ARUSHA

formerly Northern Region, administrative region, northern Tanzania, East Africa. Established in 1963, it has an area of about 33,250 sq mi (86,100 sq km), including 950 sq mi of water area. It is bordered on the north by Kenya. The Serengeti Plain lies in the northwest, and the Masai Steppe, broken only by isolated gneiss hills, lies in the south. In the central area of the region are the Crater Highlands, bordering portions of the East African Rift System. Volcanic activity and faulting have created broad lava plains and volcanic massifs such as Mt. Meru (14,979 ft ) and the occasionally active Oldoinyo Lengai (9,442 ft). Rainfall varies from 70 in. (1,800 mm) annually on Mt. Meru to 20 in. on the semiarid plains. Terrain ranges from wooded savannas and montane forests to alpine areas. Arusha is an important coffee-producing area. Other crops include grain, vegetables, cotton, pyrethrum, papain, sisal, and sunflower seeds. Magnesite and meerschaum are mined in the region; there are also salt, mica, saltpetre, and ochre deposits. Tourism is important, based upon the big-game areas of the Taranqire National Park, Ngorongoro and Ngurdoto craters, Olduvai Gorge, and Lake Manyara. The region's major ethno-linguistic groups include the Arusha, Meru, Iraqw, and Masai. Arusha town, an important business centre, is the regional capital. Pop. (1978 prelim.) 928,478.