Kigoma

Kigoma
Kigoma Railway Station
Kigoma
Location of Kigoma.
Kigoma
Kigoma (Africa)
Kigoma
Kigoma (Earth)
Coordinates: 4°53′S 29°38′E / 4.883°S 29.633°E / -4.883; 29.633Coordinates: 4°53′S 29°38′E / 4.883°S 29.633°E / -4.883; 29.633
Country Tanzania
Region Kigoma Region
District Kigoma Ujiji
Elevation 775 m (2,543 ft)
Population (2007)
 • Total 135,234
Time zone UTC+3 (East Africa Time)
Area code(s) 028
Climate Aw
Website Town website

Kigoma is a town and lake port in north western Tanzania, on the north eastern shores of Lake Tanganyika and close to the border with Burundi and The Democratic Republic of the Congo. It serves as the capital for the surrounding Kigoma Region and has a population of 135,234 (2007 census) and an elevation of 775 m.

The historic trading town of Ujiji is 6 km south-east of Kigoma.

Transport

Maritime Transport

Kigoma Port

Kigoma is one of the busiest ports on north eastern Lake Tanganyika, since historically it was the only one that had a functioning railway connection (the one at Kalemie in The Democratic Republic of the Congo is not operational at the moment), a direct link to the ocean port at Dar es Salaam. Kigoma Port in the 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 depths at wharfside has diminished from 6 m to 1.8 m. This may threaten the economic growth of the port. In May 2007 the Tanzanian Government announced a plan to create an economic zone at the port to stimulate trade and to ensure stable economic growth of the Port for the government in Power in 2015 and 2020.[2]

The MV Liemba sails every week from Kigoma to Mpulungu in Zambia at the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika, stopping at a number of other lakeside towns in Tanzania on the way. The MV Mwongozo sails from Kigoma to Baraka, Uvira and Bujumbura at the northern tip of the lake.

Road

Current road connections to and from Kigoma are improving. However travelers should be advised to take extra precautions when travelling. A gravel road links the town northeast to the national road network, and earth tracks link north to Burundi and southeast to Sumbawanga.[3]

Railway

The Central Line of the Tanzania Railways Corporation runs from Kigoma to the Port of Dar es Salaam on to 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 a connection to Mwanza on Lake Victoria, with ferry connections to other Tanzanian lake shore places, and formerly Uganda. At Tabora you can also travel by train to Mpanda. For a time in early 2010, the line was closed[4] but service has apparently been restored.[5]

Climate

Climate data for Kigoma
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 27
(80)		 27
(81)		 27
(81)		 27
(81)		 28
(83)		 28
(83)		 28
(83)		 29
(84)		 29
(85)		 29
(84)		 27
(80)		 26
(79)		 28
(82)
Average low °C (°F) 19
(67)		 19
(67)		 19
(67)		 19
(67)		 19
(67)		 18
(64)		 17
(63)		 18
(64)		 20
(68)		 21
(69)		 20
(68)		 19
(67)		 19
(67)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 122
(4.8)		 130
(5)		 150
(5.9)		 130
(5.1)		 43
(1.7)		 5
(0.2)		 3
(0.1)		 5
(0.2)		 18
(0.7)		 48
(1.9)		 142
(5.6)		 135
(5.3)		 927
(36.5)
Source: Weatherbase [6]

References

  1. ↑ Tanzania Railways Corporation: Kigoma Port. Retrieved 30 May 2007.
  2. ↑ Daily News, Tanzania: "500m/- set for Kigoma economic zone." Archived 2007-08-31 at the Wayback Machine. Monday, May 28, 2007. Retrieved 31 May 2007.
  3. ↑ Michelin Motoring and Tourist Map (2000): "No 955 Africa Central and South". Michelin, Paris.
  4. ↑ The Economist, Burundi's election; Pretty squalid; East Africa’s weakest new component Retrieved 24 July 2010
  5. ↑ The Washington Post, A train ride across Tanzania Retrieved 9 October 2010
  6. ↑ "Weatherbase: Historical Weather for Kigoma, Tanzania". Weatherbase. 2011. Retrieved on November 24, 2011.
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