Population: 312,392
District Area: 6,069 km²
Leader: Hadija R.R. Nyembo

Name and Etymology:
One story on the origin of the name states that a German officer asked a Gorowa villager what the name of his town was, but the boy thought he was pointing at the boy's father and so the boy responded "Baba ti" or "my father."

Economy:
Babati is a largely rural area of Tanzania where the inhabitants depend on semi-traditional livestock and agriculture. Babati is also home to Tarangire National Park, whose elephants and other wildlife bring safari tourism.

History:
The Irakw are the largest ethnic group in Babati Rural District; the Assa, Gorowa, Kw'adza, Mbugwe, Datooga, Maasai, and Barabaig are others. The area was colonized as part of German East Africa in 1885, and transfered to the United Kingdom in 1916 which renamed it Tanganyika. Babati Rural District was created in 1986.

Link to Babati Rural's website (does not exist).