Notes on the Geography of the Tunduru District of Tanganyika Territory

Abstract

TUNDURU DISTRICT is situated along the central reaches of the Ruvuma River which marks the frontier with Portuguese East Africa. This position in the most southern part of the territory and half-way between the Indian Ocean and Lake Nyasa is one of transition between maritime and continental regions; the topography indicates the margin of the coastal zone, while the relief precludes the climatic and other features that characterize the littoral. The village of Tunduru has an altitude of 2198 feet. It lies in the centre of the district, which measures over 100 miles in length from east to west and covers a rectangular area of roughly 10,000 square miles. The latitude of Tunduru village is io? S., and the longitude 38? E. The term district'' is not without significance from the geographical point of view. The administrative boundaries follow topographical features: the Nangungulu hills in the north, and thence round the compass, the Lumesule, Ruvuma and Sasavara rivers. The northern hills form the watershed between the Rufiji and Ruvuma systems, and the two tributaries on the east and west flow parallel to each other in a southerly direction. The Lumesule is followed by the boundary throughout its entire length, and the Sasavara too, but this river, unlike the other, is not long enough to form the whole of this stretch of the boundary. Many small rivers are utilized, including in the north-west corner a headstream of the Rufiji, the Mbaragandu, which is followed for a short distance where it cuts into the watershed. These