City of Arusha
| City of Arusha | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Mt. Meru in the background of the City of Arusha
|
|
| Nickname(s): A-Town | |
 Location of Arusha City in Arusha Region |
|
 City of Arusha
|
|
| Coordinates: 3°22′S 36°41′E / 3.367°S 36.683°E | |
| Country |
 Tanzania
|
| Region | Arusha Region |
| City | Arusha City Council |
| Incorporated Town | 1948 |
| Incorporated City | July 2010 |
| Government | |
| • Type | City Council |
| Elevation | 1,387 m (4,551 ft) |
| Population (2012) | |
| • Total | 416,442 |
| Time zone | EAT (UTC+3) |
| • Summer (DST) | not observed (UTC+3) |
| Area code(s) | 027 |
| Climate | Cwb |
Arusha is a city in northern Tanzania and the capital of the Arusha Region, with a population of 416,442 plus 323,198 in the surrounding Arusha District (2012 census). Located below Mount Meru on the eastern edge of the eastern branch of the Great Rift Valley, Arusha has a temperate climate. The city is close to the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Lake Manyara National Park, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire National Park, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Arusha National Park on Mount Meru.
Arusha is a major international diplomatic hub. The city hosts the East African Community. From 1994 to 2015, the city also hosted the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, but that entity has ceased operations. It is a multicultural city with a majority Tanzanian population of mixed backgrounds: indigenous African, Arab-Tanzanian and Indian-Tanzanian population, plus a small White European and a white American minority population. Religions of the Arushan population are Christian, Muslim, and Hindu.
The current site of Arusha was first settled in the 1830s by the agro-pastoral Arusha Maasai from the Arusha Chini community, south of Mount Kilimanjaro. They traded grains, honey, beer, and tobacco with the pastoral Kisongo Maasai in exchange for livestock, milk, meat, and skins. Demand for Arusha's foodstuffs increased substantially during the 1860s when the Pangani Valley trade route was extended through Old Moshi, Arusha, and ultimately to western Kenya. Although it was not yet a town, it was a regional centre and had a number of urban features.
...
Wikipedia