Makumbako, Tanzania

Makambako is now a town, located in the Southern Highlands of Tanzania, approximately 60 kilometers north of the district capital of Njombe. The town of Makambako contains the settlements of Ikwete, Maguvani, Ubena, Kipagamo, Idofi, Mlowa, Mkolango, Lyamkena, Kiumba, Mwembetogwa, Mjimwema, Kitisi, Kivavi and Kilimahewa.

The Makambako Plateau is one of three agroecological zones in the Njombe District, the other two being the Eastern Highlands and the Njombe Plateau.

Maize is commonly grown in the plateau while Makambako is notable for tomato cultivation and trade.

The largest ethnic group in Makambako town are the Bena. Their living arrangements include large, polygamous, extended families and on average, there are more than five children in a household. Farming responsibility is left to women with almost all of them following an occupation. Female headed households are more dependent on subsistence food, operating as "street vendors" or with mobile fast-food kitchens.

Other group of people includes Kinga from Makete district who famous in trading activities. Pangwa from Ludewa District and Hehe are from nearby Iringa Region.

There is also a significant number of people from other regions who came to work as Soldiers, Police officers and Railway workers who have established permanent settlement in the town.

Kiswahili is widely spoken just as other urban areas of Tanzania.

The native tribe of this area are Bena who are at adjacent to the Iringa Region where Hehe is spoken hence many residents speak Kisovi a variation of Kibena which some vocabulary and pronunciation resemble that of Hehe counterparts

There are several educational institutions in Makambako including primary schools, secondary schools and one university. Some of these include primary schools like Azimio Primary School, Makambako primary School, Maendeleo primary school, Uhuru primary school, Umoja primary school, also secondary schools like Makambako secondary school, Lyamkena secondary school, Maguvani secondary school, Kipagamo secondary school, Naboti secondary school, genesis secondary school, Mcf-Makambako Girls Secondary School, Ngogo secondary school, Mukilima secondary school. Also there is one university named St. Joseph University of Tanzania.