Tanganyika Territory

Inhabitants.—There are in all some 75 distinct negro tribes in the country. Two or three tribes, such as the Wahi of Lake Eyasi, are supposed to trace descent from a pygmy-like people, who are thought to have been the earliest inhabitants of the country. But what may be called the indigenous population con sists of the older or primitive Bantu races. These tribes have been subject to the intrusion from the south of more recent Bantu folk, such as the Yao, belonging to the Ama-Zulu branch of the race, while from the north there has been an immigration of Hamito-Negroid peoples. Of these the Masai and Wakuafi are found in the region between Victoria Nyanza and Kilimanjaro. The Masai (q.v.) and allied tribes are nomads and cattle raisers. An Hamitic race, the Bahima (Hima or Huma), form the aristo cratic class in the district around the south-west shores of Victoria Nyanza, and under Bahima kings Karagwe was formerly a powerful state. The Bantu tribes are in general peaceful agriculturists, though the Bantus of recent immigration retain the warlike instincts of the Zulus. The most important group of the Bantus is the Wanyamwezi (see UNYAMWEZI), di vided into many tribes. They are spread over the central plains, and have for neigh bours on the south=east between Nyasa and the Rufiji, the Wahehe. The Wangoni (Angoni), a branch of the Ama-Zulu are widely spread over the central and Nyasa regions. The Wasambara have given their name to the Highlands between Kiliman jaro and the coast. The Swahili (q.v.) in habit the seaboard. Arabs, with some Persians and Indians, have long been set tled on the coast.

In 1931 there were some 8,217 Euro pean inhabitants, of whom more than half were British : the others were of many na tionalities including a considerable Greek element and some 400 Germans. Immigra tion from Asia has brought Arabs, Goanese, but chiefly British Indians; their total for 1931 was 32,687. The natives were es timated to number approximately 5,022,640. Of this number 1,500,000 live in the contiguous districts of Mwanza, Bukoba and Tabora, i.e., the north-west part of the territory.

Many different dialects are spoken by the Bantu tribes, Kiswa hili being the most widely known. (See BANTU LANGUAGES.) The great majority of the natives are pagans, but most of the Swahili are Mohammedans, while Protestant and Roman Catholic mis sions have gained a considerable number of converts.

Chief Towns.

The principal seaports are Tanga and Dar-es Salaam. These and Bagamoyo and Kilwa are separately noticed. Pangani (pop. about 3,500), at the mouth of the river of the same name, serves a district rich in tropical products. Sadani is a smaller port midway between Pangani and Bagamoyo, Lindi (10° 0' S., 40' E.) is 8o m. N. of Cape Delgado. Lindi (Kiswa hili for The Deep Below) bay runs inland 6 m. and is 3 m. across, affording deep anchorage. Hills to the west of the bay rise over 1,000 feet.

The chief inland towns are Tabora, Korogwe, Moshi, Mrogoro, Kilossa, Dodoma and Iringa. Korogwe is in the Usambara hills, on the north bank of the Pangani river, and 52 m. by railway from Tanga. Moshi (white pop. about 300), on the south slopes of Kilimanjaro and 219 m. by rail from Tanga, is the centre of large coffee plantations. Mrogoro is 130 m. west of Dar-es-Salaam, and

is the first important station on the railway to Tanganyika. Kilossa and Dodoma are farther inland on the same railway. Iringa is the centre of the southern highlands. Tabora (q.v.) occupies an important position on the central plateau, being the meeting place of many trade routes. It is connected by railway with Dar-es Salaam, with Kigoma, on Lake Tanganyika, and also (since 1928) with Mwanza, the chief port on the southern shores of Victoria Nyanza. Bukoba is on the western shore, and Schirati on the eastern shore of Victoria Nyanza. On Tanganyika and near Kigoma is Ujiji (q.v.).

Economic Progress and Trade.

Probably no other part of Africa suffered as much as did Tanganyika Territory from the ravages of the World War, and as regards economic development almost everything had to be re-created by the British authorities, whose first task in this department was the reconditioning of the railways. It was not until 1925 that the railways paid their way. Meanwhile the sisal, coffee and cotton and rubber planta tions in Usambara, Para and elsewhere, which had been owned by Germans, passed into the hands of British, Indians and Greeks. It may be noted that under the terms of the mandate no discrimina tion against Indians could be made in Tanganyika, which thus differed from Kenya Colony. Changed world conditions—chiefly the development of plantation rubber in the East—rendered it useless to try and revive the rubber industry, but the other prod ucts, in especial sisal hemp, yielded good returns. The European and Indian planters were not alone in cultivating coffee and cotton. The production of these crops, especially cotton, by the natives on their own account was encouraged by the Administra tion and by the 1924-25 season, some 75% of the cotton exported was direct native production.

Sisal hemp produced is of the highest grade; the bulk of it is grown in the drier parts of the coast belt. This industry, requir ing considerable capital outlay, is in the hands of Europeans, and each factory producing hemp requires at least 2,000 acres of sisal under cultivation. The industry owed its foundation to the Germans, and they devoted great attention to it. Up to the planters were, in the main, still using pre-war German ma chinery. Other agricultural or sylvan crops of note are copra, groundnuts, and maize. The coconut plantations from which the copra is obtained are found chiefly on the coast and in Mafia island, and most of them are owned by the Arabs. Other products exported include ivory, beeswax, gums and resins, gum-copal, rice, ghee and mangrove poles. For all matters connected with the development of the land the Biological and Agricultural Institute at Amani, in the Usambara hills, is of great value. Founded by the Germans in 1902, it is now maintained as an institute for the whole of East Africa. Stock raising is one of the main assets of the country, and hides and skins are an important item in the exports. Unfortunately the tsetse fly has laid large areas waste. There are 4,30o sq.m. of forests. Of this area over 3,700 sq.m. are State reserves.