Lindi Region
Lindi Region is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The region covers an area of. The region is comparable in size to the combined land area of the nation state of Sri Lanka. The regional capital is the municipality of Lindi.
The Lindi Region borders on Pwani Region, Morogoro Region, Ruvuma Region, and Mtwara Region. The name Lindi is an old Swahili word meaning "hiding pits", a place where Swahili people will hide to defend themselves from hostile invasions. The region is home to two UNESCO World Heritage Sites; namely, Kilwa Kisiwani and Selous Game Reserve. In 1905, the Maji Maji Revolt began in Kilwa District of Lindi when the Matumbi first attacked the Akida seat in the Kibata ward, killing a German colonizer. According to the 2012 national census, the region had a population of 864,652, which was lower than the pre-census projection of 960,236. For 2002–2012, the region's 0.9 percent average annual population growth rate was the 29th highest in the country. It was also the least densely populated region with 13 people per square kilometer.
Geography
Geology and terrain
Lindi Region is the third largest region in Tanzania with a total area of, after Morogoro Region at. Lindi 's size is around 7.1% of the entire Tanzanian territory. In comparison, Lindi is larger than the island nation of Sri Lanka which has a total land area of 62,732 square kilometers. Lindi Bay, located in the region, is one of the largest bays in the country. The highest peak in Lindi Region, Kongowele is located in Nachingwea District. Lindi has 23 islands in its territory with the largest being Songo Mnara Island, followed by Kilwa Kisiwani Island and Songo Songo Island.Climate
Lindi Region has a tropical savanna climate with a Köppen climate classification of 49 and Aw. Lindi Eegion receives annual precipitation level of 750 to 1200 millimeters, often raining in February and March during the wet season. The average temperature is lower at Nachingwea with a monthly mean of 22.2 degrees Celsius and a monthly mean temperature of 27.7 degrees Celsius at the coast in Kilwa Masoko. Lindi is home to a number of major rivers, the largest being Mbwemkuru River. Other major rivers are Matandu River, Lukuledi River and Mavuji River. Some tributary rivers of the Rufiji River that begin in Lindi Region are Njenje River and Lukuliro River.Lindi Region is also home to the Tendaguru Formation, a Late Jurassic fossil record, where a complete skeleton of the largest land animals to ever exist; Giraffatitan was discovered by German colonizers during their occupation of the territory in the early 20th century. Other fossils that were found there are the Kentrosaurus, Janenschia, Tornieria, Tendaguria, Dysalotosaurus, Australodocus, Elaphrosaurus, Veterupristisaurus and Dicraeosaurus species of dinosaurs.
Flora and Fauna
Much of the western part of the Lindi Region is in the Nyerere National Park and Selous Game Reserve covering 27% of the total Lindi soil at roughly 18,000 square kilometers, equivalent to the size of the nation of Kuwait. Lindi Region hosts both native African savanna wildlife and also Indian Ocean fauna. The regional bird is the Malachite Kingfisher is found in more numbers in Lindi, especially at the Selous game reserve and Nyerere National Park. In terms of flora the tamarind tree is found in abundance as it is cultivated together with the cashew tree. Lindi is also home to many native trees include the miombo or ebony tree as well as other common savannah flora found in neighbouring regions and countries.Kitope and Mbinga are two small forest remnants in the Lindi Region. Others include the Km2, Ringo, and Maleshi Forest Reserves, as well as Nanyoma Caves.
Low-lying plants and forest are present in Ngarama North and South. According to Erikson et al. in 1994, the Pindiro Forest has at least 15 hectares of swamp forest. Mpingo and woodland grassland predominate in Matapwa Forest Reserve. A section of baobab forest may be found in Kikwetu's Municipal Council borders, to the east of Lindi Airport.
On the Noto Plateau, there is a sizable area of forest: Makangela, which contains miombo woodland, is located on the southern side of the main road between Rutamba and Lilola. Another is Mnacho, a 1 square kilometer area of thickets and shrubs planted with acacia siamea in 1978 to provide woodfuel for the town of Lindi. It is located on the road between Lindi and Mingoyo/Mnazi Mmoja. This is now a part of the Lindi Municipality, along with the Mkunguru forest, which is located about 20 km south of the Lindi Creek. Despite being degazetted in 1960, the Livengula Forest Reserve, which is next to Lake Narunyu and directly to the north of the coconut plantation, continues to be a cashewnut woods. The Mtama Forest is situated 2 km from Masasi.
The woodlands of Lionjo and Nyera/Kiperere in the Liwale and Nachingwea Districts are close to the Liwale to Nachingwea Road. The least vulnerable coastal forest in Tanzania is Lungonya Forest, which is located in the Seleou Game Reserve's far north-east corner and is far from any populated areas.
Economy
In terms of GDP, the regional economy of Lindi makes a very small contribution to the national economy, accounting for only about 2% of GDP. This is a result of the potentials not being fully utilized to contribute to the national economy generally and the regional economy specifically. In fact, Singida, Pwani, and Lindi are the three regions that contribute the least to the GDP of the nation; Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, and Mbeya are the two regions that contribute the most. With 1,127,104 TZS annually, Lindi is ranked 11th out of 21 Tanzanian regions, followed by Rukwa, Mara, and Mtwara with 1,116,699 TZS, 1,095,641 TZS, and 1,041,805 TZS, respectively. Dar es Salaam tops the list with 1,990,043 TZS, and Iringa comes second with 1,660,532 TZS per person. However, throughout the years 2000 to 2013, the Coast area, Singida, or both trailed Lindi region in terms of regional GDP annual contribution, coming in at 19 or 20.Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining and quarrying, trade and commerce, public administration, and education are the main economic sectors in which the working population in the Lindi region is employed. According to the Lindi 2016 socioeconomic profile, commercial agriculture and farming of food crops employed more people than any other industry by an astounding 80 percent, followed by "Trade and Commerce" at 4.3 percent and "Mining and Quarrying" at 2.2 percent. Electricity, Gas, and Water as well as Communication and Transport each employed 0.1 percent of the total workforce in the area. In the Lindi region, farming was the most prevalent occupation, employing around 79.5 percent of the working population. Livestock keepers, on the other hand, made up about 0.2 percent of the working population.
Agriculture
Agriculture is the main employer in the Lindi Region. Out of the 224,316 households in the region, 180,877 were involved in agriculture in some capacity. These homes were primarily located in the Lindi District Council.15 percent of households in urban areas engaged in agricultural activity in the agricultural year 2011–12. This indicates that agriculture is also an economic activity in urban regions. Additionally, it was discovered that the percentage of households engaged in agriculture varied from 86 percent in Nachingwea District Council to 62 percent in Lindi Municipal.
The region is divided into two main agro-ecological zones; the coastal zone which is the main cultivation of tree crops such as cashew, coconut and mango. These areas are Lindi and Kilwa districts respectively with an elevation of 0 to 400 meters. Roughly 10% of farmers commercially grow cashews for export. The second agro-ecological zone is the midlands where the main cultivation of crops include maize, African rice, sesame and cassava. These areas are mostly Liwale and Nachingwea districts with an elevation of 300 to 900 meters above sea level. Rearing of livestock is still low in Lindi compared to other regions.
Industry
There are hardly any manufacturing industries in the Lindi region. The Region had one sawmill, one manufacturer of chemical products, and one furniture manufacturer, per the 2009 Annual Survey of Industrial Production for enterprises employing 10 and above persons.Fisheries and forestry
Between Sudi village in the south of the Lindi district and Marendego village in the north of Kilwa, Lindi Region has the longest coastline in the country at 287 kilometers long. Lindi also has some of the most productive fish stocks in Tanzania, but only a paltry 876 out of 224,316 households engaged in fish farming activities. Fish farming is primarily done in rural areas, with some urban areas as well. In addition, it was noted that 22.1 percent of households engaged in fish farming were urban and 77.9 percent were rural.The region has more than 2,430 registered fishing vessels and over 11,523 registered fishermen. The fishing done is organised into 28 fishing groups. Currently, there are six groups in Kilwa district, fourteen in Lindi Town, and eight in Lindi district. Aquaculture is significant in the region with 125 saltwater fish farms and 148 freshwater fish farms.
Fish stocking in man-made dams, sea weed farming, and fishing in the ocean, rivers, and dams are all part of the region's fishing industry. The Indian Ocean, River Lukuredi, Lake Rutamba, and dams are the region's natural water sources, which all support fishing.
People who live near the water produce seaweed, hence the ocean's presence encourages seaweed cultivation as a source of income in the Lindi district, Lindi municipality, and Kilwa. Spinosum and cotonii are the two forms of sea weed that are generated in greater quantities in the Lindi region. However, a variety of issues, including a drop in seaweed prices and illnesses, are causing a yearly fall in seaweed yield.
Lindi is one of the most forested regions in Tanzania with 57.17% of the region being covered in forests. 38% of these forested lands are within Nyerere National Park and Selous Game Reserve. Moreover, 6% of land in the Lindi Region is part of the National Forest Reserves. In addition, 12% of the forests are managed under village forest reserves. Sustainable honey production is an area the government is exploring commercial interests in the forest reserves.