Historically, Mpanda District Council was established in 1983 and is among of two districts established in Katavi region in 2012 from the former Mpanda district which was in Rukwa region. The other districts are Mlele and Tanganyika District. Later on five councils emerged, i.e. Mpanda Municipal Council, Mpanda District Council, Mpimbwe District Council, Mlele District Council and Nsimbo District Council.
1.1 GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION
Mpanda District council shares borders with Uvinza District (Kigoma region) in the North, Mlele DC to the East, Nkasi DC (Rukwa region) on the South, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to the west through Lake Tanganyika. The headquarters is located in Mpanda township along the Sumbawanga-Kigoma road.
1.2 AREA COVERAGE AND POPULATION SIZE
Mpanda DC has a total area of 16,911 sq. kms which is about 36 percent of the total area of Katavi region most of which is plain land with very few hills and valleys which is equivalent to 1,691,100 hectares which can be further subdivided into three broad classes according to utilization. These areas are natural and forest plantations, arable land and area for settlements.
The population of Mpanda DC has experienced a constant growth rate. The growth rate of the council was 3.2 percent during the 1988 - 2002 intercensals and remained at the same rate of 3.2 percent in 2002 -2012 intercensal period. According to the 2012 Population and Housing Census the district had 179,136 people in 2012 compared to 119,939 inhabitants counted in 2002 Population Census. The increase of council population, among other factors, was due to the immigrants from outside the council as well as outside the region. Land fertility for agricultural activities in most areas of Katuma plain, Sibwesa, Mpandandogo and Kabungu wards; and the virginity of the land favours pastoralists to migrate with their flocks of livestock in the council. The 2012 population census results put the Mpanda DC population at 119,939 persons out of which, females account for 50.0 percent of the population or 60,026 persons.
Figure 1: Land Use Pattern (Hectares) in Mpanda DC; 2015
Source: Mpanda DC Executive Director’s Office –Land, Natural Resources and Environment Department, 2014
1.3 PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT
1.3.1 Landform, climate and vegetation.
The council climate varies with attitude and closely associated with two distinctive landscape zones namely the highlands and the lowlands. It has an altitude ranging from 1,000 to 2,500 meters above sea level and temperatures between 260C and 300C annually. Mean annual rainfall ranges from 920 mm to 1,200 mm. The council is characterized by highlands, small mountain peaks, steep hills, gentle plateaus and plains. Miombo woodlands, tropical and savannah wooded grasslands and thorny bushes are the most predominately vegetation in the council.
1.4 Economic activities
The main source of income in Mpanda district is production of commercial crops which include Tobacco, Cotton, Sunflower, Honey, Ground nuts and Simsim,On the other hand Mpanda district dwellers grows subsistence crops these are maize, paddy, beans, cassava and sweat potatoes. Mpanda DC, like other Councils of Katavi region, has neither calculated its GDP no Capital GDP but its economy continues to be dominated by agriculture sector, of which it employs more than 85 percent of the Council population. Both cash and food crops are produced, with the latter dominating.
