Kagera (region)

Kagera is located between 1°00' and 2°45' south of the equator, and has a longitude of between 30°25' and 32°40' east of Greenwich. The region occupies 40,838 square kilometres (15,768 sq mi), of which11,885 square kilometres (4,589 sq mi) is covered by the waters of Lake Victoria, Lake Ikimba, Lake Burigi, and the Ngono and Kagera rivers.[3] The region's total area is 446 square kilometres (172 sq mi) less than that of Switzerland. Kagera is Tanzania's fifteenth-largest region and accounts for approximately 3.3 percent of Tanzania's land area of 885,800 square kilometres (342,000 sq mi).[4] It has reasonably fertile old soils but overuse in some parts of the region has led to soil exhaustion and a need to use fertiliser.

The regional capital Bukoba is about 1,400 kilometres (870 mi) from Dar es Salaam.

Kagera borders Uganda to the north, Rwanda and Burundi to the west, and the Tanzanian regions Kigoma to the south and Geita to the east. Kagera is known for its agriculture, its lush landscapes and its wildlife. The Kagera River forms the region's border with Rwanda.

Kagera is administratively divided into eight districts:

Districts of Kagera
Map	District	Population (2012)	Area (km2)
	Biharamulo District	323,486	5,627
	Bukoba Rural	289,697
	Bukoba Urban	128,796
	Karagwe District	332,020	7,716
	Kyerwa District	321,026
	Missenyi District	202,632	2,709
	Muleba District	540,310	10,739
	Ngara District	320,056	3,744
	Total	2,458,023	40,838

According to the 2012 national census, Kagera had a population of 2,458,023, which was lower than the pre-census projection of 2,763,329.[5]^{: page 2} For 2002–2012, the region's 3.2 percent average annual population growth rate was tied for the third-highest in the country.[5]^{: page 4} It was also Tanzania's ninth-most-densely populated region, with 97 people per 1 square kilometre (0.39 square miles).[5]^{: page 6}

Kagera region takes its name from the Kagera River, which flows from Rwanda through northern Tanzania before entering Lake Victoria. Formerly known as the West Lake region, it was renamed Kagera after the Uganda-Tanzania War.

For a period of about five centuries, Kagera was home to nine different kingdoms with highly hierarchical societies. Before European colonialism, coffee was a traditional crop in the area, used for its stimulant properties and in local cultural rituals. During colonial times, coffee was transformed into a cash crop. Bananas were a staple food in the region. Although there was a gender-based division of labour in the traditional Bahaya society, women of the time were not thought to be inferior to men. In fact women commanded special respect in all traditional rituals. For example, upon the death of a head of a family (Nyin'enju), during the following inheritance rituals, the "Main Inheritor" (Omusika) had to have a female counterpart selected from among his sisters to share his authority. Similarly, upon the death of a reigning king, during the crowning of the next king, there had to be a "sister to the nation" (Kinyany'engoma) who was also selected from among his sisters.

The kings lived in elaborate palaces and were respected as the direct link to gods of their kingdoms. The authority of the nine kingdoms (Kihanja, Karagwe, Kiziba, Misenye, Bugabo, Kyamtwara, Ihangiro, Bukara and Biharamulo) was diminished when Germans colonised Tanzania in 1885 and supported the Haya, the ethnic group of Bukoba and Muleba Districts over the other districts. However, the local kings held on to power. The demise of these kingdoms came after Tanzania gained its independence and president Nyerere considered them detrimental to national unity.

There was a chief called Omukama (the word meant a king or chief) who could be born with that authority. Some prominent chiefs in Kagera include Kyamukuma, who is a last chief in Misenye (currently Missenyi District).[6] Other chiefs include Rumanyika of Karagwe, Ruhinda, Kahigi and other inferior chiefs. Kahigi is among the chiefs who waived their territories by collaborating with German colonialists.

Cultural tours are available for tourists visiting Kagera and can be accessed from the region's capital of Bukoba. These tours include visits to the region's national parks/nature reserves etc.

During German rule Dr. M. Zupitza, then serving as the local medical officer, encountered the plague outbreak in Kiziba (1897–1898). In cooperation with Dr. Robert Koch, he confirmed that the cause was the same bacteria as the outbreak in Bombay.

When authority was transferred to the British who supplanted the Germans, Kagera was open to Lutheran missionary activity. Other Christian denominations including the Roman Catholic church later arrived. Their legacy is seen in the many churches in the region.

The Kagera region has abundant wildlife, including baboons, giraffe, elands, crocodiles, hippopotamus, warthog. Birdlife includes African fish eagles, hamacopes, marabour stork, commorants. kingfishers, and herons.

Kagera is home to Biharamulo, Burigi, Ibanda and Rumanyika and Orugundu game reserves. In 2019, Burigi, Biharamulo game reserve, and Lakes Burigi and Kimis were upgraded to become a national park with the Burigi-Chato National Park. Rumanyika was gazetted as Rumanyika Karagwe National Park and Ibanda Kyerwa National Park.

A national park is situated on Rubondo Island and a wildlife sanctuary is based on Saa Nane Island.

Commons has media related to Kagera

• United Republic of Tanzania: Kagera Region
• Kagera Region Homepage for the 2002 Tanzania National Census
• Tanzanian Government Directory Database