Pwani Region

Pwani Region (Swahili: Mkoa wa Pwani) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The Swahili word pwani means 'coast'. With the town of Kibaha serving as the capital, the region borders the Tanga Region to the north, Morogoro Region to the west, Lindi Region to the south, and surrounds Dar es Salaam Region to the east. The Indian Ocean also borders the region to its northeast and southeast. The region is home to Mafia Island, the Rufiji delta and Saadani National Park. The region is home to Bagamoyo town, a historical Swahili settlement, and the first colonial capital of German East Africa. According to the 2012 national census, the region had a population of 1,098,668, which was slightly lower than the pre-census projection of 1,110,917.^{: page 2} From 2002 to 2012, the region's 2.2 percent average annual population growth rate was the seventeenth-highest in the country.^{: page 4} It was also the 21st most densely populated region with 34 people per square kilometre.^{: page 6} According to the 2022 census the population had nearly doubled to 2,024,947. The region is slightly larger than Belgium (32,133 square kilometres (12,407 sq mi)).