Mtwara Region

Mtwara Region Mkoa wa Mtwara (Swahili)
Region
From top to bottom: Bird's eye view of Mikindani Bay, Swahili Door in Mtwara and historic Mikindani
Mtwara Region in Tanzania
Coordinates: 10°38′30.12″S 39°14′15.36″E / 10.6417000°S 39.2376000°E / -10.6417000; 39.2376000
Country	Tanzania
Zone	Coastal
Administrative Region	1971
Named for	The port of Mtwara
Capital	Mtwara
Districts	List Mtwara-Mikindani District Masasi Urban District Nanyamba Town Newala Town Masasi District Mtwara Rural Nanyumbu District Newala District Tandahimba District
Area
• Total	16,710 km2 (6,450 sq mi)
• Rank	23rd of 31
Highest elevation (Masasi Hill)	837 m (2,746 ft)
Population  (2022)
• Total	1,634,947
• Rank	20th of 31
• Density	98/km2 (250/sq mi)
Demonym	Mtwaran
Ethnic groups
• Settler	Swahili
• Native	Makonde, Yao & Makua
Time zone	UTC+3 (EAT)
Postcode	21xxx
Area code	023
ISO 3166 code	TZ-17
HDI (2018)	0.507[1] low· 22nd of 25
Website	Official website
Symbols of Tanzania
Bird	Gray sunbird
Butterfly	White-barred emperor
Fish	Dash-and-dot goatfish
Mammal	Humpback whale
Tree	Cashew
Mineral	Sapphire

Mtwara Region (Mkoa wa Mtwara in Swahili) is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative regions. The regional capital is the municipality of Mtwara. Mtwara Region is home to one of the most infuluencial people in Tanzania, the Makonde. Mtwara is home to Tanzania's 4th president Benjamin Mkapa and is home to a number of influential artists. The boundary with Mozambique to the south is formed by the Ruvuma River. To the west, Mtwara is bordered by Ruvuma Region, to the north by Lindi Region, and to the east is the Indian Ocean.

Mtwara Region is home for being the nation's largest producer of Cashew nuts. According to the 2012 national census, the region had a population of 1,270,854, which was lower than the pre-census projection of 1,374,767.^{[2]: page 2} For 2002-2012, the region's 1.2 percent average annual population growth rate was the 26th highest in the country.^{[2]: page 4} It was also the fourteenth most densely populated region with 76 people per square kilometer.^{[2]: page 6}