For other meanings, see Tanga (Portugal), Tanga (clothing) and Tanga (Movie).

Tanga is both the name of the most northerly seaport city of Tanzania, and the surrounding region. A 2002 population of 242,640 makes Tanga Town one of the largest cities in the country. It is a quiet city compared to, for example, Arusha or Moshi with a comparable number of inhabitants.

The city of Tanga sits on the Indian Ocean, near the border with Kenya. Major exports from the port of Tanga include sisal, coffee, tea, and cotton. Tanga is also an important railroad terminus, connecting much of the northern Tanzanian interior with the sea. Via the Tanzania Railways Corporation's Link Line and Central Line, Tanga is linked to the African Great Lakes region and the Tanzanian capital of Dar es Salaam.

The harbour and surrounding is the centre of life in Tanga, with its hotels, bars and the only buildings with more than four floors. Tanga is stretched out several km² into the country. It has several markets in several neighbourhoods.

History

Tanga was chosen in 1889 as a military post of German East Africa, and became a district office in 1891. The local economy was based on sisal, which had been brought to the colony several years earlier, and population in the area grew rapidly. The town was also established as the terminus of the Usambara railway line, which runs inland to Moshi at the foot of Kilimanjaro.

As the coastal town closest to Kenya, Tanga was on the front line at the outset of World War I. A British landing was thrown back on 4 November 1914 in the Battle of Tanga, and the town was not taken until 7 July 1916.

Reference

• Byron Farwell , The Great War in Africa, 1914-1918 (W. W. Norton, 1986)