Arusha

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Arusha Clocktower

Arusha with a view of Mount Meru

This article refers to the city of Arusha. For other uses, see Arusha (disambiguation).

Arusha is the capital of the Arusha Region, located in the north of Tanzania. It has a population of 270,485 (2002 census). This city is located on a plateau in the Great Rift Valley amidst the Serengeti Plain, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro National Park.

1 Geography and climate
2 Modern history
3 Industry and economy
4 Districts
5 Transport
6 Culture
7 Schools
8 Sister cities
9 Trivia
10 See also
11 External links

[edit] Geography and climate

Arusha is located by the foot of Mount Meru.

Yearly, the temperature ranges from 13 degrees Celsius to 25 degrees Celsius, and the seasons between wet and dry seasons. Due to Arusha's altitude, dry air is prevalent.

Arusha experiences an eastern prevailing wind from the Indian ocean, a couple of hundred miles east.

[edit] Modern history

Official documents ceding independence to Tanzania were signed by the United Kingdom at Arusha in 1961.

The Arusha Declarations for Self Reliance in Tanzania were signed in 1967 in Arusha.

The Arusha Accords were signed at Arusha on August 4, 1993, by representatives of competing factions in the Rwandan civil war.

In 1994 the UN security council decided by its Resolution 955 of 8 November 1994 that Arusha should host the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The establishment of the tribunal with its employees has influenced the local economy of Arusha. The tribunal is expected to end its normal work in 2008 with two more subsequent years for appeals handling.

Arusha officially became a city on 1st July 2006 (Source: Arusha Times http://www.arushatimes.co.tz/2006/19) .

[edit] Industry and economy

The primary industry of the region is agriculture, with large vegetable and flower producers sending high-quality produce to Europe. Small-scale agriculture was badly hit by the coffee crisis of recent years and is now largely subsistence farming. Arusha has several factories including a brewery, tyre and fibreboard plant, and a large pharmaceuticals maker.

One of the principal industries is tourism, with the city playing host to numerous safari companies, hotels and lodges.

[edit] Districts

Among Arusha's notable districts are the Central Business Area, located by the Clocktower, Sekei in the North-West which is largely residential with a vibrant nightlife, Njiro, a rapidly-growing suburb in the South, and Tengeru, a lively market-town in the East.

North of Arusha is a small village called Longido. It is about 90 minutes north of Arusha by daladala.

[edit] Transport

Arusha is mostly served by Kilimanjaro International Airport for international travellers, some 60km east, approximately halfway to Moshi. The airport provides international and domestic flights. Arusha Airport is a smaller domestic airport in the west of the city, currently undergoing expansion. It serves more than 87,000 passengers yearly, amazingly for its size. It is surrounded by a beautiful drape of hills and lush savanna. There are no passenger train services to or from Arusha, but there are regular coaches (buses) to Nairobi, Dodoma and Dar Es Salaam, plus other local towns.

[edit] Culture

Arusha being one of the most pleasant cities in the world, its exquisite location and beautiful countryside surrounding made it have a lively music scene, notably Tanzanian hip-hop, Mostly performed in Swahili, with various genres influenced by African American music, locally known as Bongo Flava. A good example of this genre is the band, X Plastaz, singers like Bushoke, Mr.Blue, TID etc.. Arusha is home to many of Tanzania's vivid festivals, the yearly fiesta is hosted by a few Tanzanian corporate sponsors, that attract various artists from around the world. Artists like Shaggy, Ja rule are just a few of one of the world's most popular artists to perform in the wonderous city of Arusha. Arusha also hosts The annual Arusha nane nane Agricultural show. Nane Nane is one of the many vibrant public holidays in Tanzania, held on August 8th(the 8th of the 8th month, nane nane means "eight eight" in sawhili). Nane Nane,is marked on August 8th every year where farmers and other stakeholders exchange knowledge and business. it attracts up to a half million people every year. Arusha is also known for its vibrant night life, with outstanding local night clubs like, colobus club and the Blue Tripple 'A'.

[edit] Schools

There are three international schools in and around Arusha: International School Moshi Arusha Campus, Braeburn School, and St Constantine's International School. The School of St Jude provides free education to children from the poorest families.

[edit] Sister cities

Durham, USA
Kansas City, USA

[edit] Trivia

Arusha is also the Hindi name for the rising sun.
Arusha's clock tower is supposedly situated at the midpoint between Cairo and Cape Town, therefore representing the halfway point between the two terminii of the old British Empire in Africa. The clock tower is currently adorned by the logo of the Coca-Cola Company.
Arusha was the setting for the 1962 film Hatari! directed by Howard Hawks and starring John Wayne.
A slang name for the city among locals is "A-Town".
Princess Margaret visited Arusha in 1956