Iringa
Encyclopedia
- This article is about the city of Iringa. For the Iringa Region of Tanzania, see Iringa RegionIringa RegionIringa is one of Tanzania's 26 administrative regions. The regional capital is Iringa. The total area is , of which land area is 56,864 km sq and water area is 2,070 km² ....
. For the Iringa municipal administrative district, see Iringa UrbanIringa UrbanIringa Municipality is one of the 7 districts of the Iringa Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the North by the Iringa Rural District, to the East by the Iringa Rural District, to the South by the Kilolo District, and to the West by the Iringa Rural District.According to the 2002 Tanzania...
. For the Iringa rural administrative district, see Iringa RuralIringa RuralIringa Rural is one of the 7 districts of the Iringa Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the North by the Dodoma Region, to the East by the Kilolo and encircles Iringa Urban District, to the South by the Mufindi District, to the Southwest by the Mbeya Region and to the Northwest by the Singida...
.
Iringa is a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
in Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
with a population of 112,900 . It is situated at a latitude
Latitude
In geography, the latitude of a location on the Earth is the angular distance of that location south or north of the Equator. The latitude is an angle, and is usually measured in degrees . The equator has a latitude of 0°, the North pole has a latitude of 90° north , and the South pole has a...
of 7.77°S and longitude
Longitude
Longitude is a geographic coordinate that specifies the east-west position of a point on the Earth's surface. It is an angular measurement, usually expressed in degrees, minutes and seconds, and denoted by the Greek letter lambda ....
of 35.69°E. The name is derived from the Hehe
Hehe
The Hehe are an ethnic and linguistic group based in Iringa Region in south-central Tanzania, speaking the Bantu Hehe language. In 1994, the Hehe population was estimated to number 750,000.-History:...
word lilinga, meaning fort.
Iringa is the administrative capital of Iringa Region
Iringa Region
Iringa is one of Tanzania's 26 administrative regions. The regional capital is Iringa. The total area is , of which land area is 56,864 km sq and water area is 2,070 km² ....
. It has many established industries, including manufacturing and food processing. Most of its electricity comes from the nearby Mtera Dam
Mtera dam
Mtera Dam is a hydroelectric dam in Tanzania. The dam is located midway between Iringa and Dodoma on the border between the Iringa Region and the Dodoma Region. The travel time from Dodoma is about three hours on a gravel road.-Overview:...
. Iringa is a minor transport hub, with regular bus service and trucking to Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
, Mbeya
Mbeya
Mbeya is a city located in southwest Tanzania, Africa. Mbeya's urban population was 280,000 in 2005. Mbeya is the capital of the surrounding rural Mbeya region ....
, Songea
Songea
Songea is the capital of the Ruvuma Region in southeastern Tanzania. It is located along the A19 road. The city has a population of approximately 130,000, and is the seat of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Songea. Between 1905 and 1907 the city was a centre of African resistance during the Maji...
, and Dodoma
Dodoma
Dodoma , officially Dodoma Urban District, population 324,347 , is the national capital of Tanzania, and the capital of the Dodoma region. In 1973, plans were made to move the capital to Dodoma...
.
History
Iringa was built during the 1890s by the GermanGermany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Army as a defensive base to be used against the Hehe uprising led by Chief Mkwawa
Chief Mkwawa
Paramount Chief Mkwavinyika Munyigumba Mwamuyinga , more commonly known as Chief Mkwawa, was a Hehe tribal leader in German East Africa who opposed the German colonisation. The name "Mkwawa" is derived from Mukwava, itself a shortened form of Mukwavinyika, meaning "conqueror of many lands"...
. The fortress and headquarters of Chief Mkwawa was situated in the nearby village of Kalenga
Kalenga
Kalenga is an administrative ward in the Iringa Rural district of the Iringa Region of Tanzania. According to the 2002 census, the ward has a total population of 8,172.-References:...
. The town stretches along a hilltop overlooking the Ruaha River to the south, and spreads along ridges and valleys to the north. The altitude of the town's environs is more than 1550 meters (5000 feet) above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. The months of June, July, and August can see low temperatures near freezing. The Tanzam Highway passes through the valley below the town; the highway distance from Iringa's limits to Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam , formerly Mzizima, is the largest city in Tanzania. It is also the country's richest city and a regionally important economic centre. Dar es Salaam is actually an administrative province within Tanzania, and consists of three local government areas or administrative districts: ...
is 502 kilometres (311.9 mi), via Morogoro
Morogoro
Morogoro is a city with an urban population of 206,868 in the southern highlands of Tanzania, 190 km west of Dar es Salaam. It is the capital of the Morogoro Region...
. The Isimila Stone Age site, which lies about 20 km (12.4 mi) to the southwest, contains archeological artifacts, particularly stone tools, from human habitation about 70,000 years ago.
Iringa Urban
Iringa Urban
Iringa Municipality is one of the 7 districts of the Iringa Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the North by the Iringa Rural District, to the East by the Iringa Rural District, to the South by the Kilolo District, and to the West by the Iringa Rural District.According to the 2002 Tanzania...
Municipality is the administrative designation of the Municipality of Iringa. The six districts in the Iringa Region include Mufindi, Makete, Ludewa, Kilolo and Iringa Municipal.
In Iringa there are several institutions of higher education, among them Tumaini University – Iringa University College, Mkwawa University College of Education, and Ruaha University College.
Crafts
Iringa is famous for its woven baskets, made from local reeds. The baskets are used across Tanzania and also exported internationally. It is also now well known across Tanzania and elsewhere for the award winning Neema Crafts CentreIringa Media
Iringa municipality has two FM radio stations and one TV station. The radios are Ebony FM, a youth entertainment and commercial radio, and Country FM. There are other radio stations elsewehere in Iringa region, such as Kituro community radio in Makete and the another FM radio station in Njombe.Iringa Municipal Television is a multi-age TV station with diversified programmes.