Why visit Musoma
Townapedia lists 1 museum or landmark, 1 park or trail, 22 places to eat and 14 places to stay in and around town.
Weather in Musoma
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Musoma
Musoma is a town in the east shore of Lake Victoria of Tanzania. It is the capital of Mara Region, one of the administrative Regions of Tanzania. It also serves as the administrative centre of Musoma Rural District and Musoma Urban District.
From the Wikipedia article Musoma (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Photos of Musoma
Museums and landmarks1
Parks, trails and playgrounds1
Restaurants and cafes22
10 more on the map.
Where to stay14
2 more on the map.
History
The name Musoma comes from the word Omusoma which means, a spit. The name refers to Musoma's many spits pointing into the surrounding Lake Victoria.
Among the current resident ethnic groups of Mara, the site that later developed into the town of Musoma was first settled by the Kurya subtribe of Abhakabhwa, commonly called Wakabwa. They also gave the name to the location. Hence, Musoma originates from the Kabwa word 'Omusoma', which actually means a piece of land that protrudes into the Lake, essentially, a peninsula. All the kingdoms in Mara, which are actually sub-kingdoms of people with a common ancestry use the word 'Omusoma' (for the Wakabwa, as well as the Wajita and the closely related sub tribes of Wakwaya, Waruri, Wakara, and Wakerewe) and 'Omosoma' (for the many Kurianic sub-tribes such as Abhakerobha - commonly called Wakiroba; Wasimbiti, Wakenye, nk.). The full name is actually "Omosoma (or 'Omusoma') ghwa Nyabhamba".
Read more of the history
Musoma was hotly contested and witnessed many intra-ethnic wars, particularly between the Wakabwa and their kins, the Wakiroba - who were second to arrive in the location after the Wakabwa. The Wakabwa brought in their allies, the non-Bantu Luo and were on the tip of winning the war. The Wakiroba turned to their allies, the Wakwaya but were still heading for defeat. Seeing the situation worsen, the Wakwaya and Wakiroba sought support from the Germans, who at that time had arrived in Mwanza but not yet conquered present day Mara. It was under severe attacks by the German Canons that the Wakabwa and their allies the Luo could be defeated and chased away from the area. A legacy of this war are several mass graves just outside Musoma, particularly in Nyabhange (now commonly called Nyabangi) in Kiroba Land. From that time on, the Wakiroba and Wakwaya became resident neighbors of Musoma, dominating its population for a very long time. Now Musoma is significantly cosmopolitan.
The first headquarters of the occupying Germans was established in Nyabangi, but - just like in the case of Bagamoyo on the Indian Ocean Coast, which was the first Capital of German East Africa - it was abandoned due to shallow waters that made an unsuitable location for a harbour. Musoma became the new capital. Today, the old German 'Boma' is testimony to this history of Musoma.
From the History section of Musoma on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Musoma
Geography
The city is situated in a heavily indented bay. The Mara River, after which the administrative region of Mara Region is named, flows into Lake Victoria, in nearby Kirumi in Kiroba/Simbiti Land.
From the Wikipedia article Musoma, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Musoma
Sospeter MuhongoTanzanian geologist and politicianPhoto: Conleth Brady / IAEA, CC BY 2.0- Samwel MweraTanzanian athletics competitor (born 1985)
- Joyce NdalichakoTanzanian politician
- Paul BomaniTanzanian politician and ambassador (1925–2005)
- Vedastus Mathayo ManyinyiTanzanian politician
- Ibrahim Hamis JumaChief Justice of Tanzania
Born in Musoma, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Churches and places of worship9
Shopping6
Gas and EV charging7
Schools, colleges and libraries33
Healthcare17
Map of Musoma
110 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Musoma Airport (MUZ) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 0 km away.
- Mugango 23 km southwest, about 23 min by car
- Butiama 35 km southeast, about 35 min by car
- Shirati 46 km northeast, about 46 min by car
- Nyamuswa 51 km southeast, about 51 min by car
- Bunda 59 km south, about 59 min by car
- Tarime 65 km east, about 1 h by car
- Sirari 80 km east, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Matongo 80 km east, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Issenye 81 km southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Kibara 82 km southwest, about 1 h 15 min by car
Drive times are estimates from straight-line distance, not routes.
Keep exploring
Local news
Headlines from INDB.
Reviews, tips and questions
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Sources and licences
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, coordinates, regions and time zone
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Musoma Busbahnhof2, Ikiwaner, GFDL 1.2
- T17 highway through Kitaji ward, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Nyerere bench replica at Mwisenge, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Nyerere old classroom, Mwisenge Primary School, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Nyerere Memorial Mwisenge ward, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Nyerere's boarding room, Mwisenge Primary School, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Interior of Nyerere's classroom in Mwisenge Primary School, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Exterior of Nyerere's boarding room, Mwisenge Primary School, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Musoma Busbahnhof1, Ikiwaner, GFDL 1.2
- Lake Victoria from Mwisenge ward, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Street in Mukendo ward, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Musoma-Mkendo-Road-2012, Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Coconut palms of Mukendo, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Coconuts in Mukendo, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Mwisenge Coconuts in Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Coconuts in Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Musoma Seeufer, Ikiwaner, GFDL 1.2
- Forest in Mwisenge ward, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Papyrus on Mukendo penisula, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Rock Hyrax in Mukendo Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Rocks in Musoma, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Lodge in Mukendo ward Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Rocks in lake Victoria, Musoma Municipal Council, Mara Region, Mnazini, CC BY 4.0
- Aunt Habitats, Mirror24, CC BY-SA 4.0
- NATURAL ENVIRONMENT, Chirangi, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Mosquitoes-Killedy-By-DDT-Lake-Victoria, Bjørn Christian Tørrissen, CC BY-SA 3.0
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