Mara Region in Tanzania
Mara Region in Tanzania: Mara is one of the 26 regions of Tanzania. Musoma serves as the Region’s capital.
The neighbouring regions are Mwanza and Shinyanga(to the south), Arusha (to the south east)and Kagera (through Lake Victoria). To the north east, it borders the Republic of Kenya. Mara Region is occupied by various different tribal groups, including the Luo, Jita, Ruri, Zanaki, Kuria, Kabwa, Kiroba, Simbiti, Ngoreme, Kwaya, Ikoma, Nata, Isenye, Ikizu, Sizaki, Sukuma and Taturu (Datooga). Under British rule, Mara region was one district in the Lake Province, which became the Lake Region after independence in 1961.
Serengeti National Park, one of the world’s most famous game sanctuaries, is largely in Mara region. This park occupies a vast area of grasslands and woodlands and is home to thousands of wild animals. It has also been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. It attracts close to 100,000 tourists every year. The sanctuary is home to more than a million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelles.
Mara Region Districts
Location: The Mara region is located in the northern part of mainland Tanzania. It is located between latitudes 1° 0’ and 2° 31’ and between longitudes 33° 10’ and 35° 15’. It contains 30,150 sq kilometers total, 10,584 sq kilometers of such being water area. To the north the Mara region borders Uganda and Kenya. It is also bordered by the Arusha region to its east, Shinyanga region to its south, as well as the Mwanza region in the southwest and west. There are six administrative districts within the region: Musoma Rural, Musoma Urban, Bunda, Serengeti, Tarime and Rorya.
Climate: The maximum temperature of the region is 29.32℃ and minimum of 27.68℃, with an average of 28.50℃. The Mara region experiences a bimodal rainfall pattern, consisting of two rainy seasons and two dry seasons. The long rainfall period last between February until June. The short rainfall period last between September and June.
The Mara region can be divided into 3 climatic zones. The northern zone resides in the Tarime district as well as parts of the Serengeti district. On average, it receives annual rainfall of 1,250-2,000 mm/year. The central zone includes much of Musoma district and eastern parts of Serengeti. It receives an annual rainfall of 900–1300 mm/year. The Lowland zone covers much of Bunda and the lake shores. This zone receives 700–900 mm/year.
Main Ethnic Groups in Mara Region
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