Although Moshi (the main town in Kilimanjaro Region) is home to a wide range of different peoples, the Kilimanjaro region is mainly made up of the Chagga Tribe, who reside on the slopes of Kilimanjaro and the Pare tribe(from the Pare Mountains).
The fertile volcanic soil and constant, dependable rainfall on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro have always been attractive for settlement. The Chagga are of Bantu origin. They are agriculturalists whose ancestors arrived in the area since the 15th century.
The Chagga tribe has no tradition of central leadership with around 100 small chiefdoms existing by the mid 19th century. Their efficient agricultural skills meant that they have always produced a food surplus and they have a history of trading with the Maasai and other local groups, and later with Arab caravans.
Many Chaggas today remain self sufficient for basic staples. The mountain is scattered with family shambas that produce a variety of subsistence crops. The major cash crop is still coffee, which was introduced during the colonial era and has been grown by small scale farmers who sell through a co-operative. Some of the finest Arabica Coffee in Tanzania comes from the slopes of Kilimanjaro. Coffee growing provides the livelihood for thousands of people.
The Chaggas have always had a reputation for hard work and diplomacy, and today many of Tanzania's political and business leaders come from Kilimanjaro Region.
