The city experiences hot and humid weather throughout much of the year and has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen: Aw).

Tanga is linked to the African Great Lakes region and the Tanzanian economic capital of Dar es Salaam.

Tanga has a small airport and is currently served by only three regional airlines, providing scheduled services to Dar es Salaam, Pemba Island and Zanzibar.

The port operates at 90% of its installed capacity and its main cargo is coal for the cement industry and is a new gateway for crude oil products.

[10] The Sultanate of Oman battled the Portuguese and gained control of the settlement by mid-1700 along with Mombasa, Pemba Island and Kilwa Kisiwani.

The local economy was based mainly on the production of sisal, which had been brought to the colony several years earlier, and population in the area grew rapidly.

[15] On 13 June 1916 the Royal Navy battleship HMS Vengeance and protected cruisers Challenger and Pioneer bombarded Tanga.

On 7 July the protected cruiser HMS Talbot and monitor Severn entered Manza Bay[16] and put troops ashore who occupied the town.

With the government controlling the agriculture trade and the depreciation in the world prices of sisal the port began to lose revenue.

[18] Tanga city medical institutions include: Nearby tourist attractions include Amboni Caves, Galanos hot springs, Saadani national park, Toten Island, URITHI Tanga Museum, war graves and memorials, Tongoni Ruins, Ndumi Village defense works, Mwarongo sand beaches and protected coastal mangroves.

Tanga is represented in the Tanzanian Premier League by football clubs Coastal Union, JKT Mgambo, and African Sports (Wana Kimanumanu) from the 2015–2016 season.