Mara Region

Mara Region (Mkoa wa Mara in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of 21,760 km² (8,400 sq mi). The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of El Salvador. The neighboring regions are Mwanza Region and Simiyu Region (to the south), Arusha Region (to the southeast), and Kagera Region (across Lake Victoria). The Mara Region borders Kenya (to the northeast).The regional capital is the municipality of Musoma. Mara Region is known for being the home of Serengeti National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site and also the birth place of Tanzania's founding father Julius Nyerere. Under British colonial occupation, the Mara Region was a district called the Lake Province, which became the Lake Region after independence in 1961.

The Mara Region is located in the northern part of mainland Tanzania. It is located between latitudes 1° 0’ and 2° 31’ and between longitudes 33° 10’ and 35° 15’. It contains 30,150 sq kilometers total, 10,584 sq kilometers of such being water area. To the north the Mara Region borders Uganda and Kenya. It is also bordered by the Arusha Region to its east, Simiyu Region to its south, as well as the Mwanza Region in the southwest and west. 15% of Lake Victoria's water body—10,854 square kilometers—is submerged in the Mara Region.

The maximum temperature of the region is 29.32 °C and minimum of 27.68 °C, with an average of 28.50 °C. The Mara Region experiences a bimodal rainfall pattern, consisting of two rainy seasons and two dry seasons. The long rainfall period last between February until June. The short rainfall period last between September and June.

The Mara Region can be divided into 3 climatic zones. The northern zone resides in the Tarime District as well as parts of the Serengeti District. On average, it receives annual rainfall of 1,250-2,000 mm/year. The central zone includes much of Musoma District and eastern parts of Serengeti. It receives an annual rainfall of 900–1300 mm/year. The Lowland zone covers much of Bunda and the lake shores. This zone receives 700–900 mm/year. Lake Victoria borders the Mara Region of Tanzania. The lake has a surface area 68,800 square km, and its coastline expands over 3,220 km. It is the Nile's principle water reservoir. Lake Victoria has numerous archipelagos, or groups of islands. Islands found in Mara territory are numerous, in the Bunda District Council, there are Bulamba, Nafuba, Sozia, Sata, Namguma, Machwele, Ilela, Igali, Chalika, Nyakalango, Bugulani, Nachenyele, and Guyanza; in the Musoma Municipal Council, Rukuba, and Iriga; and in the Rorya District Council, Towa, Kinesi, and Bugwambwa Island. There are a plethora of over 200 species of fish, however economically tilapia and nile perch are important.

The Mara Region is mostly covered with natural vegetation, but there are also large areas of cultivation that are underutilized. The most prevalent landscape seen in the natural vegetation is the “savannah type” most commonly found in areas that receive annual rainfall between 900 and 1200 mms/year. The Serengeti plains consist of savannah type vegetation with predominant forest vegetation, but mostly scattered woodlands and wooded grasslands. The northern zone, receiving high annual rainfall, is composed of the humid forest. The lowland zones with less annual rainfall consist of wooded grassland and bushland of dense thickets. 14,750 sq kilometers of land is occupied by the Serengeti National Park and is located at the border of the Arusha and Mara Region. It was established in 1951, and contains the vast and astonishing concentration of plain animals left anywhere in Africa.

Mining, fishing, tourism, cattle raising, crop farming, and cross-border operations are the mainstays of the Mara Region's distinctive and alluring economy.

About 80% of the region's workforce is employed in agriculture, which accounts for about 60% of the region's GDP. Cassava, rice, maize, sorghum, finger-millet, bulrush millet, sweet potatoes, potatoes, beans, Bambara nuts, ground nuts, green gram, chickpeas, banana, cotton, coffee, sunflower, sesame, onions, tomatoes, watermelon, oranges, avocados, pawpaw, pineapples, and lemons are some of the crops grown in the area. However, the region's critical crops include bananas, coffee, cassava, horticulture, and cotton. The estimated amount of fertile land in the region is 2,500,000 hectares, however only 500,000 hectares, or around 20% of the arable land, are typically used for crop production.

The Mara Region is one of the eleven cotton-growing regions in the Western Cotton Growing Area (WCGA), and when compared to other regions, it produces an average of 220 kg of cotton per acre. Mara was the pioneer of the cotton contract farming model in Tanzania. Out of the potential area of 22,632 hectares suited for the crop, the region is predicted to cultivate 3,065 hectares of Arabica coffee. In the Mara region, coffee is grown in four districts. These districts are Tarime, Serengeti, Rorya, and Butiama. Small-scale farmers, with average plot sizes of 1 acre and 800 kilograms of production per acre, are the principal producers. In Tarime District, tea is mostly farmed by small-holder farmers, who have land plots ranging from 0.2 acre to 2 acres and produce 600 kilos per acre each month.