Kigoma

Region

Kigoma is the capital of the region in the far west of Tanzania and a port city on Lake Tanganyika.

The city lies 773 meters above sea level and had at the 2002 census, approximately 130,000 inhabitants. In addition to a Catholic bishopric ( diocese Kigoma ) you can find here the termination stop the Tanganjikabahn that runs from Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean via the Tanzanian capital of Dodoma on Lake Tanganyika. Currently, only the leg Dodoma to Kigoma is in operation. Currently (February 2009 ), the entire route passable. In addition Kigomas port is one of the most important traffic points in Central Africa. It operate ferries to Zambia, Congo and Burundi.

By train you can reach from Kigoma on the Central Line via Tabora the capital Dodoma, also branches at Tabora to Mwanza from a connection.

The railway, the harbor, the wharf and the main public buildings are Kigomas, written shortly before 1914 at the end of the German colonial era. Also of German origin is the main ferry on Lake Tanganyika, the MS Liemba. It was in 1913 by the North German shipyard Meyer Werft built in Papenburg, broken down into individual parts and assembled in Kigoma, where they ran under the name of Count idols in 1915 from the pile and as a troop transport for the German colonial force was used. In July 1916, the Germans sank their ship so as not to leave it to the advancing Belgians and British. Under British administration, the ship was again raised, baptized on 16 May 1927 on the name MS Liemba and put back into operation.