Kigoma Region - Geography

Geography

Kigoma Region resides in the northwestern corner of Tanzania, on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika. The region is located between 29.5° and 31.5° east longitude and 3.5° and 6.5° south latitude. It is bordered to the north by both Burundi and the Kagera Region. To the east it is bordered by the Shinyanga and Tabora Regions, to the south by the Rukwa Region, to the west by Lake Tanganyika which forms a border with the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The region covers 45,066 square kilometres (17,400 sq mi) of which 37,037 square kilometres (14,300 sq mi) is land and 8,029 square kilometres (3,100 sq mi) is water. As of 1998, approximately 20,000 square kilometres was in forests and 12,000 square kilometres was suitable for grazing or farming.

Kigoma Region is on a plateau that slopes from the northeast at about 1,750 meters down to 800 meters at the shore of lake Tanganyika. The topography in the north and east is gently rolling hills that gradually become steeper and steeper as they get closer to the Albertine Rift margin. The most important river is the Malagarasi, with the Luiche and the Ruchugi being the two other major rivers draining the region.