Mtwara

Mtwara (Portuguese Montewara ) is a port city on the Indian Ocean and the capital of the district of Mtwara, which lies on the border with Mozambique in southern Tanzania.

Mtwara currently has approximately 100,000 inhabitants ( 2006 estimate ), at the last official census in 2002 there were 92 602 inhabitants. Together with the historical suburb Mikindani it forms the administrative unit " Mtwara Mikindani City Council ".

History

In the region of Mtwara there was since 1934 the Catholic Territorial Abbey Ndanda.

Occupied the site of today's Port until 1947 only an insignificant fishing village. In the context of the failed Tanganyika Groundnut Scheme major project, the British colonial administration decided in February 1947 to take advantage of large parts of the hinterland as agricultural land and to export the crops on a newly created port in the south of Tanzania. Due to the natural conditions Mtwara was selected to do so. To this end, a city designed on the drawing board and settled residents from the surrounding area. The stated goal was a "second Mombasa ".

When the port facilities were completed in 1950, the Groundnut Scheme was already facing bankruptcy, further use did not arise, so that the port facilities fell into disrepair and the harbor silted up. The population was originally supposed to be around 200,000 in 1952, there were approximately 35,000 inhabitants. Due to the peripheral location in Tanzania, and because of the civil war long closed border with Mozambique, the development was not long in motion. Status 2012 population of about 100,000 inhabitants in Mtwara.

In 1972, the Catholic Territorial Abbey Ndanda was raised to the bishopric of Mtwara.

It was not until the mid-1990s through the intensification of trade, the improvement of the coastal road and the establishment of a regular ferry service across the Rovuma was a hesitant recovery, the population increased and the port facilities were repaired. Today Mtwara is an important location in the natural gas production sector. Here exists ( since about 2009), a modern gas turbine power plant, which will supply the economically poor in southeast Tanzania with electricity. The " gold-rush rush" around the natural gas, petroleum potential and many minerals (including uranium ), the cost of living can rise explosively since about 2010. Many exploration companies from around the world are active in the area of ​​Mtwara.

Infrastructure

Mtwara is the most important transport hub in Southeast Tanzania. There are multiple daily inter-city bus to Dar es Salaam via the Coastal Highway being expanded. There are also irregular maritime links. The Mtwara Airport west of the city is served daily by Fly540 or the Precision Air in the regular service of jets. The ferry across the Rovuma no longer exists after the sinking of the ferry in July 2008. Since the opening of the Unity Bridge on 12 May 2010, there is a direct road to the neighboring country for the first time. Several hotels of middle class ( by international standards ) are available for business and the (few ) tourists.

Sons and daughters of the town

• Nizar Khalfan (* 1988), Tanzanian football player