Quick answerMwanza is a city in Tanzania, with 1,104,521 people inside the city limits in 2022. It is best known for the Rock City, the Lake Victoria port and the Bismarck Rock. Its official languages are Swahili and English, and its currency is the Tanzanian shilling.
Mwanza is Tanzania's second-largest city, with about 1.1 million people in the urban area (2022 census). It is a port city on the southern shore of Lake Victoria, known as Rock City for the granite boulders scattered through it.
Key facts
| Country | Tanzania |
|---|---|
| Population (city) | 1,104,521 (2022) |
| Elevation | 1140 m above sea level |
| Time zone | Africa/Dar_es_Salaam |
| Language | Swahili, English |
| Currency | Tanzanian shilling (TZS, TSh) |
| Coordinates | 2.5167° S, 32.9° E |
Overview
Mwanza is a port city and the capital of Mwanza Region, on the southern shore of Lake Victoria in north-western Tanzania. The urban area had 1,104,521 residents in the 2022 census, while the region held 3,699,872 people, making Mwanza Tanzania's second-largest city, after Dar es Salaam, and the second-largest city in the Lake Victoria basin, after Kampala in Uganda. The city sits 1,140 metres above sea level.
Mwanza is known as Rock City for the huge granite boulders that rise out of its streets and shoreline, above all Bismarck Rock, which stands in the lake by the shore. It grew as a trading port on the lake under German and British rule, and its harbour still handles cargo and ferries across Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa.
Today Mwanza is the commercial centre of the lake zone, with a busy port, fish processing for the Nile perch trade, and road links to the Serengeti and to Uganda and Kenya. Saanane Island, just offshore, is a small national park, and the city is the usual gateway for travellers heading to the western Serengeti.
What Mwanza is known for
- Rock City
- Lake Victoria port
- Bismarck Rock
- Nile perch trade
- Saanane Island National Park
- Gateway to the western Serengeti
Landmarks
- Bismarck Rock
- Capri Point
- Saanane Island National Park
- Mwanza South Port
- Lake Victoria shoreline
- Sukuma Museum (Bujora)
- Mwanza Cathedral
Frequently asked questions
What is the population of Mwanza?
About 1.1 million people live in the Mwanza urban area (1,104,521 in the 2022 census). The wider Mwanza Region had about 3.7 million people. That makes Mwanza the second-largest city in Tanzania, after Dar es Salaam, and the second-largest city in the Lake Victoria basin, after Kampala.
What is Mwanza famous for?
Mwanza is famous as Rock City, for the huge granite boulders scattered through the city and along the lakeshore, above all Bismarck Rock standing in Lake Victoria. It is also known as the main port on the southern shore of Lake Victoria, the centre of the Nile perch fishing trade, and the gateway to the western Serengeti.
Where is Mwanza located?
Mwanza is in north-western Tanzania, on the southern shore of Lake Victoria, the largest lake in Africa. It is the capital of Mwanza Region and sits 1,140 metres above sea level. Its coordinates are 2.52° S, 32.90° E, and its time zone is East Africa Time.
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Keep exploring
- Tanzania — the country Mwanza is in
- Dar es Salaam — another city in Tanzania
- Dodoma — another city in Tanzania
- Arusha — another city in Tanzania
- All cities in Tanzania
- All countries — the full list
Sources & last updated
Last updated: . Figures are shown with their year; where sources disagree, the value is left out rather than estimated.