Have you ever been to Dar es Salaam?
Dar es Salaam is the largest city in Tanzania...
The name Dar es Salaam or Dar as Salaam in Arabic
literarilly mean “the abode of peace”.
Dar es salaam was formerly known as ’Mirizma’. It is
Tanzania’s largest city with a population of over 4.3millions as at 2012.Dar es Salaam has administrative province, and consists of three local
government areas or administrative districts: northern Kinondoni, central Ilala, and southern Temeke. Though Dar es Salaam lost its status as capital city to Dodoma, it remains the locus of the permanent central
government bureaucracy, and as the capital of the region.
Geography
Dar es Salaam is at 6°48' South,
39°17' East (−6.8000, 39.2833), on a natural harbour on the eastern
coast of Africa, with sandy beaches in some areas.
Administratively,
the Dar es Salaam region is divided into three districts: Ilala, Kinondoni, and Temeke
Climate
Dar
es Salaam is closer to the equator and the warm Indian Ocean, the city experiences
generally tropical climatic conditions, typified by hot and humid weather
throughout much of the year. It has atropical wet and dry
climate. Annual rainfall is approximately 1,100 mm
(43 in), and in a normal year there are two rainy seasons: "the long
rains" in April and May and "the short rains" in October and
November.climate. Annual rainfall is approximately 1,100 mm (43 in), and in a normal year there are two rainy seasons: "the long rains" in April and May and "the short rains" in October and November.
| Climate data for Dar es Salaam | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 31 (88) | 30 (86) | 29 (84) | 29 (84) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 28 (82) | 29 (84) | 30 (86) | 31 (88) | 29.6 (85.2) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 25 (77) | 25 (77) | 24 (75) | 23 (73) | 22 (72) | 20 (68) | 19 (66) | 19 (66) | 19 (66) | 21 (70) | 22 (72) | 24 (75) | 21.9 (71.4) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 66 (2.6) | 66 (2.6) | 130 (5.12) | 290 (11.42) | 188 (7.4) | 33 (1.3) | 31 (1.22) | 25 (0.98) | 31 (1.22) | 41 (1.61) | 74 (2.91) | 91 (3.58) | 1,066 (41.96) |
| Avg. rainy days | 8 | 6 | 12 | 19 | 15 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 11 | 113 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 248 | 196 | 217 | 150 | 217 | 210 | 217 | 279 | 270 | 279 | 240 | 248 | 2,771 |
Economy
& Infrastructure
Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's most important city for
both business and government. The city contains high concentrations of trade
and other services and manufacturing compared to other parts of Tanzania, which
has about 80 percent of its population in rural areas. Downtown includes many
small businesses, many of which are run by traders and proprietors whose
families originated from the Middle East and Indian sub-continent—areas of the
world with which the settlements of the Tanzanian coast have had long-standing
trading relations.
Dar es Salaam has a problem with slums. According to a
United Nations estimate, 70 percent of the city's population lives in informal
settlements. The poorer residents crowd into downtown areas or large
slums, many without running water or basic services.] The
more wealthy live in beachside mansions in the city's northern districts.
On a natural harbour on the Indian Ocean,
it is the hub of the Tanzanian
transportation system as the main railways and several highways
originate in or near the city.
Dar es Salaam has had, in the past few years] a
major construction boom. The Benjamin William Mkapa Pension Tower with
more than 21 stories is the tallest building in the city and the country. Dar
es Salaam has major infrastructural problems, including an outdated transport
system and occasional power rationing.
Transportation
The Julius Nyerere International Airport is the principal airport serving the
country. Tanzania
Railways operates the Central Line from Dar es Salaam to Kigoma. The TAZARA
Railway connects Dar
es Salaam to Zambia. Most intracity transport is by the dala dala (minibus) or Dar es Salaam commuter rail. The bus rapid transit system under construction will be
operated by the Dar Rapid Transit Agency (DART),] a government entity, and is expected
to open at the end of 2014. DART
is being sponsored by the World Bank. Dala dala
minibuses are involved in many road accidents, accounting for a large
percentage of the 4000+ yearly road deaths.
Dala dalas are cheap and often overcrowded. They
are operated by a driver and a conductor: the conductor collects the fare and
signals the driver to leave. They tend to be overcrowded, with passengers
sometimes hanging outside the door
Culture
Dar es Salaam has heavy traffic during
the daytime, but after sunset the area is relatively quiet as much of the
city's nightlife is located in more residential districts away from the city's
mainly commercial centre.
The sprawling
suburbs furthest from the city centre are generally populated by Tanzanians of
African descent, with the exception of Oyster Bay, where there is a large
population of foreign expatriates. The edges of Dar es Salaam are spreading
rapidly, severely taxing the transportation network (which aside from ferries,
lacks any kind of mass transit facilities) and
raising the prospect of future urban overcrowding.
Ugali with beef & sauce
Food
Due to the growth of the expatriate community and the increasing
importance of tourism, the number of international restaurants has risen very
rapidly over recent years. The city now offers a rich and internationalized
diversity of cuisine, ranging from traditional Tanzanian Barbecue style options such as Nyama Choma (Roasted meat—served with rice or ugali) and Mishkaki (Shish
kebab—usually barbecued
and served with salt, hot
peppers,chapati, fries, and rice on the side), and the long-established
traditional Indian and Zanzibari
cuisine, to options from
all corners of the globe includingChinese, Thai, Turkish, Italian, and Japanese
food. People who prefer
neither fast food nor traditional restaurants buy their food from street
vendors, who usually sell food at low prices. Samosas are common street food items within the
city.
Ugali with beef & sauce
Tourism
Dar es Salaam has two of the five
museums comprising the National Museum of Tanzania consortium, namely the National Museum
proper and the Village Museum. The National Museum is dedicated to the history
of Tanzania; most notably, it exhibits some of the bones of Paranthropus boisei that were among the findings of Louis Leakey at Olduvai.
The Village Museum, located in the outskirts of the city on the road to Bagamoyo, showcases
traditional huts from 16 different Tanzanian ethnic
groups. There are also examples of traditional cultivations, and traditional
music and dance shows are held daily.
Close to the
National Museum are also the botanical
gardens, with some specimens of tropical plants and trees.
There are beaches
on the Msasani peninsula north of Dar es Salaam and
in Kigamboni to the south where residents and
tourists alike frequently visit. Trips to the nearby islands of the Dar es Salaam Marine Reserve are a popular daytrip from the city
and a favourite spot for snorkeling, swimming and sunbathing. In addition to
that, Bongoyo
Island can be reached
by boat from the Msasani Slipway.
A village museum
Art
Dar es
Salaam (and specifically the area of Oyster Bay) is home to the popular Tingatinga painting
style. The Nyumba ya sanaa ("House
of Art") is a well-known cultural centre, workshop and shop dedicated to
Tanzanian art, showcasing and promoting Tanzanian craftmanship. Prominent
Tanzania sculptor George Lilanga has
contributed to the centre some of his works, including decorations of the
building's main entrance.
Music
There is also a lively music scene in
Dar es Salaam which is divided between several styles. The longest standing
segment is live dance music (muziki wa
dansi) bands such as DDC Mlimani Park Orchestra. Taarab which was traditionally strong in Zanzibar has also found a niche but remains
small compared both to dance music and "Bongo Flava",
a broad category that represents the Tanzanian take on Hip Hop and R&B,
which has quickly become the most popular locally produced music. Traditional
music, which locally is used to refer to tribal music is still performed but
typically only on family oriented occasions such as weddings.
This rap scene has been present and growing for
the past ten years as city life
has drawn much of the youth in surrounding areas have made the trek into a more
urban lifestyle in search of a new better beginning.
In the 1970s, the
Ministry of National Youth Culture aimed to create a national culture, which
stressed the importance of music. Dar es Salaam became the new music center in Tanzania,
with the local radio exposing new bands and dominating the music and cultural
scene. With this ujamaa, or family, mentality governing culture and music a
unified people’s culture was created. Dar es Salaam became a center of city
crime, gangs, and violence, which led to the rise of hip hop music.[14] Throughout the years, the radio in Dar
es Salaam has played a major role in the dissemination of music because many
people don’t have televisions and cassettes are used over CDs.
Dar es Salaam is also blessed with beatiful environment, a sure destination for tourists. Some pictures of the city can be seen below...
Education
Dar es Salaam is also the educational
centre of Tanzania. The
city is home to many Educational Institutions
Universities In Dar es Salaam
·
The University of Dar es Salaam is the oldest and 2nd largest public
university in Tanzania after University of Dodoma. It is located in the western
part of the city, occupying 1,625 acres (6.58 km2) on the
observation hill, 13 km (8 mi) from the city centre. The university
has approximately 16,400 undergraduate and 2,700 postgraduate students.
·
Ardhi
University had 2,457
undergraduate and 156 postgraduate students in 2010/2011. The university offers
two-year diploma programmes in the fields of land surveying and land management
and valuation. A three-year diploma program in urban and rural planning has
been introduced.
·
Muhimbili University
of Health and Allied Sciences has
two campuses; Muhimbili Campus and Mloganzila Campus. Muhimbili Campus is
situated in Ilala Municipality, in Upanga along United Nations Road. Mloganzila
Campus is still new and in the process of development and it occupies 3,800
acres (15 km2) and is located 3 km (2 mi) off Dar es
Salaam-Morogoro highway, 25 km (16 mi) from Dar es Salaam.
·
The Open University of Tanzania is a fully fledged and accredited
public institution of higher learning, mandated to conduct academic programmes
leading to certificates, diplomas, undergraduate and postgraduate
qualifications. Since it was founded, the university has enrolled students from
Malawi, Uganda, Kenya, Namibia, Hungary, Burundi, Libya, Ethiopia, Rwanda,
Saudi Arabia, Lesotho, Botswana and most of Tanzania. As of 2008, the total
enrollment at the university was 44,099, the majority of whom wereTanzanian.
·
The Hubert Kairuki Memorial University is a private institution located on
plot No. 322 Regent Estate in the Mikocheni area, some 7-km from the Dar es
Salaam City centre, off Ali Hassan Mwinyi and Old Bagamoyo roads.
·
The International
Medical and Technological University is
a privately owned institute of higher education institution operating in Dar es
Salaam.
·
The Kampala International University—began
operations in 2009 operating from Quality Plaza along Pugu road.Currently, the
University Centre is situated on a 60 acres (240,000 m2) of
land, at Gongo la Mboto area in Ilala District, 7 km (4 mi) from
Mwalimu Julius Nyerere International Airport along Pugu road
Sports
Dar es Salaam is the sports center
of Tanzania. Dar es Salaam hosts the second largest stadium in East and Central Africa (National
Stadium), which can accommodate up to
60,000 people. The city is home of the most famous and rival soccer clubs, The
Simba Sports Club (Simba) and Young Africans Sports Club (Yanga). Apart from the National Stadium, Dar es salaam is
home to the Uhuru Stadium (used mainly for local tournaments and political
gatherings), Karume Memorial Stadium (the home of Tanzania
Football Federation (TFF)),
the Gymkhana Golf Courses (between the city center and the shores of theIndian Ocean),
and also has tennis courts, squash courts,
and a Fitness club.
Outside the metropolitan districts, there is the Lugalo Military Golf Course(located in the Lugalo Military Barracks).
Dar es Salaam is also blessed with beatiful environment, a sure destination for tourists. Some pictures of the city can be seen below...
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