Tanzania Capital

Tanzania has two functioning national capitals. The first of these is Dar es Salaam, which is currently the active capital and government seat. This city is located along the coastline of the Indian Ocean, in the northern part of the country. The official capital, however, is Dodoma, where the legislative branch resides. Dodoma is located closer to the center of the country, 281 miles west of Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam was first established as the capital in 1891, when Tanzania was part of German East Africa. It remained the capital until 1974, when Dodoma was officially designated. The transfer of government activity to Dodoma has yet to be completed.

Dodoma has a population size of around 410,956. Approximately 19.2% of these individuals identify as Catholics. This city is the home of several indigenous groups, including Sandawe, Gogo, and Rangi. Dar es Salaam has a population size of 4,364,541 individuals, making it not only the most populated city in Tanzania, but also the most populated city in East Africa. The population of this city grew an average of 5.6% from 2002 to 2012, which means that Dar es Salaam is the 9th fastest growing city in the world.

Between the two capitals, Dar es Salaam is more popular with tourists, although not the most popular destination in Tanzania. This city houses the international airport and is the gateway to the island of Zanzibar, with ferry ships leaving daily. Some of the most popular attractions in this city include: the Zoological Gardens, the Makumbusho Village Museum (which has various examples of traditional architectural practices), and the National Museum. Due to its location along the coast, Dar es Salaam is also an excellent place to take deep sea fishing tours or learn to scuba dive.

Dodomo is located in a semi-arid climatic zone, which means the city is warm and dry most of the time. It does experience a rainy season between November and April, when most of the 23.89 inches of annual precipitation occurs. Dar es Salaam is located in a tropical wet and dry climatic zone, which means this city experiences hot temperatures and humid climate throughout the year. It is also characterized by two rainy seasons from November to December and from April to May. This city receives 45.26 inches of precipitation on average every year.

This page was last modified on May 1st, 2018

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Published on 2019-11-06


Capital	Dodoma
Languages	Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages
Ethnic Groups	Mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African
Religion	Christian 61.4%, Muslim 35.2%, folk religion 1.8%, other 0.2%, unaffiliated 1.4%
Government	Presidential republic
Independance	26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent on 9 December 1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent on 10 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar on 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania on 29 October 1964
Area	947,300.00 km²
Water Area	61,500.00 km²
Land Area	885,800.00 km²
Population	52,482,726.00
Location	Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique
No. Bordering Countries	8
Bordering Countries	Burundi 589 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 479 km, Kenya 775 km, Malawi 512 km, Mozambique 840 km, Rwanda 222 km, Uganda 391 km, Zambia 353 km
GDP(PPP)	$151,000,000,000.00 (USD)
GDP (Per Capita)	$3,100.00 (USD)
Export Partners	Its major export partners are India, China, and Japan.
Export Commodities	Its main exports are gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, and cotton.
Import Partners	Its major import partners are China, India, and South Africa.
Import Commodities	Its major imports include consumer goods, machinery, and industrial raw materials.
Climate	Tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March); southern isthmus always hot and humid
Terrain	Plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south
Learn More	Tanzania

Tanzania Capital

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