Pwani Region (Swahili: Mkoa wa Pwani) runs along Tanzania’s central coast and wraps around Dar es Salaam Region on every landward side. The 2022 census recorded a population of 2,024,947 over 32,547 km², and the regional headquarters is at Kibaha, 40 km inland on the Morogoro road. Its name simply means “coast” in Swahili, and it holds the mouth of the Rufiji, the largest river in the country.
Districts of Pwani Region
The region is divided into nine councils: seven district councils, one town council at Kibaha and one island council on Mafia. Populations are from the 2022 census.
| District | Council type | Population (2022 census) |
|---|---|---|
| Mkuranga | District council | 533,033 |
| Chalinze | District council | 316,759 |
| Kibaha Town | Town council | 265,360 |
| Bagamoyo | District council | 205,478 |
| Kibiti | District council | 195,638 |
| Rufiji | District council | 159,906 |
| Kisarawe | District council | 159,226 |
| Kibaha | District council | 123,367 |
| Mafia | District council | 66,180 |
| Pwani Region | — | 2,024,947 |
Chalinze and Kibiti are recent councils, split from Bagamoyo and Rufiji. Older lists and gazetteers still file their villages under the parent districts.
Towns and Villages in Pwani Region
Below are the towns, villages and hamlets recorded across the region, grouped by district. Where a council was split from an older district, the two are listed together, because most village records still carry the parent district name.
Bagamoyo and Chalinze
- Bagamoyo
- Buyoni
- Chakengi
- Chalinze
- Chambezi
- Fukayosi
- Gama
- Gongo
- Kaole
- Karabaka
- Kerege
- Kibindu
- Kidomole
- Kigongoni
- Kikoka
- Kikwate
- Kimange
- Kiona
- Kiromo
- Kisambi
- Kisauke
- Kisingipumba
- Kisuka
- Kitonga
- Kivugo
- Kiwangwa
- Kokoto
- Korogombe
- Kulwi
- Kwadirema
- Kwaraza
- Kwaru
- Kyakulu
- Lugoba
- Lukigura
- Mabaku
- Mabuku
- Malivundo
- Manda
- Mandera
- Mapinga
- Masugulu
- Matimbwa
- Mazizi
- Mbwewe
- Miembesaba
- Mindu Tulieni
- Miono
- Misasa
- Mitengwi
- Mkange
- Mkowalaanda
- Mlingotini
- Mpelakiwete
- Msata
- Msoga
- Msolwa
- Msorwa
- Mtakuja
- Mwavi
- Ngiapanda
- Nguhi
- Nunge
- Pongwe
- Ruanda
- Rundi
- Rupungwi
- Rusako
- Sadani
- Simbo
- Tarawanda
- Ubenazomozi
- Vigwasa
- Vikole
- Yombo
- Zinga
Kibaha
- Disunyara
- Dutumi
- Kikongo
- Lupunga
- Mahundi
- Mlandizi
- Mpiji
- Msua
- Ruvu
- Soga
Kibaha Town
- Chamangwe
- Kansagali
- Kibaha
- Kidenge
- Kidimu
- Kumba
- Mandera
- Mbwawa
- Mziwaziwa
- Ngohingo
- Visiga
Kisarawe
- Banda
- Boga
- Chaduma
- Chale
- Changombe
- Chole Samvula
- Gwata
- Ikwete
- Itebeteni
- Kauzen
- Kazimzumbwi
- Kibuara
- Kibuta
- Kibwegere
- Kichangui
- Kidunda
- Kigisu
- Kinessa
- Kisangire
- Kisarawe
- Kola
- Kului
- Kwasi
- Mafisi
- Majohi
- Maneromango
- Marui
- Marumbo
- Masaki
- Masanganya
- Mbulani
- Mfulu
- Mianzi
- Milima Zambi
- Mkuhuni
- Mlegere
- Mloo
- Msanga
- Msanga Visiga
- Mtamba
- Muhaga
- Mwana
- Mzasa
- Mzenga
- Sofu
- Sungwi
- Titu
- Vigogoni
- Vihingo
- Yombo
Mafia
- Baleni
- Banja
- Bweni
- Chole
- Chunguruma
- Dawoni
- Dongo
- Dundani
- Jekundu
- Jimbo
- Kanga
- Kegeani
- Kidika
- Kigomane
- Kilindoni
- Kilole
- Kipanga
- Kipinewi
- Kirongwe
- Kiruni
- Kisimani Mafia
- Kitemondo
- Kitingi
- Kua
- Magemani
- Malasi
- Mambay
- Mchangani
- Mfuruni
- Mirumbani
- Misini
- Mkarangama
- Mrali
- Mrora
- Muskituni
- Mwakuni
- Mwera
- Mzini
- Ndagoni
- Nduruni
- Ngesa
- Pulula
- Ruma
- Simba
- Sukura
- Tirene
- Tondwa
- Tongani
- Tumbuju
- Utendo
Mkuranga
- Bigwa
- Binga
- Boza
- Dondo
- Dumbawama
- Karole
- Kisiju
- Kitomondo
- Kitonga
- Kizomora
- Lukanga
- Magawa
- Mazomora
- Mbezi
- Mgwewu
- Mikere
- Minangu
- Mkamba
- Mkuranga
- Mpafu
- Msorwa
- Mwandege
- Njianne
- Ruponde
- Shungubweni
- Sotele
- Vibura
- Vikindu
Rufiji and Kibiti
- Bungu
- Dimani
- Ikwiriri
- Jaja
- Kibiti
- Kibonji
- Kikale
- Kilimani
- Kilindi
- Kiomboni
- Kipungira
- Kungurwe
- Kwa Mhinda
- Kwangwazi
- Mahege
- Makindu
- Mbumi
- Mbwera
- Mchukwi
- Mchungu
- Mhiniu
- Mitowa
- Mkalinzu
- Mohoro
- Mpanga
- Mpanganya
- Mroka
- Msala
- Msindaji
- Msomeni
- Mtanza
- Mtunda
- Mturuma
- Mwaseni
- Nangulangwa
- Ndundu
- Ndundu Tawa
- Ngulakula
- Nyakatasi
- Nyakisiku
- Nyambati
- Nyamwage
- Nyanjati
- Nyarwiru
- Nyera
- Pemba
- Pombwe
- Roge Roge
- Ruaruke
- Rusende
- Ruwe
- Salale
- Tawi
- Uchembe
- Umwo
- Utete
- Zombe
Other localities
- Kiasi
- Kiechuru
- Komkomba
- Kuruti
- Kurutini
- Kwa Diwani
- Kwabigo
- Kwale
- Kwamnele
- Kwamsiziro
- Kwanyange
- Kwanyangu
- Kwasunga
- Maruwani
- Mfunza
- Ngwembe
- Pozo
- Ruhanga
- Simba-Uranga
- Usimbe
- Vikongoro
Geography
Pwani borders Tanga Region to the north, Morogoro Region to the west and Lindi Region to the south, with the Indian Ocean on the east. It also encircles Dar es Salaam Region. The coastal strip is low, sandy and hot, backed by a belt of coastal forest and then by scrub and miombo woodland inland. The highest ground is at Pongwe, about 874 m.
The Rufiji River crosses the south of the region and empties through the Rufiji Delta, the largest stand of mangrove forest in East Africa. The Wami River enters the sea in the north, inside Saadani National Park, the only Tanzanian national park on the coast. Mafia Island lies about 20 km off the delta and is ringed by Mafia Island Marine Park. The Julius Nyerere Hydropower Station stands on the Rufiji at Stiegler’s Gorge, inside Nyerere National Park, part of which falls in Rufiji District.
Economy and Local Life
Farming supports most households. Coconuts, cashew, mango, oranges, cassava and rice are the main crops, and Mkuranga is known across Tanzania for its citrus. Rice is grown on the Rufiji floodplain, where the annual flood leaves silt behind. Charcoal and timber move to Dar es Salaam in quantity from Kisarawe and Rufiji.
Fishing runs the length of the coast, from Bagamoyo and Mlingotini in the north to the delta villages and Mafia in the south. Mafia’s boats work the deep channel between the island and the mainland, and the marine park draws divers to Chole Bay. Sisal estates survive around Chalinze and Ruvu. Because Dar es Salaam is close, many Pwani households sell produce, sand, poles and fish straight into the city market, and Kibaha, Mlandizi and Mkuranga are turning into commuter towns.
Getting There
The Dar es Salaam–Morogoro highway runs west through Kibaha, Mlandizi and Chalinze. Chalinze is the junction town where traffic splits north for Segera, Tanga and Arusha. The Kilwa road runs south from Dar es Salaam through Mkuranga, Kibiti and Ikwiriri, crossing the Rufiji at the Mkapa Bridge before continuing to Kilwa and Lindi.
The Central Line railway passes through Ruvu and Kibaha on its way west, and the TAZARA line crosses the north-west of the region. Mafia is reached by air from Dar es Salaam to the airstrip at Kilindoni, or by boat from Nyamisati in Rufiji District. Bagamoyo is 70 km north of Dar es Salaam by road, and small boats still cross the channel from there.
FAQ
How many districts are in Pwani Region?
Nine: Bagamoyo, Chalinze, Kibaha, Kibaha Town, Kibiti, Kisarawe, Mafia, Mkuranga and Rufiji.
What is the population of Pwani Region?
The 2022 census recorded a population of 2,024,947, up from 1,098,668 in 2012.
What is the capital of Pwani Region?
Kibaha. The regional offices sit on the Morogoro road about 40 km west of Dar es Salaam, not on the coast.
What towns and villages are in Pwani Region?
The larger towns are Kibaha, Bagamoyo, Chalinze, Mlandizi, Mkuranga, Ikwiriri, Kibiti, Utete, Kisarawe, Lugoba, Mapinga and Kilindoni on Mafia. Several hundred villages sit behind them; the full list is grouped by district above.
Why is Bagamoyo historically important?
Bagamoyo was the terminus of the caravan routes from the interior and the first capital of German East Africa. The Kaole ruins south of the town date from a much earlier Swahili settlement.