Arusha's strategic position in East Africa

PEOPLE & PLACES

Arusha is one of the cities in Tanzania and the seat of the East African Community. It is located at the southern foot of Mt. Meru, a volcanic mountain.  



 Preparing snacks for city dwellers. Photos by Eddie Ssejjoba

 It attained a city status on 1 July 2006 and the majority of inhabitants are of mixed origin, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 who live in the surroundings.

The inhabitants are indigenous African, Arab-Tanzanian and Indian-Tanzanian population, plus a small European and an American minority population.


Food vendors in downtown Arusha


It is located at the base of volcanic Mt. Meru and a gateway to Mt. Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain, with a peak of 5,895m.

 Mt. Kilimanjaro shoots through the clouds

Arusha lies some 100km Northeast of Tanzania, with to the West lies Serengeti National Park, home to wildlife including lions, rhinoceros, giraffes and leopards. Annual migrations feature huge herds of wildebeests crossing its plains.

 An elephant image introduces you to tourism around Arusha

This explains the high turn up of tourists from Asia particularly China, Japan and Indian, Europe and USA and Canada, to mention, but a few.

 Tourists at Kilimanjaro Airport lining up to book hotels 

At Kilimanjaro, on Sunday, there was a long queue of tourists hurrying to book hotels and tourist firms for travel to the national parks.

The region is a tourist destination and is the centre of the northern Tanzania safari circuit. The national parks and reserves in this region include Ngorongoro Conservation area, Arusha National Pak, Loliodo Game Controlled Area and part of Manyara National Park.

 Arusha streets


It's a gateway to safari destinations and to Africa's highest peak, 5,895m Mt. Kilimanjaro, lying some 100 kilometers northeast. To the west lies Serengeti National Park, home to wildlife including lions, rhinoceros, giraffes and leopards.

 There is an abundance of oranges

Arusha has a temperate climate, and lies at the Eastern edge of the Eastern branch of Great Rift Valley.

The city also hosted the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for nine years, from 1994 to 2015.

 Market in Arusha

It is 60km from Kirimanjalo International Airport, half-way to Moshi town.