Tabora

Tabora
Municipality
Captives in Tabora (1907)
Tabora Location in Tanzania
Coordinates: 5°1′S 32°48′E / 5.017°S 32.800°E / -5.017; 32.800
Country	Tanzania
Region	Tabora Region
District	Tabora Urban District
Population (2012)
• Total	226,999
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)
Climate	Aw

Tabora is the capital of Tanzania's Tabora Region and is classified as a municipality by the Tanzanian government. It is also the administrative seat of Tabora Urban District. According to the 2012 census, this district had a population of 226,999.

Tabora was founded by Arab traders in the 1850s (known then as Kazeh) and became a centre of the slave trade. In August 1871, one-quarter of the town was burned when the forces of the Wanyamwezi ruler Mirambo sacked it. Although the German East Africa protectorate was proclaimed over the region in 1885, as late as 1891 travellers reported it to be a lawless town, and the German colonial administration did not gain control of it until later that year. As a major station on the Central Line it became the most important administrative centre of central German East Africa.

In 1916 the colonial garrison had an emergency mint at Tabora, making some gold pieces as well as large numbers of crude copper and brass German East African rupie minor coins Mint marked with a "T". During the East African Campaign of World War I, colonial armed forces of the Belgian Congo (Force Publique) under the command of General Charles Tombeur captured the town on 19 September 1916 after 10 days and nights of heavy fighting.

The Arab name of the town was restored after 1919.

Tabora and its people mainly rely on agricultural activities as either sustenance farmers or small-scale tobacco farmers. Tabora also hosts a ballast quarry.

Tabora's streets are lined with century-old mango trees planted by Omani traders. Tabora is known as the fruit capital of Western Tanzania, and markets are often filled with local produce.

Tabora has many small local restaurants offering typical Tanzanian restaurant food like Ugali (a thick maize porridge), chips, or rice with beans, beef or chicken. For breakfast or lunch, there is usually chipsi-mayai (chips and egg), which is basically a couple of eggs fried together with some chips. Although the food is bland, it is usually served with Tanzanian chili sauce, which gives the meal some character.