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Located in the heartland of Tanzania, Dodoma is
the nation’s official political capital and the
seat of government in the country. Comparably
much smaller and less developed than the
country’s commercial centre, Dar es Salaam,
Dodoma remains a centre for national politics.
Situated on the eastern edge of the southern
highlands, the city of Dodoma is surrounded by a
rich agricultural area and pleasant scenery.
Dodoma has many places and items of interest to
recommend it to the passing visitor. It is the
centre of Tanzania’s growing wine industry and
the Tanganyika Vineyards Company is active in
promoting its products.
Historically, Dodoma was a stopover on the
overland caravan route that travelled from the
Swahili Coast inland toward Lake
Tanganyika. Early in the 20th century,
the city became a major point on the Central
Line railway, which carried agricultural crops
for export to the harbour in Dar es Salaam. In
recent times, the towns economic base has
declined in favour of the coastal city, but in
the early days of Tanzanian independence, there
was a popular political motion to move the
entire government to the town in the southern
highlands. These days, the government
legislature meet in Dodoma, and divide their
time between the inland city and Dar es Salaam
on the coast. |
