Tanga, Tanzania
Wilaya ya Tanga
Tanga is a regional capital of 393,429 people in Tanga, Tanzania, founded in 1891.
Why visit Tanga
Townapedia lists 33 museums and landmarks, 15 parks and trails, 211 places to eat, 144 places to stay and 14 attractions in and around town.
Highlights include Amboni Caves, Tanga Island Front Range Lighthouse, Amboni Caves and Mkwakwani Stadium.
Weather in Tanga
Forecast from MET Norway (CC BY 4.0). Full forecast
About Tanga
Tanga (Jiji la Tanga, in Swahili) is a historic city and the capital of Tanga Region. The city is located in the northern port city of Tanzania to the west of the Indian Ocean on Tanga Bay. The city had a population of 393,429 in 2022 and is governed by the Tanga City Council. The city is also a home to the Port of Tanga.
From the Wikipedia article Tanga, Tanzania (this version), under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Travel tips from other travellers: Tanga on Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Photos of Tanga
Things to do14
Tanga Island Front Range Lighthouse
Lighthouse · 1.8 km
Lighthouse in Tanzania
Ulenge Island Rear Range Lighthouse
Lighthouse · 10.3 km
Lighthouse in Tanzania
Ras Kazone Rear Range Lighthouse
Lighthouse · 3.0 km
Lighthouse in Tanzania
Tanga Island Rear Range Lighthouse
Lighthouse · 1.7 km
Lighthouse in Tanzania
Ulenge Island Front Range Lighthouse
Lighthouse · 10.3 km
Lighthouse in Tanzania
2 more on the map.
Museums and landmarks33
21 more on the map.
Parks, trails and playgrounds15
3 more on the map.
Restaurants and cafes211
199 more on the map.
History
The first communities that called Tanga their home were the Digo people and the Swahili states of the 11th to 16th Centuries. However, the earliest documentation about Tanga comes from the Portuguese. During their disruption of the previous trading links Tanga settlement remained a small trading post for the colonists during their occupation of the East African coast for 200 years between 1500 and 1700 when they were ousted. The Sultanate of Oman battled the Portuguese and gained control of the settlement by mid-1700 along with Mombasa, Pemba Island and Kilwa Kisiwani. The town continued to act as a trading port for ivory and slaves under the sultan's rule. Tanga continued to be a prosperous trading hub for slaves with the Arab world until 1873 when the European powers intervened in order to abolish the slave trade that was helping to maintain the Islamic elites.
In the 19th Century, growing interests by Europeans for the Scramble for Africa brought the Germans to Tanga. The Germans bought the coastal strip of mainland Tanzania from the Sultan of Zanzibar in 1891. This takeover designated Tanga into a township and was the first establishment in German East Africa. The town became the centre of German colonial administration before the establishment of Dar es Salaam in the early 20th century.
Read more of the history
Tanga was chosen in 1889 as a military post of German East Africa, and it became a district office in 1891. The town saw rapid expansion and planned growth under the German occupation. A tram line was built in the city for domestic transport and a port was also built for exports. In 1896 the construction of the Usambara Railway began and was extended to Moshi by 1912. Roads, bridges and the railway enabled industrial growth in the region and many buildings and bridges that are still in operation today in the town are from the German colonial period. The local economy was based mainly on the production of sisal, which had been brought to the colony several years earlier, and population in the area grew rapidly.
As the coastal town closest to British East Africa, Tanga was on the front line of the East African campaign at the beginning of World War I. On 4 November 1914 a landing by British and Empire forces was repelled in the Battle of Tanga. On 13 June 1916 the Royal Navy battleship HMS Vengeance and protected cruisers Challenger and Pioneer bombarded Tanga. On 7 July the protected cruiser HMS Talbot and monitor Severn entered Manza Bay and put troops ashore who occupied the town. After the War, Britain was given a League of Nations Mandate to prepare Tanganyika for independence and continued to develop Tanga in order to develop its agricultural potential, both to feed the population and so stave of the regular famines in the tetritory and for export. In 1919 Tanga was the country's fourth largest city, but at independence it was the second largest city after Dar es Salaam.
In the early stages of independence, the Port of Tanga continued to be a gateway for the export of sisal from the region. However, following the adopting of the Ujamaa policy, global prices in sisal dwindling, the production that served the city's factories closed and the city lost its main source of income. With the government controlling the agriculture trade and the depreciation in the world prices of sisal the port began to lose revenue.
From the History section of Tanga, Tanzania on Wikipedia, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
More about Tanga
Geography
Due to close proximity to the equator and the warm Indian Ocean, the city experiences tropical climatic conditions similar to all Tanzanian coastal cities. The city experiences hot and humid weather throughout much of the year and has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen: Aw). Annual rainfall is approximately 1,290 mm (51 in), and in a normal year there are two rainy seasons: "the long rains" in April and May and "the short rains" in November and December.
Economy
Major exports from the port of Tanga include sisal, coffee, tea, and cotton. Tanga is also an important railroad terminus, connecting much of the northern Tanzanian interior with the sea via the Tanzania Railways Corporation's Link Line and Central Line. Tanga is linked to the African Great Lakes region and the Tanzanian economic capital of Dar es Salaam. The city is served by Tanga Airport. The harbour and surrounding is the centre of life in Tanga. It has several markets in several neighbourhoods. Tanga Cement is one of the major industries.
Tanga has a small airport and is currently served by only three regional airlines, providing scheduled services to Dar es Salaam, Pemba Island and Zanzibar. In 2014 the airport served less than 30,000 passengers. There are also a small number of private airstrips in the surrounding area around the city that facilitate the private estates and surrounding industries.
Tanga city lies approximately 250 km from Chalinze on the A14 highway that runs from Chalinze to Mombasa. The town is 75 km away from Segera which is a junction linking the A14 and the B1. The B1 highway is a bypass that links Moshi and the northern corridor to Tanga.
From the Wikipedia article Tanga, Tanzania, under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Notable people from Tanga
Lofty DrewsKenyan rally co-driverPhoto: 先従隗始, CC0- Novatus DismasTanzanian footballer
- Thomas UlimwenguTanzanian footballer
- Clare PeploeTanzanian British screenwriter and film director
- Margaret BillinghamKenyan-born American pathologist (1930-2009)
- Gadiel MichaelTanzanian association football player
- Abdi Bandafootball player
- Rashi Ali Hadj MatumlaOlympic boxer
- Brigitte van der BurgDutch former politician
- Bashir KhanbhaiBritish politician (1945-2020)
- Mzee MajutoTanzanian actor
- Rashid MandawaTanzanian association football player
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Born in Tanga, according to Wikidata (CC0). Each name links to its Wikipedia article.
Where to stay144
Churches and places of worship82
Shopping42
Gas and EV charging8
Schools, colleges and libraries193
Healthcare100
Map of Tanga
250 places. The map loads OpenStreetMap tiles when you open it.
Getting there and nearby towns
Tanga Airport (TGT) is the nearest airport with scheduled flights listed in OpenStreetMap, 4 km away.
- Majengo 16 km southwest, about 16 min by car
- Mlalo 24 km northwest, about 24 min by car
- Muheza 37 km west, about 37 min by car
- Pangani 42 km south, about 42 min by car
- Maramba 53 km west, about 53 min by car
- Korogwe 69 km west, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Wete 70 km east, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Mkoani 69 km southeast, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Nungwi 76 km south, about 1 h 15 min by car
- Chake Chake 77 km east, 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
- Mapillary (see each image): photos
- OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL 1.0): places, airports, map data
- Wikidata (CC0 1.0): elevation, founding date, time zone, website, landmarks and historic places
- Wikimedia Commons (see each image): photos
- Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0): overview and history text
Photo credits
- Tanga aerial view, Ali A. Fazal, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Urithi 2, central ward, tanga, Halidtz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Swahili door at Tanga Urithi Museum in 2023, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Swahili door at Tanga Urithi Museum built in 1890,Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Museum, Central ward, tanga, Halidtz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Urithi 3 mango, central ward tanga, Halidtz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tanga Urithi Museum in mid ,Tanga CC2023, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Governer House c.1901, currenlty tanga Urithi Museum, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Tanga Library, Joachim Fugleberg, CC BY 2.0
- Colonial building, Central Ward, Tanga, Halidtz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Old Swahili house in Central ward, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Masjid Ihsan of Central, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Minaret of Masjid Ihsan, Central ward, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Chumbageni, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Swahili house, Ngamiani Kaskazini, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Swahili colums, Ngamiani Kaskazini, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Colonial building 2, Central Ward, Tanga, Halidtz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Swahili street in Central Ward, Tanga City Council, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ngamiani Kasikazini Ward streetscape, Tanga, Halidtz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Swahili house, Ngamiani Kati, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 8th Street, Ngamiani Kati, Tanga City Council, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- 7th street, Ngamiani Kati, Tanga City Council, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ngamiani Kati Usiku, Tanga City Council, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Ngamiani Kusini View, Tanga, Halidtz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Coconuts in Majengo ward, Tanga City Council, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street Scene in Usagara Ward, Tanga, Halidtz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street in Makorora, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Masjid Tawbaa of Mzingani, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Masjid As Salaam of Makorora, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Masjid As Salaam of Makorora front view, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Facade of Masjid As Salaam of Makorora, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Inside of Masjid As Salaam of Makorora, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tecoma castaneifolia @ Tanga beach, TNZ, Norbert Holstein, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Makorora ward, Tanga CC, Mangapwani, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street Scene, Msambweni Ward, Tanga, Halidtz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Shaban Robert House in Duga Ward, Tanga Mjini, Halidtz, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Tanga bay sunset, Ali A. Fazal, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Deutsch-Ostafrika, Tanga, Leuchtturm, Walther Dobbertin, CC BY-SA 3.0 de
- Amboni caves, Tanga, Shaun D Metcalfe away in Thailand, CC BY 2.0
- Bombo Hospital 8, Dr Kassim Shegow, Public domain
- Street-level photo, KAWAMALA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, KAWAMALA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, KAWAMALA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, KAWAMALA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, KAWAMALA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, KAWAMALA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, KAWAMALA, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Street-level photo, KAWAMALA, CC BY-SA 4.0
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