{"id":104,"date":"2026-08-01T00:13:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-01T00:13:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/songwe-region\/"},"modified":"2026-08-01T00:13:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T00:13:33","slug":"songwe-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/songwe-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Songwe Region"},"content":{"rendered":"

Songwe Region (Swahili: Mkoa wa Songwe) is one of Tanzania’s newest regions, split from western Mbeya on 29 January 2016. The 2022 census recorded a population of 1,344,687 across five councils, and the regional capital is Vwawa in Mbozi District. Its border town of Tunduma, on the crossing into Zambia, is the busiest inland border post in the country and now the region’s largest settlement.<\/p>\n

Districts of Songwe Region<\/h2>\n

Songwe Region has five councils: four district councils and one town council. Because the region is younger than most published sources, its districts are often still listed under Mbeya Region.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
District<\/th>\nCouncil type<\/th>\nPopulation (2022 census)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Ileje<\/td>\nDistrict council<\/td>\n125,869<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Mbozi<\/td>\nDistrict council<\/td>\n510,599<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Momba<\/td>\nDistrict council<\/td>\n259,781<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Songwe<\/td>\nDistrict council<\/td>\n229,129<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Tunduma<\/td>\nTown council<\/td>\n219,309<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total<\/td>\n<\/td>\n1,344,687<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Towns and Villages in Songwe Region<\/h2>\n

The settlements below are grouped by district council, with the regional capital Vwawa under Mbozi and the border town of Tunduma under its own town council.<\/p>\n

Ileje District<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Ibaba<\/li>\n
  • Igamba<\/li>\n
  • Ikinga<\/li>\n
  • Ilulu<\/li>\n
  • Isoko<\/li>\n
  • Itale<\/li>\n
  • Itumba<\/li>\n
  • Malangali<\/li>\n
  • Mutula<\/li>\n
  • Ngomba<\/li>\n
  • Usango<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Mbozi District<\/h3>\n
      \n
    • Chirara<\/li>\n
    • Igamba<\/li>\n
    • Ihanda<\/li>\n
    • Isalala<\/li>\n
    • Itaka<\/li>\n
    • Litumbi<\/li>\n
    • Luwemba<\/li>\n
    • Mantenga<\/li>\n
    • Mlandera<\/li>\n
    • Mlowo<\/li>\n
    • Mwenefulu<\/li>\n
    • Nkota<\/li>\n
    • Ruanda<\/li>\n
    • Shaji<\/li>\n
    • Tabo<\/li>\n
    • Utambalia<\/li>\n
    • Vwawa<\/li>\n
    • Yula<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Momba District<\/h3>\n
        \n
      • Chindi<\/li>\n
      • Chirurumu<\/li>\n
      • Chiwanda<\/li>\n
      • Itawa<\/li>\n
      • Ivuna<\/li>\n
      • Iwanda<\/li>\n
      • Jendwe<\/li>\n
      • Kakesi<\/li>\n
      • Kasawe<\/li>\n
      • Mkulwe<\/li>\n
      • Msamba<\/li>\n
      • Msangano<\/li>\n
      • Msia<\/li>\n
      • Ndalambo<\/li>\n
      • Ngongo<\/li>\n
      • Nsalawu<\/li>\n
      • Pembera<\/li>\n
      • Sala<\/li>\n
      • Sanga<\/li>\n
      • Sanzi<\/li>\n
      • Tungwa<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Songwe District<\/h3>\n
          \n
        • Bangala<\/li>\n
        • Chambo<\/li>\n
        • Galula<\/li>\n
        • Gua<\/li>\n
        • Ifekenya<\/li>\n
        • Ifuro<\/li>\n
        • Igalele<\/li>\n
        • Igali<\/li>\n
        • Ilengo<\/li>\n
        • Isome<\/li>\n
        • Kamba<\/li>\n
        • Kanga<\/li>\n
        • Kapalala<\/li>\n
        • Kayombo<\/li>\n
        • Kitinde<\/li>\n
        • Kivuko<\/li>\n
        • Legele<\/li>\n
        • Luika<\/li>\n
        • Lukwati<\/li>\n
        • Malolo<\/li>\n
        • Manda<\/li>\n
        • Manikonde<\/li>\n
        • Mbuyuni<\/li>\n
        • Mkoma<\/li>\n
        • Mwambani<\/li>\n
        • Nala<\/li>\n
        • Njila<\/li>\n
        • Panjalo<\/li>\n
        • Saza<\/li>\n
        • Tete<\/li>\n
        • Totoe<\/li>\n
        • Uleia<\/li>\n
        • Vwembi<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Tunduma Town<\/h3>\n
            \n
          • Kasali<\/li>\n
          • Tunduma<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Geography<\/h2>\n

            Songwe Region covers 26,595 km\u00b2 of land, or 27,656 km\u00b2 including its water. It lies in the Southern Highlands between latitudes 7\u00b0 and 9\u00b036\u2032 south. Zambia borders it to the south at Tunduma, and Malawi to the south-east at the Isongole crossing in Ileje District. Rukwa and Katavi regions lie to the west, Tabora Region to the north and Mbeya Region to the east.<\/p>\n

            Lake Rukwa fills the low ground in the west and north-west of the region. The Songwe River, which gives the region its name, forms part of the Tanzania\u2013Malawi boundary; the Momba River drains the west towards Lake Rukwa. Mount Ilomwa, Mount Pungwe and the Kwimba, Kipala and Linzitwa hills stand over the plateau, and the Kaisumbe, Tiru, Msawe, Mengo and Chingambo forest reserves protect stands of highland woodland. The Mbozi meteorite, one of the largest single iron meteorites known anywhere, lies in Mbozi District south-east of Vwawa.<\/p>\n

            Economy and Local Life<\/h2>\n

            About 75 per cent of households in Songwe Region farm, and the region is among Tanzania’s seven biggest agricultural producers. Maize is the staple and the main surplus crop. Coffee is the leading cash crop, grown across the Mbozi highlands, alongside pyrethrum, sesame, sunflower and tobacco. Livestock counts run to 410,390 cattle and 244,024 goats, plus chickens and pigs.<\/p>\n

            Fishing along Lake Rukwa supplies the western villages of Momba and Songwe districts. Manufacturing is small and local: 1,328 maize-milling operations are recorded across the region, with carpentry and metal welding workshops in the trading centres. Mlowo, on the highway near Vwawa, is the main produce market for the coffee and maize districts, while Tunduma’s economy runs on cross-border haulage, warehousing and trade with Zambia and the Copperbelt.<\/p>\n

            The districts differ from one another more than the regional totals suggest. Ileje, in the south-east against the Malawi border, is the smallest and most mountainous, and Itumba is its main centre. Mbozi is the largest by population and the coffee heartland. Momba and Songwe districts drop north-west towards Lake Rukwa, where the land is drier and villages sit further apart; Galula in Songwe District is the trading point for that side of the region.<\/p>\n

            Getting There<\/h2>\n

            The Tanzam Highway crosses the region from Mbeya, passing Mlowo and Vwawa before reaching the Zambian border at Tunduma. That road carries most of the freight moving between the port of Dar es Salaam and Zambia. The Isongole crossing in Ileje District is the route into northern Malawi.<\/p>\n

            The TAZARA railway, completed in 1975, runs parallel to the highway and crosses into Zambia at Tunduma. Air access is through Songwe Airport, which lies just east of the regional boundary and serves both Songwe and Mbeya.<\/p>\n

            FAQ<\/h2>\n

            How many districts are in Songwe Region?<\/h3>\n

            Five councils: Ileje, Mbozi, Momba and Songwe district councils, plus Tunduma Town Council.<\/p>\n

            What is the population of Songwe Region?<\/h3>\n

            The 2022 census recorded a population of 1,344,687, up from 998,862 in 2012.<\/p>\n

            What is the capital of Songwe Region?<\/h3>\n

            Vwawa, in Mbozi District. Tunduma is larger, with 219,309 people at the 2022 census, but Vwawa is the administrative seat.<\/p>\n

            When was Songwe Region created?<\/h3>\n

            On 29 January 2016, when the western districts of Mbeya Region were separated into a new region.<\/p>\n

            What towns and villages are in Songwe Region?<\/h3>\n

            The largest are Tunduma, Vwawa, Mlowo and Itumba. The lists above name the villages recorded in each of the five councils, from Ileje’s highland settlements to the fishing villages along Lake Rukwa.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Songwe Region (Swahili: Mkoa wa Songwe) is one of Tanzania’s newest regions, split from western Mbeya on 29 January 2016. The 2022 census recorded a population of 1,344,687 across five councils, and the regional capital is Vwawa in Mbozi District. Its border town of Tunduma, on the crossing into Zambia, is the busiest inland border […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Songwe Region: Districts, Towns & Villages, Tanzania","_seopress_titles_desc":"Songwe Region: 5 councils, 2022 census population 1,344,687, capital Vwawa. Full list of towns and villages by district, plus geography, economy and roads.","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-tanzania","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=104"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/104\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=104"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=104"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=104"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}