Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
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Tanga FreshD3
Information
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MD PharmacyF3
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Tayodea Tourist Information CentreF3
Transport
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Boats to Toten IslandA2
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Coastal AviationC3
History
Although there has probably been a reasonably sized settlement at Tanga since at least
the Shirazi era, the town first came into its own in the early to mid-19th century as a
starting point for trade caravans to the interior. Ivory was the main commodity traded, with
a turnover of about 70,000lb annually in the late 1850s, according to explorer Richard Bur-
ton, who visited here. The real boom, however, came with the arrival of the Germans in the
late 19th century, who built up the town and harbour as part of the construction of a railway
line linking Moshi and the Kilimanjaro region with the sea. The Germans also introduced
sisal to the area, and Tanzania soon became the world's leading producer and exporter of
the crop, with sisal the centre of local economic life. In WWI, Tanga was the site of the
Battle of Tanga (later memorialised in William Boyd's novel,
An Ice-Cream War
), in which
poorly prepared British troops were soundly trounced by the Germans.
As the world sisal market began to collapse in the 1970s, Tanga's economy spiralled
downward. Today, much of the town's infrastructure has been abandoned and the economy
is just a shadow of its former self, although vast plantations still stretch westwards along
the plains edging the Usambara Mountains.
SIGHTS & ACTIVITIES
The most interesting areas for a stroll are around Jamhuri Park overlooking the harbour,
near which you'll find the old German-built
clock tower
, and the park and cemetery sur-
rounding the
Askari monument
at the end of Market St.
Urithi Tanga Museum
MUSEUM
( 0713-440068, 0784-440068;
www.urithitanga.org
;
Independence Ave; admission free;
9am-noon Mon-Fri) Tanga's old
boma
has been rehabilitated, and now houses this mu-
seum, with historical photos and artefacts from the area.
Toten Island
HISTORIC SITE
Directly offshore is this small, mangrove-ringed island (also called Island of the Dead) with
the overgrown ruins of a mosque (dating at least to the 17th century) and some 18th- and
