Arusha

Arusha with a view of Mount Meru
Location of Arusha City in Arusha Region
Arusha Location of Arusha City in Arusha Region
Coordinates: 3°22?S 36°41?E? / ?3.367°S 36.683°E? / -3.367; 36.683
Country	Tanzania
Region	Arusha Region
Incorporated Town	1948
Incorporated City	July 2010
Government
- Type	Municipal Council
- Mayor
Population (2002)
- Total	1,288,088
Time zone	EAT (UTC+3)
- Summer (DST)	not observed (UTC+3)
Area code(s)	027

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

Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania. It is the capital of the Arusha Region and has a population of 1,288,088 (2002 census). Arusha is surrounded by some of Africa’s most famous landscapes and national parks. Beautifully situated below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, it has a pleasant climate and is close to Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as having its own Arusha National Park on Mount Meru.

Arusha is a major international diplomatic hub. The city hosts and is regarded as the de facto capital of the East African Community. Since 1994, the city has also hosted the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. It is a multicultural city with a majority African population, large Arab and Indian minorities, and many European and American ex-pats, engaged in diplomatic affairs and the fast-growing local tourist industry. Religions of Arusha’s population are Catholic, Anglican, Jewish, Muslim, and Hindu.

Geography and climate

Despite its proximity to the equator, Arusha’s elevation of 1,400 m on the southern slopes of Mount Meru keeps temperatures relatively low and alleviates humidity. Cool dry air is prevalent for much of the year. The temperature ranges between 13 and 30 degrees Celsius with an average around 25 degrees. It has distinct wet and dry seasons, and experiences an eastern prevailing wind from the Indian Ocean, a couple of hundred miles east. Almost within the entire city; if you go north you will be going up hill, and going south is always down hill.

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 finish its operations in 2010, although there are recent doubts that it will be ready by then.

Arusha officially became a city on 1 July 2006.^[1]

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.

The region around Arusha is the sole source of a gem-quality mineral called Tanzanite, currently produced in large quantities by corporate mining concerns.

Tourism is also a major contributor to the economy in Arusha, being the second largest contributor of income in Tanzania. Given the town’s location near popular attractions such as Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Arusha has become a popular staging point for tourists visiting Tanzania and East Africa for photo safaris and hiking treks to Mt. Kilimanjaro. Many documentary and feature-length films have been set in and around Arusha, including the 1962 Howard Hawks film Hatari with John Wayne.

Arusha is home to the offices of the East African Community, and plays host to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda and the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, all of which contributes to the local economy.

Also the famous Arusha International Conference Center which hosted many international meetings is located here.

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 posh rapidly-growing suburb in the South, and Tengeru, a lively market-town in the East.

North of Arusha is a district called Karatu, Ngorongoro, Monduli, Arumeru and Longido. It is about 90 minutes north of Arusha by daladala along the Arusha-Nairobi Road. Robanda Safari Camp is one of the favorite Safari Camp. Robanda Safari Camp is located just outside Serengeti Ikoma Gate. This location was carefully chosen so as to be right in the path of the wildebeest migration. The best time to witness this spectacular migration is from May to August and from October to December. There is a high animal concentration year round though, with big herds of wildebeest and zebra, elephant and giraffe. Other animal species include lion, hyena, gazelle, topi, buffalo,…

Transport

Arusha is mostly served by Kilimanjaro International Airport for international travellers, some 60 kilometres (37 mi) 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 hills to the north and east; the local habitat is a mix of savanna woodlands, agriculture and remnant forest. 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.

Culture

Arusha is a pleasant city, due to its moderate weather, location, beautiful countryside and lively music scene. Tanzanian hip-hop is currently popular with the youth market. It is 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 Nakaaya, Watengwa Waturutumbi etc..

Arusha is home to many of Tanzania’s festivals, and the yearly festival is hosted by a few Tanzanian corporate sponsors that attract various artists from around the world. Artists like Shaggy and Ja Rule are just a few of the world’s most popular artists to perform in the 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 8 (the 8th of the 8th month, nane nane means “eight eight” in Swahili). Nane Nane is marked on August 8 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 popular local night clubs like, the Velocity, Colobus Club and the Blue Triple ‘A’.

Education

There are four international schools in and around Arusha: International School Moshi (Arusha Campus), Arusha International school, Braeburn School, and St Constantine’s International School[1] The School of St Jude provides free education to children from the poorest families.

International School Moshi was founded in 1969 and now has 460 students from 46 nationalities on two campuses in Moshi and Arusha. Arusha campus was established in 1986 and now has 200 day students, and offers courses from pre-kindergarten to grade 10. Grades K-10 follow the International Baccalaureate Primary years programme (PYP) and Middle Years programme (MYP) curriculum with an African and international perspective. It has been an IB World school since 2007.^[2]

Also there is several higher learning Institutions including The Institute of Accountancy Arusha, Makumira University College, The Arusha University and The Mount Meru University. Arcadia University offers Undergraduate semester long and summer programs in Tanzania, as well as Graduate summer programs to study at the Nyerere Centre for Peace Research.

Sports

Arusha is Tanzania’s rugby home with the national team playing its international matches there. Southern Pool A of the 2007 Castel Beer Trophy was hosted here too.

Arusha FC, playing in Sheikh Amri Abeid Memorial Stadium, represents the city in Tanzanian league football.