Mara Region

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Mara is one of the 26 regions of Tanzania. Musoma serves as the Region's capital.

The neighbouring regions are Mwanza and Shinyanga(to the south), Arusha (to the south east)and Kagera (through Lake Victoria). To the north east, it borders the Republic of Kenya. Mara Region is occupied by various different tribal groups, including the Luo, Jita, Ruri, Zanaki, Kuria, Kabwa, Kiroba, Simbiti, Ngoreme, Kwaya, Ikoma, Nata, Isenye, Ikizu, Sizaki, Sukuma and Taturu (Datooga). Under British rule, Mara region was one district in the Lake Province, which became the Lake Region after independence in 1961.

Serengeti National Park, one of the world's most famous game sanctuaries, is largely in Mara region. This park occupies a vast area of grasslands and woodlands and is home to thousands of wild animals. It has also been declared a world heritage site by UNESCO. It attracts close to 150,000 tourists every year[1]. The sanctuary is home to more than a million wildebeest, 200,000 zebras and 300,000 Thomson’s gazelles. Apart from conventional tourism in the Serengeti there is also a range of Ecotourism opportunities available in Mara region[2].

According to the 2002 Tanzania National Census, the population of the Mara Region was 1,368,602. [3]

The regional commissioner of the Mara Region is Isidori Shirima [4]

[edit] Districts

The districts in Mara Region are Bunda (to the south west), Serengeti (to the south east), Tarime and Rorya (to the North), and Musoma Urban (the municipal) and Musoma Rural.