Wete District

Wete District (Wilaya ya Wete in Swahili) is one of two administrative districts of Pemba North Region in Tanzania.^[1] The district covers an area of 295 km² (114 sq mi).^[2] The district is comparable in size to the land area of Maldives.^[3] The district has a water border to the east and west by the Indian Ocean. The district is bordered to the north by Micheweni District. The district seat (capital) is the town of Wete. According to the 2022 census, the district has a total population of 148,712.^[4][5]

Wete
District
From top to bottom: Wete harbor & Wete market in Wete District
Nickname:  the clove region
Location in Pemba North
Coordinates: 5°6′57.6″S 39°45′18″E / 5.116000°S 39.75500°E / -5.116000; 39.75500
Country	Tanzania
Region	Pemba South Region
Named for	Town of Wete
Capital	Wete
Area
• Total	295 km^2 (114 sq mi)
• Rank	1st in Pemba North
Population  (2022)
• Total	148,712
• Rank	1st in Pemba North
• Density	500/km^2 (1,300/sq mi)
Demonym	Wetean
Ethnic groups
• Settler	Swahili
• Native	Hadimu

Geography

Wete District is on Pemba Island and nearby islands in the Indian Ocean off the Pemba channel. The islands themselves are composed of sedimentary rocks deposited during the Neogene and Quaternary consisting of mostly limestones and sandstones with marls and some shale, as well as unconsolidated sands and clays. The sediments are nearly flat laying producing a gently undulating and rolling plain. ^[6]

Demographics

According to the 2012 population census, the Wete district has a total population of 107,916, which is equal to 8.3% of Zanzibar's total population.^[7]

Economy

The main economic activity of Wete District is agriculture. A short rainy season called vuli, with planting taking place around October/December and harvesting occurring in late January/February, is experienced by the Wete district. A long rainy season called masika, with planting taking place in late February/March and harvesting occurring in July/August, immediately follows the vuli season. A variety of crops, including cloves, maize, sweet potatoes, cassava, rice, bananas, yams, and various vegetables, can be produced under these climatic conditions. Aquaculture is also a big in the region, between 2013 and 2015, 2,641,806 kg of seaweed were produced.^[8]

Administrative subdivisions

The district commissioner's office and the LGA are both part of the Wete district. The district director is in charge of the latter, while the district commissioner (DC) and district administrative secretary (DAS) are in charge of the former. The office of the DC is a branch of the national government. Agriculture, health, education, planning, forestry, sports and culture, livestock, fishing, social welfare, water, construction, and nutrition are among the 12 departments that make up the DC's office.^[9]

Constituencies

For parliamentary elections, Tanzania is divided into constituencies. As of the 2010 elections Wete District had five constituencies:^[10]

• Gando Constituency
• Kojani Constituency
• Mtambwe Constituency
• Ole Constituency
• Wete Constituency

Divisions

Wards

Wete District is administratively ^[11] divided into seventeen wards:^[12]

Bopwe Fundo Gando Jadida Kangagani Kipangani Kisiwani Kizimbani Kojani

Limbani Mchanga Mdogo Mtambwe Ole Pandani Selemu Shengejuu Utaani

Education

In the 2002 census literacy in Micheweni District stood at 40 percent for those aged 5 years and above. Literacy in Swahili was 30 percent, while 19 percent were literate in English, with 9 percent overlap.^[13] As of 2018,there are a total of 26 high schools, 34 primary schools, and 22 pre-primary schools in the district.There are 19 separate public health facility units in the Wete district (PHCUs). 14 of them are within the category of first-tier public health facilities. Second-line services are provided by the remaining four PHCUs. Additionally, the district has two PHCC in the Vitongoji neighborhood and one district hospital at Micheweni Hospital. Two of these healthcare institutions are run by the private sector, and the rest are owned by the government and parastatals.^[14]

References

1. "Wete District".
2. "Wete District Profile" (PDF). Government of Zanzibar. 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
3. 300 km² (120 sq mi) for Maldives at "Area size comparison". Nation master. 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
4. "Wete (District, Tanzania) - Population Statistics, Charts, Map and Location". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2024-02-10.
5. "2012 Population and Housing Census General Report" (PDF). Government of Tanzania. Retrieved 2022-06-10.
6. "Wete District Geography" (PDF). Unicef. 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
7. "Wete District Population" (PDF). Unicef. 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
8. "Wete District economic profile" (PDF). Unicef. 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
9. "Wete District government" (PDF). Unicef. 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
10. "Organisations located in Wete District - Tanzania". African Development Information.
11. "Geographical name data for Wete District in Tanzania".
12. "Postcodes Kaskazini Pemba Region 75000" (PDF). 2012.
13. (PDF). Central Census Office, National Bureau of Statistics, President's Office, Planning and Privatization, United Republic of Tanzania. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2012-09-02.
14. "Wete District education and health" (PDF). Unicef. 2017. Retrieved 24 July 2022.