{"id":68,"date":"2024-04-04T11:27:28","date_gmt":"2024-04-04T11:27:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/?p=68"},"modified":"2026-08-01T00:13:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-01T00:13:33","slug":"njombe-region","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/njombe-region\/","title":{"rendered":"Njombe Region"},"content":{"rendered":"

Njombe Region (Swahili: Mkoa wa Njombe) occupies the high southern plateau of Tanzania, between the Kipengere Range and Lake Nyasa. It was created in 2012 out of southern Iringa Region, and the 2022 census recorded a population of 889,946 \u2014 the fourth smallest of Tanzania’s 31 regions. The regional capital is Njombe town, and much of the region lies above 1,800 metres, high enough that the dry season from May to September is genuinely cold.<\/p>\n

Districts of Njombe Region<\/h2>\n

Njombe Region is divided into six councils: four district councils and two town councils.<\/p>\n\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
Ludewa<\/td>\nDistrict council<\/td>\n151,361<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Makambako<\/td>\nTown council<\/td>\n146,481<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Makete<\/td>\nDistrict council<\/td>\n109,160<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Njombe (rural)<\/td>\nDistrict council<\/td>\n109,311<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Njombe<\/td>\nTown council<\/td>\n182,127<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Wanging’ombe<\/td>\nDistrict council<\/td>\n191,506<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Total<\/td>\n<\/td>\n889,946<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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

The settlements below are grouped by council. Njombe town and Makambako are the two urban councils; Ludewa reaches down the escarpment to the Lake Nyasa shore, where Manda is the main lake port.<\/p>\n

Ludewa District<\/h3>\n
    \n
  • Banemula<\/li>\n
  • Kilondo<\/li>\n
  • Kimato<\/li>\n
  • Liganga<\/li>\n
  • Mahonzelo<\/li>\n
  • Makonde<\/li>\n
  • Manda<\/li>\n
  • Mariza<\/li>\n
  • Masasi<\/li>\n
  • Mlangali<\/li>\n
  • Mlevalo<\/li>\n
  • Mtembe<\/li>\n
  • Rudewa<\/li>\n
  • Ukenju<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    Makambako Town<\/h3>\n
      \n
    • Makambako<\/li>\n
    • Manga<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      Makete District<\/h3>\n
        \n
      • Ikuwo<\/li>\n
      • Lupalilo<\/li>\n
      • Lupila<\/li>\n
      • Luwumbu<\/li>\n
      • Matamba<\/li>\n
      • Mwakete<\/li>\n
      • Ukwama<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        Njombe District (Rural)<\/h3>\n
          \n
        • Emmaberg<\/li>\n
        • Ikondo<\/li>\n
        • Iyembela<\/li>\n
        • Kidegembe<\/li>\n
        • Mfrika<\/li>\n
        • Mtwango<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          Njombe Town<\/h3>\n
            \n
          • Idunda<\/li>\n
          • Igominyi<\/li>\n
          • Lisitu<\/li>\n
          • Lugenge\/Madobole<\/li>\n
          • Njombe<\/li>\n
          • Utungwa<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

            Wanging’ombe District<\/h3>\n
              \n
            • Ilembula<\/li>\n
            • Imalinyi<\/li>\n
            • Isome<\/li>\n
            • Kibau Iyayi<\/li>\n
            • Mapogoro<\/li>\n
            • Mdandu<\/li>\n
            • Mlomboje<\/li>\n
            • Saja<\/li>\n
            • Soliwaya<\/li>\n
            • Wanging’ombe<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

              Other localities<\/h3>\n
                \n
              • Igawilo<\/li>\n
              • Kimani<\/li>\n
              • Mapogoro<\/li>\n
              • Mbongo<\/li>\n
              • Nkalanga<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

                Geography<\/h2>\n

                Njombe Region covers 21,347 km\u00b2. It borders Iringa and Mbeya regions to the north, Morogoro Region to the east and Ruvuma Region to the south. Lake Nyasa forms the western boundary, with Malawi on the far shore.<\/p>\n

                Land in the region runs from about 600 metres at the lake to 3,000 metres in the highlands, and the change is abrupt: the Livingstone Mountains drop steeply to the Lake Nyasa shore in Ludewa District. The Kipengere Range separates Njombe from Mbeya in the west. The Great Ruaha, Ruhuji and Ruhuhu rivers rise in these highlands, the Ruhuhu flowing south-west into Lake Nyasa. Kitulo National Park, on the plateau shared with Mbeya Region, and the Mpanga\u2013Kipengere Game Reserve both lie partly inside Njombe.<\/p>\n

                The region has one long rainy season, from November to May, followed by a cold dry season from May to September. Annual rainfall runs between 600 mm and 1,600 mm depending on altitude.<\/p>\n

                Economy and Local Life<\/h2>\n

                Agriculture produced 45.2 per cent of the region’s economic output in 2019, with services accounting for a further 32.6 per cent. Tea is the signature crop of the highlands around Njombe town, grown on estates and by smallholders. Maize, beans, groundnuts, potatoes, paddy and sunflower fill out the farm calendar, and the cool climate suits Irish potatoes and temperate vegetables that do not grow well further north.<\/p>\n

                Makambako is the region’s trading hub rather than its administrative one. It sits at a road and rail junction and handles produce moving out of the highlands towards Dar es Salaam and Songea. Ludewa District holds the Liganga iron-ore and Mchuchuma coal deposits, both long-planned mining projects that have not yet reached production. Ludewa also fishes Lake Nyasa from Manda and the smaller shore villages, and Makete’s high, cold plateau depends on potatoes, wheat and pyrethrum.<\/p>\n

                Wanging’ombe, in the north-west, is the region’s other farming district, and Ilembula is its main centre and the site of a long-established mission hospital. Njombe rural district surrounds the town council, and Mtwango is its largest settlement.<\/p>\n

                Getting There<\/h2>\n

                The Tanzam Highway crosses the north of the region at Makambako, where the road south to Njombe town and on to Songea in Ruvuma Region branches off. Njombe Region has 6,403 km of road in total, though only about 39 per cent is passable in all weather, so travel into Ludewa and Makete is slower in the rains.<\/p>\n

                The TAZARA railway serves the region at Makambako station, linking it to Dar es Salaam and to Zambia. There are two small airstrips, one in Njombe town and one in Wanging’ombe District; the nearest airport with scheduled flights is Songwe, near Mbeya.<\/p>\n

                FAQ<\/h2>\n

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

                Six councils: Ludewa, Makete, Njombe rural and Wanging’ombe district councils, plus Njombe and Makambako town councils.<\/p>\n

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

                The 2022 census recorded a population of 889,946, up from 702,097 in 2012.<\/p>\n

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

                Njombe town, whose council had 182,127 people at the 2022 census. Makambako Town Council is the second urban centre, with 146,481.<\/p>\n

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

                In 2012, when it was separated from Iringa Region.<\/p>\n

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

                The main centres are Njombe, Makambako, Mtwango, Ilembula, Mlangali, Matamba and Manda. The district lists above name the smaller villages recorded in each council.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                Njombe Region (Swahili: Mkoa wa Njombe) occupies the high southern plateau of Tanzania, between the Kipengere Range and Lake Nyasa. It was created in 2012 out of southern Iringa Region, and the 2022 census recorded a population of 889,946 \u2014 the fourth smallest of Tanzania’s 31 regions. The regional capital is Njombe town, and much […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"Njombe Region: Districts, Towns & Villages, Tanzania","_seopress_titles_desc":"Njombe Region: 6 councils, 2022 census population 889,946, capital Njombe town. Full list of towns and villages by district, plus geography and transport.","_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-68","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-tanzania","entry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68","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=68"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":95,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/68\/revisions\/95"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=68"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=68"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/townsvillages.com\/tanzania\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=68"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}