Musoma
| Musoma, Mara | |
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 Musoma, Mara
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| Coordinates: 01°30′00″S 33°48′00″E / 1.50000°S 33.80000°E | |
| Country |
 Tanzania
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| Region | Mara Region |
| District | Musoma Urban District |
| Elevation | 3,900 ft (1,200 m) |
| Population (2012 Census) | |
| • Total | 134,327 |
| Time zone | East Africa Time (UTC+3) |
Musoma is a city in Tanzania. It is the capital of Mara Region, one of the administrative Regions of Tanzania. It also serves as the administrative centre of Musoma Rural District and Musoma Urban District.
The city sits on the eastern edge of Lake Victoria, close to the International borders of Tanzania with Kenya and Uganda. Musoma is located approximately 60 kilometres (37 mi), directly south of the geographical point where the borders of the three East African countries intersect. The town is located approximately 225 kilometres (140 mi), by road, northeast of Mwanza, the nearest large city. Musoma lies approximately 480 kilometres (300 mi), by road, northwest of Arusha, the location of the headquarters of the East African Community. The coordinates of Musoma are:1° 30' 0.00"S, 33° 48' 0.00"E (Latitude:-1.5000; Longitude:33.8000).
The name Musoma comes from the word Omusoma which means, a spit. The name refers to Musoma's many spits pointing into the surrounding Lake Victoria.
Maryknollers arrived in Musoma in 1946 to work side by side with the White Fathers, in what was then Mwanza Diocese. When Musoma was made a Diocese in 1957, Maryknoller John Rudin (now deceased) was the first bishop. While primary evangelization has been the first priority of Maryknoll in Musoma, Maryknoll priests, brothers, sisters and lay missionaries have also built and worked in churches, dispensaries and schools from Bunda District and the Serengeti to the Kenya border. Now there are six Maryknoll priests and brothers in Musoma, just a fifth of what there used to be in the 1970s.
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