Pangani
Pangani is a mapped river in the YearMaps hydrographic index. River courses organise settlement, agriculture and frontier-making more durably than any political boundary, and this reach is indexed against the dams, lakes and cities within its catchment.
- Feature Class
- River
- Coordinates
- -4.59°, 37.98°
About Pangani
The Pangani River (Mto Pangani, in Swahili), (also called Luffu and Jipe Ruvu, especially in older sources, and probably once called Rhaptus) is a major river of northeastern Tanzania. It has two main sources: the Ruvu, which rises as Lumi at Kilimanjaro, passes through Lake Jipe, and empties into the Nyumba ya Mungu Reservoir, and the Kikuletwa River, coming from the west and mainly fed by rivers of Mount Meru in Arusha Region, which also enters into the Nyumba ya Mungu Reservoir in Kilimanjaro Region. Just after leaving the reservoir the stream becomes the main Pangani, which empties into the Indian Ocean in Tanga Region at the Tangan port town of Pangani.
For much of its length the river flows along the regional borders of Kilimanjaro Region and Manyara Region, before flowing into Tanga Region, which contains the 68 MW Pangani Power Station and the Pangani Falls Dam. There are several inhabited islands within the river. The river is full of crocodiles; hippopotami are scarcer in its lower parts.
Encyclopedic summary adapted from Wikipedia: Pangani River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Pangani in Depth
Geography
One source of the river rises in Kilimanjaro, about 120 miles (190 km) from the sea. Known as the Lumi in this area, its course runs through Lake Jipe. The other is at Mount Meru in the west and is known as the Kikuletwa. Like all African rivers, its depth varies with the season. The river is highest around May and lowest around October. Another source is the Saunyi River in Kilindi District.
It is navigable for small craft between the lake and the Höhnel Cataracts, a series of rapids. Below the Höhnel Cataracts, it has numerous tributaries, and many islands with villages on them. The stream is strongest above Koleni, within 5 miles of the Pangani Falls, where the river is narrow.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Pangani River (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Pangani: Key Facts
| Length | 420 km |
|---|---|
| Average discharge | 27 m³/s |
| Drainage basin | 42,000 km² |
| Source | Nyumba ya Mungu Reservoir |
| Mouth | Indian Ocean |
| Drainage system | Pangani River basin |
| Tributaries | Lwengera River, Mkuzu River |
Facts from Wikidata Q506955 (CC0).
Major River Dossiers
Hand-written studies of the great river systems of history.
Connected Reaches
Nearby watercourses in the same drainage network.
Water Bodies in the Catchment
Settlements Along the Reach
Hydraulic Infrastructure Nearby
Surrounding Terrain
Pangani: Quick Answers
- Where is Pangani?
- Pangani is located in Tanzania, at 4.5883° S, 37.9815° E.
- Are there dams on the Pangani?
- No dam on the Pangani is recorded in the YearMaps dam index, which covers major structures only.