Makete
Encyclopedia
Makete is one of the 7 districts of Iringa Region
of Tanzania
. It is bordered to the North and West by the Mbeya Region
, to the East by the Njombe District
and to the South by the Ludewa District
. It is divided into six divisions and 17 wards. Makete District was founded in 1979 with the policy of the Ujamaa
. Before, this part of Iringa Region belonged to Njombe District.
According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the population of the Makete District was 128,520.http://www.tanzania.go.tz/census/census/districts/makete.htm The Wakinga
people mostly live in Makete District.
The area of the district is 5800 km², however, only 371 km² is agriculturally useful land. The region is at an altitude of 1500 to 3000 m above sea level, being crossed by both the Livingstone Mountains
and the Kipengere Range. Temperatures range from 2 to 20° Celsius and 20 to 30° Celsius in the mountains and on the plateau, respectively. Annual rainfall is from 1500 to 2800 mm in the mountains and 300 to 800 mm on the plateau. Major rivers originating from the mountains are Numbi, Kimani, Luvanyila and Ijangala. Smaller portions of the Great Ruaha
River Basin lie within Makete District.
s) put special emphasis on combatting malnutrition.
and potatoes are widely cultivated; they are often intercropped with pumpkin
, Phaseolus beans and peas
. Because of the temperate climate, also fruit trees, such as plums, peaches, apples and pears, are being cropped in the district. The region is well known for its bamboo wine (ulanzi), which is prepared from the fermented juice of the wine bamboo
(Oxytenanthera braunii). People from Makete District traditionally worked as pluckers on tea
plantations of the country. Maize has only recently been introduced. Diverse livestock species are held. While cattle are usually kept on communal grazing land, goats, pigs and poultry are reared close to the homesteads. Inside the houses, a large proportion of the rural population also keeps domestic cavies (i.e., Guinea pig
, Cavia porcellus) for meat production, although they are rarely mentioned in statistics. Locally, the animals are called simbilisi, which is a Kihehe word. In Makete District, cavies are largely fed with bamboo leaves.
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 ....
of 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...
. It is bordered to the North and West by the Mbeya Region
Mbeya Region
Mbeya is one of Tanzania's 26 administrative regions. The regional capital is Mbeya. It is bordered to the northwest by Tabora Region, to the northeast by Singida Region, to the East by Iringa Region, to the South by Zambia and Malawi and to the West by Rukwa Region...
, to the East by the Njombe District
Njombe
Njombe is one of the 7 districts of the Iringa Region of Tanzania. It is bordered to the North by the Mufindi District, to the South by the Ludewa District, to the East by the Morogoro and Ruvuma Regions, to the West by the Makete District and to the Northwest by the Mbeya Region.According to the...
and to the South by the Ludewa District
Ludewa
Ludewa is one of 7 districts in the Iringa Region in Tanzania. It is also the name of the capital city of the district which goes by the same name. A hospital is located in the city...
. It is divided into six divisions and 17 wards. Makete District was founded in 1979 with the policy of the Ujamaa
Ujamaa
Ujamaa was the concept that formed the basis of Julius Nyerere's social and economic development policies in Tanzania just after it gained independence from Britain in 1961...
. Before, this part of Iringa Region belonged to Njombe District.
According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the population of the Makete District was 128,520.http://www.tanzania.go.tz/census/census/districts/makete.htm The Wakinga
Kinga
The Kinga are an ethnic and linguistic group based in southwestern Tanzania, in the Kipengere Range northeast of Lake Malawi...
people mostly live in Makete District.
The area of the district is 5800 km², however, only 371 km² is agriculturally useful land. The region is at an altitude of 1500 to 3000 m above sea level, being crossed by both the Livingstone Mountains
Livingstone Mountains
The Kipengere Range, also known as the Livingstone Mountains, lies in southwest Tanzania at the northern end of Lake Malawi. From the town of Mbeya the range runs south-east and forms part of the eastern escarpment of the Great Rift Valley, extending about 100 km down the north-eastern shore...
and the Kipengere Range. Temperatures range from 2 to 20° Celsius and 20 to 30° Celsius in the mountains and on the plateau, respectively. Annual rainfall is from 1500 to 2800 mm in the mountains and 300 to 800 mm on the plateau. Major rivers originating from the mountains are Numbi, Kimani, Luvanyila and Ijangala. Smaller portions of the Great Ruaha
Great Ruaha River
The Great Ruaha River is a river in south-central Tanzania that flows through the Usangu wetlands and the Ruaha National Park east into the Rufiji River...
River Basin lie within Makete District.
Social Situation
Currently, the biggest challenges to be met by administration, are to improve the transportation infrastructure and provide better health care. Thereby, HIV/AIDS appears to be a special challenge for the region. The persons tested HIV-positive increased from 3,900 in 1988 to over 10,000 in 2002. Approximately 5% of children under 17 years are orphans. Consequently, care for orphaned children make up a large part of the expenses. A program funded by UNICEF, Mama Mkubwa offers financial support. Programs of numerous NGOs and faith-based organizations (FBOFBO
FBO may refer to:* Faith-based organization, an organization with religious motivation.* Family business office, an organization that manages investments and trusts for a single wealthy family.* Film Booking Offices of America, a 1920s American film studio....
s) put special emphasis on combatting malnutrition.
Economy
Agriculture provides the livelihood of most people in Makete District. Because of the temperate climate, wheatWheat
Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...
and potatoes are widely cultivated; they are often intercropped with pumpkin
Pumpkin
A pumpkin is a gourd-like squash of the genus Cucurbita and the family Cucurbitaceae . It commonly refers to cultivars of any one of the species Cucurbita pepo, Cucurbita mixta, Cucurbita maxima, and Cucurbita moschata, and is native to North America...
, Phaseolus beans and peas
PEAS
P.E.A.S. is an acronym in artificial intelligence that stands for Performance, Environment, Actuators, Sensors.-Performance:Performance is a function that measures the quality of the actions the agent did....
. Because of the temperate climate, also fruit trees, such as plums, peaches, apples and pears, are being cropped in the district. The region is well known for its bamboo wine (ulanzi), which is prepared from the fermented juice of the wine bamboo
Bamboo
Bamboo is a group of perennial evergreens in the true grass family Poaceae, subfamily Bambusoideae, tribe Bambuseae. Giant bamboos are the largest members of the grass family....
(Oxytenanthera braunii). People from Makete District traditionally worked as pluckers on tea
Tea
Tea is an aromatic beverage prepared by adding cured leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant to hot water. The term also refers to the plant itself. After water, tea is the most widely consumed beverage in the world...
plantations of the country. Maize has only recently been introduced. Diverse livestock species are held. While cattle are usually kept on communal grazing land, goats, pigs and poultry are reared close to the homesteads. Inside the houses, a large proportion of the rural population also keeps domestic cavies (i.e., Guinea pig
Guinea pig
The guinea pig , also called the cavy, is a species of rodent belonging to the family Caviidae and the genus Cavia. Despite their common name, these animals are not in the pig family, nor are they from Guinea...
, Cavia porcellus) for meat production, although they are rarely mentioned in statistics. Locally, the animals are called simbilisi, which is a Kihehe word. In Makete District, cavies are largely fed with bamboo leaves.
Wards
The Makete District is administratively divided into 17 wards:- Bulongwa
- Ikuwo
- Iniho
- Ipelele
- Ipepo
- Iwawa
- Kigulu
- Kipagalo
- Kitulo
- Lupalilo
- Lupila
- Mang'oto
- Matamba
- Mbalatse
- Mfumbi
- Mlondwe
- Ukwama