Map of Arusha
Arusha is a first-level division of Tanzania. Its largest mapped city is Arusha, with about 341,136 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Arusha, and the tables list its 5 mapped cities along with the mountains, lakes, World Heritage Sites nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 5
- Largest City
- Arusha
- Country
- Tanzania
- Highest Point Mapped
- 5,895 m
Interactive Map of Arusha
About Arusha
Arusha Region (Swahili: Mkoa wa Arusha) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions and is located in the northeast of the country. The region's capital and largest city is the city of Arusha. The region is bordered by Kajiado County and Narok County in Kenya to the north, the Kilimanjaro Region to the east, the Manyara and Singida Regions to the south, and the Mara and Simiyu regions to the west. Arusha Region is home to Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region is comparable in size to the combined land and water areas of the state of Maryland in the United States.
Arusha Region is a tourist destination in Africa and is the hub of the northern Tanzania safari circuit. The national parks and nature reserves in this region include Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Arusha National Park, the Loliondo Game Controlled Area, and part of Lake Manyara National Park. Remains of 600-year-old stone structures are found at Engaruka, just off the dirt road between Mto wa Mbu and Lake Natron. With a HDI of 0.721, Arusha is among the most developed regions of Tanzania being Tanzania's top 3 most resourceful region.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Arusha Region (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arusha in Depth
History
Arusha Region is home to Laetoli and Olduvai Gorge national archaeological sites both locations with discoveries of prehistoric hominids.
The first communities in southwestern Arusha Region's Arusha District, Arusha Rural District and Meru District, were the now extinct Koningo people, an ancient hunter-gatherer group that lived around the slopes of Mount Meru for centuries.
The second community to settle in the region is the Meru People, whom immigrated there from the Usambara Mountains in Tanga Region. They settled on the southeastern slopes of the mountain and started to farm the land. The third wave of settlers were the Arusha people a subgroup of the Pare people migrated from Arusha Chini in Kilimanjaro Region.
Geography
The Great Rift Valley runs through the middle of the region north-to-south. Oldonyo Lengai (Mountain of God in the Maasai language) is an active volcano to the north of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area. Altitudes throughout the region vary widely, but much of it ranges from 900 to 1,600 metres (3,000 to 5,200 ft) in elevation.
Mount Meru, the second highest mountain in Tanzania after Mount Kilimanjaro, peaks at 4,655 metres (15,272 ft). Arusha Region has the highest number of craters and extinct volcanoes in Tanzania. Other prominent peaks and mountains include the Monduli Mountains, Mount Loolmalasin, Mount Lolkisale, Mount Longido, Gelai Volcano, and the Olduvai Gorge.
Arusha region is home to a number of lakes, the largest lake in the region being Lake Eyasi.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Arusha Region (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arusha: Key Facts
| Population | 2,356,255 (2022) |
|---|---|
| Area | 34,526 km² |
| Capital | Arusha |
Facts from Wikidata Q329261 (CC0).
History of Arusha: Empires and States
The atlas records 4 polities whose mapped territory included part of Arusha, from German Africa in 1895 CE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here |
|---|---|
| German Africa | 1895–1916 CE |
| British Africa | 1917–1960 CE |
| The British Empire | 1917–1960 CE |
| Tanzania | 1961–2024 CE |
Historical Maps of Arusha
Arusha on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Largest Cities in Arusha
5 cities mapped. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arusha | 341,136 | Arusha | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Babati | 34,291 | Arusha | Populated place |
| 3 | Mbulu | 13,430 | Arusha | Populated place |
| 4 | Ngorongoro | 10,836 | Arusha | Populated place |
| 5 | Oldeani | 8,000 | Arusha | Populated place |
Highest Mountains in Arusha
2 mountains mapped. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mount Kilimanjaro | 5,895 m | 19,341 ft | Africa |
| 2 | Loolmalasin | 3,682 m | 12,080 ft | Africa |
Largest Lakes in Arusha
4 lakes mapped. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Eyasi | 1,077 km² | Alkaline Lake |
| 2 | Lake Natron | 556 km² | Alkaline Lake |
| 3 | Lake Manyara | 444 km² | Lake |
| 4 | Lake Lembeni | 172 km² | Lake |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Arusha
3 World Heritage Sites mapped. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each. Assigned by the nearest mapped city, so features near the boundary may belong to a neighbouring division.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ngorongoro Conservation Area | 1979 | Mixed | (iv) (vii) (viii) (ix) (x) |
| 2 | Serengeti National Park | 1981 | Natural | (vii) (x) |
| 3 | Kilimanjaro National Park | 1987 | Natural | (vii) |
Arusha: Quick Answers
- Where is Arusha?
- Arusha is a first-level division of Tanzania, in Africa. Its mapped cities centre on 3.6057° S, 35.8040° E.
- What is the largest city in Arusha?
- Arusha is the largest city mapped in Arusha, with a metropolitan population of about 341,136.
- How many cities are in Arusha?
- YearMaps maps 5 cities and towns in Arusha, with a combined metropolitan population of about 407,693. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the highest mountain in Arusha?
- The highest summit mapped in Arusha is Mount Kilimanjaro at 5,895 m.
- What is the largest lake in Arusha?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Arusha is Lake Eyasi, at about 1,077 km².