
Map of the Mara Region
'Mara' is one of the 26
regions of
Tanzania.
Musoma serves as the Region's capital.
The neighbouring regions are
Mwanza and
Shinyanga(to the south),
Arusha (to the south east)and
Kagera (through
Lake Victoria). To the north east, it borders the Republic of
Kenya. Mara Region is occupied by various different tribal groups, including the
Luo,
Jita, Ruri, Zanaki, Kuria, Kabwa, Kiroba, Simbiti, Ngoreme, Kwaya, Ikoma, Nata, Isenye, Ikizu, Sizaki, Sukuma and Taturu (Datooga). Under British rule, Mara region was one district in the Lake Province, which became the Lake Region after independence in 1961.
Serengeti National Park, one of the world's most famous game sanctuaries, is largely in Mara region. This park occupies a vast area of grasslands and woodlands and is home to thousands of wild animals. It has also been declared a world heritage site by
UNESCO. It attracts close to 150,000 tourists every year
[1]. The sanctuary is home to more than a million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelles. Apart from conventional tourism in the Serengeti there is also a range of Ecotourism opportunities available in Mara region
[2].
According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the population of the Mara Region was 1,368,602.
[3]
The regional commissioner of the Mara Region is Isidori Shirima
[4]
Districts
The districts in Mara Region are
Bunda (to the south west),
Serengeti (to the south east),
Tarime and
Rorya (to the North), and
Musoma Urban (the municipal) and
Musoma Rural.
See also
★
Masai Mara in Kenya
Sources
★
Mara Region Homepage for the 2002 Tanzania National Census
★
Tanzanian Government Directory Database