Map of Rukwa
Rukwa is a first-level division of Tanzania. Its largest mapped city is Sumbawanga, with about 89,161 people in the metropolitan area. The interactive map below is centred on Rukwa, and the tables list its 4 mapped cities along with the lakes nearest to them.
- Cities Mapped
- 4
- Largest City
- Sumbawanga
- Country
- Tanzania
Interactive Map of Rukwa
About Rukwa
Rukwa Region (Swahili: Mkoa wa Rukwa) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions The region covers a land area of 27,765 km2 (10,720 sq mi), which is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Haiti. Rukwa Region is bordered to the north by Katavi Region, to the east by Songwe Region, to the south by the nation of Zambia and to the west by Lake Tanganyika, which forms a border between Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The regional capital is the municipality of Sumbawanga. According to the 2022 national census, the region had a population of 1,540,519.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Rukwa Region (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Rukwa in Depth
History
The region's name comes from Lake Rukwa, it was established in 1975 by President Julius Nyerere by taking Mpanda District from the Tabora Region and the former unified Sumbawanga District from the Mbeya Region. Nkasi District was established in 1984. In 2012, the region was reorganized with the Mpanda District going to the new Katavi Region.
Geography
The Rukwa region has a total surface area of 27,765 km2, of which 6,605 km2 (23.79%) is made up of water bodies and 21,160 km2 (76.21%) is made up of land.
Nkasi District, which makes up 47.27 percent of the region's total area, and Sumbawanga District, which makes up 36.74 percent, dominate the distribution of the region's area among the districts. The smallest district is Kalambo, which makes up only 15.99% of the region's total area.
Three significant superficial geological deposits can be found in the Rukwa Region. In the high areas, these are the sandy soils, shallow, dispersed clayey lacustrines, and ferralitic soils. Western Tanzania is where the Rukwa Region is located.
Economy
Agriculture (crops, livestock, fisheries, and forestry), tourism, and mining make up the majority of the region's producing industries. The Rukwa Region's population relies on agriculture for about 80% of their income. There are 1,660,600 ha of arable land and only 447,079 ha (or about 32% of arable land) are under cultivation.
Rukwa Region's GDP at current market prices increased by 1,529,289, 2,407,234 and 2,677,131 in 2012, 2013, and 2014, respectively. In 2012, 2013 and 2014, the per capita income was 974,601, 1,485,563 and 1,599,845 respectively. From 2003 and 2012, the sustained GDP growth rate ranged from 7 to 18 percent on average. Despite the region being dominated by agriculture, gemstones like emerald and others are abundant in Rukwa.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Rukwa Region (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Rukwa: Key Facts
| Population | 1,540,519 (2022) |
|---|---|
| Area | 22,792 km² |
| Capital | Sumbawanga |
Facts from Wikidata Q153329 (CC0).
History of Rukwa: Empires and States
The atlas records 4 polities whose mapped territory included part of Rukwa, 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 Rukwa
Rukwa 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 Rukwa
4 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 | Sumbawanga | 89,161 | Rukwa | Admin-1 capital |
| 2 | Mpanda | 73,338 | Rukwa | Populated place |
| 3 | Karema | 16,385 | Rukwa | Populated place |
| 4 | Kipili | 1,533 | Rukwa | Admin-1 capital |
Largest Lakes in Rukwa
1 lake 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 Rukwa | 1,946 km² | Lake |
Rukwa: Quick Answers
- Where is Rukwa?
- Rukwa is a first-level division of Tanzania, in Africa. Its mapped cities centre on 7.1421° S, 30.9258° E.
- What is the largest city in Rukwa?
- Sumbawanga is the largest city mapped in Rukwa, with a metropolitan population of about 89,161.
- How many cities are in Rukwa?
- YearMaps maps 4 cities and towns in Rukwa, with a combined metropolitan population of about 180,417. This counts mapped settlements, not every municipality.
- What is the largest lake in Rukwa?
- The largest lake mapped in or beside Rukwa is Lake Rukwa, at about 1,946 km².