DODOMA

'Dodoma' [translation: "It has sunk"], population 324,347 (2002 census), is the national capital of Tanzania, third biggest city in the country, and also the capital of the Dodoma region. In 1973, plans were made to move the capital to Dodoma. Tanzania's National Assembly moved there in February 1996, but many government offices remain in the original national capital, Dar es Salaam.

Contents

Geography

Demographics

History

Infrastructure

Education

Notes

External links

Geography

Located at , in the centre of the country, the town is 486 kilometres west of the former capital at Dar es Salaam and 441 kilometres south of Arusha, the headquarters of the East African Community. It covers an area of 2,669 square kilometres of which 625 square kilometres is urbanised.

Demographics

Out of the total population, 157,469 people (48.5 percent) are male while 166,878 people (51.5 percent) are female. The estimated total number of households is 74,914 with an average household size of 4.3 people. The Roman Catholic Church reports that 19.2% of the population are Roman Catholics ^[1].

History

During German colonial rule in East Africa, the town of Dodoma was founded at the same time as the construction of the Tanzanian central railway. After the British took over the city following the First World War, Dodoma became a regional administrative centre until the independence of Tanzania in 1964. Primarily owing to the more central location, it was decided by plebiscite in 1973 to move the capital to Dodoma from Dar es Salaam. The National Assembly moved the next year, although to this day, a good deal of government offices remain in the former capital.

Infrastructure

A trunk road connects Dodoma with the former capital of Dar es Salaam via the Morogoro region in the east. To the west, there are roads to Mwanza and Kigoma going through Tabora. The Great North Road links the city with Arusha to the north. The city is also served by the Central railway line which connects it over a distance of 465 kilometres (288 miles) with Dar es Salaam in the east. The city has an airport managed by Mission Aviation Fellowship, although the size of planes is limited to small private aircraft. There are plans to build a new airport outside the city.

Education

Although there is no university currently in Dodoma, there is a proposal for building one which has attracted sponsorship from both Microsoft and Prince Al-Waleed bin Talal of Saudi Arabia ^[2]. The university is called the University of Dodoma and is expected to open in September 2007 with an initial intake of 1000 students. The University Vice Chancellor is Professor Idrisa Kikula.
Also the Anglican Church of Tanzania is establishing St John's University of Tanzania in Dodoma. It is intended that courses will commence in September 2007.^[3]

Notes

In Tunisian folklore, the term 'Dodoma' refers to a mythical beast of African origin.
1. Catholic Hierarchy - Diocese of Dodoma
2. Daily News - Saudi Prince pledges aid for Dodoma University
3. Web site of St John's University of Tanzania

External links

★ Roman Catholic Diocese of Dodoma