Mtwara Region (Swahili: Mkoa wa Mtwara) sits in Tanzania’s south-eastern corner. The Ruvuma River marks its border with Mozambique. The 2022 census recorded a population of 1,634,947 in an area of 16,710 km2, the third smallest of the country’s 31 regions. The regional capital is Mtwara, a deep-water port town on Mikindani Bay. It ships most of the cashew crop grown on the Makonde Plateau inland.
Districts of Mtwara Region
Mtwara Region is administered through nine councils: one municipal council at Mtwara Mikindani, three town councils, and five rural district councils. Populations below are from the 2022 census.
| District | Council type | Population (2022 census) |
|---|---|---|
| Masasi | Rural district council | 314,778 |
| Masasi Town | Town council | 137,585 |
| Mtwara Mikindani | Municipal council | 146,772 |
| Mtwara Rural | Rural district council | 158,504 |
| Nanyamba | Town council | 132,624 |
| Nanyumbu | District council | 204,323 |
| Newala | Rural district council | 136,939 |
| Newala Town | Town council | 104,349 |
| Tandahimba | District council | 299,073 |
| Total | 1,634,947 |
Towns and Villages in Mtwara Region
The settlements below are grouped by district. Nanyamba Town Council was carved out of Mtwara Rural, so places in both appear under one heading. Newala Town Council was likewise split from Newala District. Localities that could not be matched to a district are listed at the end.
Masasi District
- Akumawale
- Chigugu
- Chikundi
- Chilangala
- Chilimba
- Chinmongwe
- Chiungutwa
- Chiwambo
- Huwe
- Kidau
- Lichehe
- Lilala
- Lipumburu
- Luagala
- Luatala
- Lukohe
- Lukuledi
- Lulindi
- Lupaso
- Lusonje
- Machenya
- Maparawe
- Matogoro
- Mbemba
- Mbuyuni
- Mchauru
- Mchonda
- Mesaula
- Miesi
- Mihima
- Mjembe
- Mkoma
- Mkoo
- Mkoripo
- Mkuchika
- Mnavira
- Mpanyani
- Mpeta
- Mujira
- Mwitika
- Nagaga
- Nahinga
- Nakarara
- Namajani
- Namalenga
- Namaputa
- Namatutwe
- Namaunya
- Nambawara
- Namtula
- Nangoo
- Nanyindwa
- Ndanda
- Ndibwa
- Njawara
- Nunguru
- Nyumululu
- Rutando
- Sindano
- Umati
- Utimbe
Masasi Town
- Akwungwasi
- Chemkono
- Kanyimbi
- Liloyo
- Lisekese
- Marambo
- Marika
- Masasi
- Mlasi
- Mpindimbi
- Mputu
- Msakala
- Mumbaka
- Nairombo
- Namatunu
- Nandete
- Ngaga
- Sululu
Mtwara Municipal (Mtwara-Mikindani)
- Manhanya
- Mikindani
- Misete
- Mtawanya
- Mtwara
- Mwita
Mtwara Rural and Nanyamba
- Dihimba
- Kihongo
- Kiswa
- Kitama
- Kitaya
- Kitere
- Kitondo
- Kitunguli
- Kiwengulo
- Libobe
- Lipwidi
- Litembe
- Madimba
- Mahurunga
- Manamawa
- Mbahi
- Mbawala
- Mbemba
- Mchicha
- Mgau
- Mihuma
- Mkunwa
- Mnechi
- Mnima
- Mnongodi
- Mpapura
- Msangamkuu
- Msimbati
- Muwenye
- Mwambo Kitupo
- Nachenjere
- Namisange
- Namitwadi
- Namkuku
- Namuhi
- Nanduli
- Nanguruwe
- Nanyamba
- Nanyati
- Naulendi
- Naumba
- Ndumbwe
- Njengwa
- Ntendachi
- Ntorya
- Nyilumba
- Tangazo
- Uloda
- Ziwani
Nanyumbu District
- Adawani
- Changwale
- Chitowe
- Chitwangule
- Chungu
- Holola
- Kamundi
- Kawera
- Likokona
- Lugo
- Lukula
- Lukumbi
- Lukwamba
- Lukwika
- Lumesule
- Manema
- Mangaka
- Maratani
- Masuguru
- Mbate
- Mburuza
- Michiga
- Mikangaula
- Minje
- Mkonona
- Mkumbura
- Mtalikachau
- Mtawa
- Mtimbo
- Nahupa
- Nakopi
- Nambela
- Namisonga
- Nandembo
- Nandete
- Nangomba
- Nangua
- Nanyumbu
- Napacho
- Narupara
- Nauru
- Ndechela
- Nderakajo
- Ndwika
- Nihale
- Ruanda
- Sengwa
Newala District and Newala Town
- Chidya
- Chikalopolo
- Chionga
- Chitandi
- Chiwata
- Kihanga
- Kitangari
- Lidumbe
- Likuna
- Luchemi
- Luchingu
- Magumuchila
- Makonga
- Makongonda
- Makote
- Makukwe
- Malatu
- Mangombya
- Mcholi
- Mikalango
- Minjare
- Mjembe
- Mkole
- Mkoma
- Mkululu
- Mkunya
- Mkwedu
- Mnali
- Mnolela
- Mnyambe
- Mtongwele
- Mtopwa
- Mtunguru
- Nahama
- Nakahaku
- Nambunga
- Namiyonga
- Nanchomwa
- Nandwahi
- Nangondi
- Nangwala
- Nasui
- Nawanga
- Newala
- Newala Kisimani
- Pa Ulaya
- Tunduru
Tandahimba District
- Chitoholi
- Chiumo
- Kitama
- Lidumbe
- Lienje
- Lilombe
- Luagala
- Lukokoda
- Mabeti
- Madaba
- Mahuta
- Mandamo
- Maramba
- Maundo
- Mchichira
- Mcholi
- Meda
- Michenjele
- Mihambwe
- Miridu
- Mkonjowano
- Mkoo
- Mkoreha
- Mkundi
- Mkwiti
- Mtendi
- Mwongo
- Namahonga
- Namatopa
- Namidonde
- Namikupa
- Nandwani
- Nanhyanga
- Nanjenga
- Nanola
- Naputa
- Ndumbwe
- Ngunja
- Nhyawa
- Nyahi
- Tandahimba
- Tukuru
Other localities
- Hangambali
- Litemula
- Madingo
- Mkungu
- Mnazi
- Mwambo
- Nandembo
- Nanganga
- Ntandi
- Nyangamara
- Pemba
Geography
Mtwara Region borders Mozambique to the south, across the Ruvuma River. Ruvuma Region lies west, Lindi Region north, and the Indian Ocean east. Two landscapes divide it. A narrow coastal plain runs from Mikindani Bay south to the Ruvuma estuary. Behind it the Makonde Plateau rises through Newala and Tandahimba, and carries most of the region’s farms and villages. The highest ground is at Masasi, where granite inselbergs reach 837 metres.
The Ruvuma and its tributaries drain the south. Mnazi Bay-Ruvuma Estuary Marine Park protects reefs, mangroves and seagrass at the southern end of the coast. Humpback whales pass through on their annual migration. Forest reserves cover a little over eight per cent of the region’s land.
Economy and Local Life
Farming supports more than nine in ten people here. Cashew is the money crop. Mtwara Region grows roughly 40 per cent of Tanzania’s cashew nuts, and the trade makes up about a quarter of regional output. Buying season opens in October. Auction centres run in Masasi, Newala, Tandahimba and Nanyumbu, and lorries move raw nuts to the port at Mtwara. Households also grow cassava, sorghum, millet, groundnuts, sesame and maize, and keep coconut and mango trees at home.
The coast fishes. Boats work out of Mtwara, Msimbati, Msangamkuu and Mgao, selling to local markets and to traders shipping north. Small-scale mining recovers sapphire and other gemstones inland. The Mnazi Bay gas field near Msimbati feeds a processing plant and the pipeline north to Dar es Salaam. Gas has drawn construction and service jobs to Mtwara town.
Getting There
The T6 trunk road is the main link. It runs south from Dar es Salaam through Lindi to Mtwara. A branch at Mingoyo, in Lindi Region, carries traffic inland to Masasi, then west to Tunduru and Songea. Sealed roads run off it to Newala, Tandahimba, Nanyamba and Nanyumbu.
Mtwara Airport, just outside the town, takes scheduled flights from Dar es Salaam. Mtwara port handles cashew exports, cement and fuel. It is one of the deepest natural harbours on the East African coast. The Unity Bridge crosses the Ruvuma at Mtambaswala, in Nanyumbu District. It opened in 2010 and gives the only road crossing into Mozambique. There is no passenger rail service. The Southern Province railway, built for the colonial groundnut scheme, was closed and lifted in the 1960s.
FAQ
How many districts are in Mtwara Region?
Mtwara Region is divided into nine councils: Masasi, Masasi Town, Mtwara Mikindani, Mtwara Rural, Nanyamba, Nanyumbu, Newala, Newala Town and Tandahimba.
What is the population of Mtwara Region?
The 2022 census recorded a population of 1,634,947. That is up from 1,270,854 in the 2012 census.
What is the capital of Mtwara Region?
Mtwara town, on Mikindani Bay, is the regional capital. Its municipal council, Mtwara Mikindani, had a population of 146,772 in 2022.
What towns and villages are in Mtwara Region?
Larger settlements include Masasi, Newala, Newala Kisimani, Tandahimba, Nanyamba, Lukuledi, Nangomba, Mahuta and Chiungutwa. The list above covers around 280 towns and villages by district.
What is Mtwara Region known for?
Cashew nuts, which grow across the Makonde Plateau, and the Mnazi Bay natural gas field. The region produces about 40 per cent of the national cashew crop.