one that had a direct
track link and functioning railway
connection to the seaport at Dar-es-Salaam. The Railway line run 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.
Kigoma/Ujiji comprises two
small towns (Kigoma and Ujiji) with different historical backgrounds. Ujiji is
the oldest town in western Tanzania, a suburb of Kigoma Municipality, on Lake Tanganyika, located about 6 miles (10 km) south of
Kigoma. Ujiji
was an important settlement of Arab and Swahili ivory and slave traders between
1850 and 1890. It is the place where Richard Burton and John Speke first reached
the shore of Lake Tanganyika in 1858. It is also the site of the famous
meeting on October 28, 1871 when Henry Stanley found Dr. David Livingstone, and
reputedly uttered the famous words "Dr. Livingstone, I presume?"
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