Place:Dodoma

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Dodoma (lit. It has sunk in Gogo), officially Dodoma City (Jiji Kuu la Dodoma, in Swahili), is the capital city of Tanzania.[1] With a population of 765,179,[2][1] it is also the administrative capital of both Dodoma Municipal Council and the entire Dodoma Region. In July 2024, Dodoma officially surpassed Arusha to become the third largest city in Tanzania on both infrastructure and population measures.

Much of Dodoma's initial design did not come to fruition until the 21st century. In May 2023, the national government under President Samia Suluhu unveiled the new State House in Dodoma in a historic event stamping the relocation of government duties to the city. As a result, Dar es Salaam has remained the commercial and maritime capital of Tanzania, while also retaining the state house Ikulu and a number of government functions.

Geography

Located in the centre of the country, the town is 453 kilometres (281 mi) west of the former capital at Dar es Salaam and 441 kilometres (274 mi) south of Arusha, the headquarters of the East African Community. It is 259 kilometres (161 miles) north of Iringa through Mtera. It is also 260 kilometres (160 miles) west of Morogoro. It covers an area of 2,669 square kilometres (1,031 sq mi) of which 625 square kilometres (241 sq mi) is urbanized.

History

Dodoma in 1912

20th century

Originally a small market town known as Idodomya, the modern Dodoma was founded in 1907 by German colonists during construction of the Tanzanian central railway. The layout followed the typical colonial planning of the time with a European quarter segregated from a native village.[3]

In 1967, following independence, the government invited Canadian firm Project Planning Associates Ltd to draw up a master plan to help control and organise the then capital of the country, Dar es Salaam, which was undergoing rapid urbanisation and population growth. The plan was cancelled in 1972, in part due to its failure to adequately address the historical and social problems associated with the city.[3]

In 1974, after a nationwide party referendum, the Tanzanian government announced that the capital would be moved from Dar es Salaam to a more central location to create significant social and economic improvements for the central region and to centralise the capital within the country.[4] The cost was estimated at £186 million and envisaged to take 10 years. The site, the Dodoma region, had been looked at as a potential new capital as early as 1915 by the then colonial power Germany, in 1932 by the British as a League of Nations mandate and again in the post-independence National Assembly in 1961 and 1966.[5][6]

With an already-established town at a major crossroads, the Dodoma region had an agreeable climate, room for development[7] and was located in the geographic centre of the nation. Its location in a rural environment was seen as the ujamaa heartland and therefore appropriate for a ujamaa capital that could see and learn from neighbouring villages and maintain a close relationship to the land.[6][8]

A new capital was seen as a more economically viable alternative than attempting to reorganise and restructure Dar es Salaam and was idealised as a way of diverting development away from continued concentration in a single coastal city that was seen as anathema to the government's goal of socialist unity and development.[6] Objectives for the new capital included: that the city become a symbol of Tanzania's social and cultural values and aspirations; that the capital city function be supplemented by industrial-commercial development; and that the mistakes and features of colonial planning and modern big cities, such as excessive population densities, pollution and traffic congestion, be avoided.[3]

The Capital Development Authority (CDA) invited three international firms to submit proposals for the best location and preparation of a master plan: Project Planning Associates Ltd., of Canada; Doxiadis Associates International, of Greece (who had worked on Pakistan's new capital of Islamabad); and Engineering Consulting Firms Association, of Japan. A fourth firm from Germany submitted a proposal without invitation.[6]

The winner, decided by the CDA together with independent American consultants, was Project Planning Associates, the same Canadian consultants whose plan for Dar es Salaam was seen as inadequate and not responsive enough to the local conditions and needs for Tanzania's largest city.[6] Their plan envisaged a city of 400,000 persons by 2000 and 1.3 million by 2020.[8]

The official capital since 1996, Dodoma was envisaged as the first non-monumental capital city[8] as opposed to the monumentality and hierarchy of other planned capital cities such as Abuja, Yamoussoukro, Brasília and Washington, D.C. It rejected geometrical forms such as grid iron and radial plans as inappropriate as the urban form was intended to undulate and curve with the existing topography and not in conflict with it so as to retain its rural ujamaa feel. As befitted Tanzania's development at the time, the car was seen as secondary in importance to public transports such as buses which were then utilised by much of the population.[8]

In 1974, Dodoma had a population of 40,000 and was chosen as the site of the new capital as opposed to nearby Hombolo or Ihumwa. The existing population size was not seen as an impediment while existing infrastructure would reduce construction costs.[6]

The city, designed over 2,500 acres (1,000 hectares), was meant to be "the chief village in a nation of villages", built at a human scale meant to be experienced on foot.[9] Its basic principles follow the garden city model of a town set amongst a garden with green belts separating segregated zones for residents and industry.

As part of the move of the government, a capitol complex was envisaged and designs by international teams offered competing visions and versions of the siting and layout of a capitol complex. These competing proposals, some paid for by foreign governments as a form of aid and others by the firms involved, were presented as early as 1978.

21st century

However, it was not until 2006 that the Chinese government delivered a finished parliament building in Dodoma. The final location of the parliament was not in its original intended location in the master plan, with that location now being developed as a site for a university.[5]

As much of the initial design never came to fruition over the past 40 years, government offices and embassies have resisted moving offices to Dodoma. As a result, many government offices remain in Dar es Salaam, which remains the commercial and the de facto capital of Tanzania.[10][5]

Dodoma was envisaged as a nation-building project to cement a newly post-colonial independence identity and direction in Tanzania, and is similar to projects in Nigeria (Abuja), Côte d'Ivoire (Yamoussoukro), Botswana (Gaborone), Malawi (Lilongwe) and Mauritania (Nouakchott).[5]

Demographics

Central Dodoma in March 2015

Out of the total population, 199,487 people (48.5 percent) are male while 211,469 people (51.5 percent) are female. The average household size is 4.4 people.[2] The Roman Catholic Church reports that 19.2% of the population are Roman Catholics.[11] Dodoma is populated by different ethnic groups because it is a government administrative centre, although the indigenous ethnic groups are the Gogo, Rangi, and Sandawe. There are also small Indian minorities. The population count as of 2022 was recorded as 3,085,625 in Dodoma region of 41,311 km2, while Dodoma city increased from 410,956 in 2012 to 765,179 in 2022, covering 2,607 km2, or annual rate of 6.4% in ten years.[12]

Climate

Dodoma features a semi-arid climate[13] with warm to hot temperatures throughout the year. While average highs are somewhat consistent throughout the year, average lows dip to 13 °C (55.4 °F) in July. Dodoma averages 610 millimetres or 24 inches of rainfall per year, the vast majority of which occurs during its wet season between December and April. The remainder of the year comprises the city's dry season. Script error: No such module "weather box".

Education

Universities

The University of Dodoma

There are several universities in Dodoma, which include the Open University of Tanzania, which has campuses in several cities in Tanzania, St Johns University of Tanzania, owned by the Anglican Church of Tanzania, and University of Dodoma, with about 35,000 students. Both universities opened in 2007. In addition there is the Mipango Institute and the CBE.


Transport

Airport

A stationary aircraft at Dodoma Airport
The road to the University of Dodoma

North of the city centre, Dodoma Airport is managed by the Tanzania Civil Aviation Authority. Flights are currently limited to small aircraft operated commercially by Precision Air, Air Tanzania, Auric Air, and Flightlink.[17] However, in December 2019, plans were announced to construct the new Msalato International Airport, located approximately 14 km north of Dodoma city centre, through a US$272 million financing package supported by the African Development Bank and other development partners.[18] The airport is being developed to provide greater runway length and weight-bearing capacity than the existing Dodoma Airport, enabling it to handle larger passenger and cargo aircraft.As of 2026, construction remained underway, with infrastructure works reported at about 85% completion and building works over 70% complete.[19]

Railway

The city is served by Dodoma Railway Station, located near Kikuyu Avenue, through which runs the Central Railway Line, which connects Dodoma over a distance of 465 kilometres (289 mi) with Dar es Salaam in the east. In 2019, Tanzania Railways commissioned a study into a Dodoma commuter rail network.[20] Dodoma is served by both the historic metre-gauge Central Railway Line and the modern Standard Gauge Railway (SGR). Traditional rail services operate through Dodoma Railway Station near Kikuyu Avenue, linking the city with Dar es Salaam and inland regions through the Central Line.[21]

Dodoma is also connected to Dar es Salaam by Tanzania's electrified Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), operated by the Tanzania Railways Corporation (TRC). Commercial passenger services between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma officially commenced on 1 August 2024.[22]

The SGR line through Dodoma forms part of Tanzania's wider standard gauge railway network intended to connect Dar es Salaam with Mwanza, Kigoma, and neighboring countries including Rwanda and Burundi.[23]

In 2019, Tanzania Railways commissioned a study into a Dodoma commuter rail network.[24]

Public transport

A daladala station serves Dodoma on B129 south west of Dodoma.

The Cairo-Cape Town Highway passes through Dodoma. A major highway connects Dodoma with Dar es Salaam via the Morogoro in the east. To the west, there are roads to Mwanza and Kigoma going through Singida and Tabora. The Great North Road links the city with Babati and Arusha to the north, via Kondoa and Iringa, Njombe, Songea, Mbeya and Vwawa to the south via Mtera.

Government

Nyerere Square

The Parliament of Tanzania is located in Dodoma.[25] The office of the President of Tanzania and the headquarters of ministers of the Government of Tanzania completed the move to the Mtumba area of the city in October 2019.[26]

Sports

The city is represented in the Tanzanian Premier League by football club Dodoma Jiji FC, which used to be called Polisi Dodoma. The club is run by the city council of Dodoma. Other older clubs, include CDA, Waziri Mkuu, Kurugenzi, Mji Mpwapwa, and Dundee. There is also a rising interest in other sports, particularly basketball.

Stadium

The city hosts the Jamhuri Stadium on School Avenue. In addition, a new multi-purpose stadium is under construction in Dodoma as part of the government's sports infrastructure development programme.[27][28] [29]

Places of worship

Dodoma is home to many places of worship for people of multiple faiths. From Christian churches such as the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Dodoma (Catholic Church), Anglican Church of Tanzania (Anglican Communion), Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (Lutheran World Federation), Baptist Convention of Tanzania (Baptist World Alliance), and Assemblies of God[30] to Muslim mosques including the Sunni Masjid (Nunge), Gaddafi Mosque and KSIJ Mosque. The city also hosts a Hindu Mandir, as well as a Sikh Gurudwara.

  • Dodoma Railway Station
    Dodoma Railway Station
  • Dodoma Airport
    Dodoma Airport
  • A hostel at the University of Dodoma
    A hostel at the University of Dodoma
  • Roundabout in Dodoma
    Roundabout in Dodoma
  • Nyerere's statue in Dodoma
    Nyerere's statue in Dodoma
File:St Paul of the Cross Cathedral in Dodoma.jpg
St Paul of the Cross Cathedral in Dodoma
File:Chimwaga Complex Hall.jpg
Chimwaga Complex Hall

Twin towns – sister cities

Dodoma is twinned with the following places:

See also

  • Tanzanian wine – produced near Dodoma

Notes

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 "Country Profile from the official website of Tanzanian government". http://www.tanzania.go.tz/home/pages/68. 
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 "2012 The United Republic of Tanzania Population and Housing Census". http://www.nbs.go.tz/sensa/popu2.php. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Siebolds, Peter; Steinberg, Florian (1980). "Dodoma — A future African Brasilia?". Habitat International 5 (5–6): 681–690. doi:10.1016/0197-3975(80)90008-9. 
  4. ↑ Britannica, Dodoma, britannica.com, USA, accessed on June 24, 2019
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Beeckmans, Luce (2018). "The Architecture of Nation-building in Africa as a Development Aid Project: Designing the capital cities of Kinshasa (Congo) and Dodoma (Tanzania) in the post-independence years". Progress in Planning 122: 1–28. doi:10.1016/j.progress.2017.02.001. 
  6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 Hayuma, A.M. (1980). "Dodoma: The planning and building of the new capital city of Tanzania". Habitat International 5 (5–6): 653–680. doi:10.1016/0197-3975(80)90007-7. 
  7. ↑ Aloysius C. Mosha. "The planning of the new capital of Tanzania: Dodoma, an unfulfilled dream". University of Botswana. http://www.etsav.upc.es/personals/iphs2004/pdf/148_p.pdf. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 Vale, Lawrence J (2008). Architecture, power, and national identity. London: Routledge. pp. 146–193. ISBN 9780415955140. 
  9. ↑ Friedman, Andrew (2012-05-01). "The Global Postcolonial Moment and the American New Town India, Reston, Dodoma" (in en). Journal of Urban History 38 (3): 553–576. doi:10.1177/0096144211428765. ISSN 0096-1442. http://juh.sagepub.com/content/38/3/553. 
  10. ↑ Callaci, Emily (2016-02-01). "'Chief village in a nation of villages': history, race and authority in Tanzania's Dodoma plan". Urban History 43 (1): 96–116. doi:10.1017/S0963926814000753. ISSN 0963-9268. https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/urban-history/article/chief-village-in-a-nation-of-villages-history-race-and-authority-in-tanzanias-dodoma-plan/869EEBF9AA750AD62914195FB451DB3E. 
  11. ↑ Cheney, David M.. "Dodoma (Archdiocese) [Catholic-Hierarchy"]. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/ddodo.html. 
  12. ↑ "Tanzania: Administrative Division (Regions and Districts) – Population Statistics, Charts and Map". https://citypopulation.de/en/tanzania/admin/. 
  13. ↑ Ngongolo, Kelvin; Kilonzo, Mhuji (2022-12-30). "Communities' awareness of afforestation and its contribution to the conservation of lizards in Dodoma, Tanzania" (in en). Scientific Reports 12 (1): 22592. doi:10.1038/s41598-022-27268-7. ISSN 2045-2322. PMID 36585433. 
  14. ↑ "Dodoma Climate Normals 1991–2020". World Meteorological Organization Climatological Standard Normals (1991–2020). National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. https://www.nodc.noaa.gov/archive/arc0216/0253808/1.1/data/0-data/Region-1-WMO-Normals-9120/Tanzania/CSV/DODOMA_63862.csv. 
  15. ↑ "Klimatafel von Dodoma / Tansania" (in de). Baseline climate means (1961–1990) from stations all over the world. Deutscher Wetterdienst. https://www.dwd.de/DWD/klima/beratung/ak/ak_638620_kt.pdf. 
  16. ↑ "Normals Data: Dodoma – Tanzania Latitude: 6.17°N Longitude: 35.77°E Height: 1119 (m)". Japan Meteorological Agency. https://ds.data.jma.go.jp/gmd/tcc/tcc/products/climate/normal/parts/NrmMonth_e.php?stn=63862. 
  17. ↑ "Auric Air". Auric Air Services Ltd. March 30, 2012. https://www.auricair.com. 
  18. ↑ "Tanzania: AfDB approves funds for Dodoma airport project". 13 December 2019. https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/national/afdb-approves-funds-for-dodoma-airport-project-2711368. 
  19. ↑ "Tanzania: Construction of Msalato International Airport Project – Implementation Progress Report". March 2026. https://www.afdb.org/sites/default/files/documents/projects-and-operations/tanzania_-_construction_of_msalato_international_airport_construction_project_-_ipr_march_2026.pdf. 
  20. ↑ "Dodoma commuter rail study commissioned". 11 June 2019. https://www.railwaygazette.com/news/infrastructure/single-view/view/dodoma-commuter-rail-study-commissioned.html. 
  21. ↑ "Home | TRC". Tanzania Railways Corporation. https://www.trc.co.tz/language/en. 
  22. ↑ "Tanzania's electric SGR train service starts commercial operation from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma". Xinhua. 2 August 2024. https://english.news.cn/africa/20240802/d4017fa045a74453812365ac268c7f04/c.html. 
  23. ↑ "Standard Gauge Railway Project". Tanzania Railways Corporation. https://www.trc.co.tz/standard-gauge-railway/. 
  24. ↑ "Tanzania Railways commissions study into Dodoma commuter rail network". International Railway Journal. https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/commuter-rail/tanzania-railways-commissions-study-into-dodoma-commuter-rail-network/. 
  25. ↑ "Parliament of Tanzania". http://www.parliament.go.tz/. 
  26. ↑ "President Magufuli: I've finally moved to Dodoma". 10 April 2021. https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/news/1840340-5309466-9rei7r/index.html. 
  27. ↑ "Tanzania begins construction of new Dodoma stadium". https://www.thecitizen.co.tz/tanzania/news/national/tanzania-begins-construction-of-new-dodoma-stadium-. 
  28. ↑ "Jamhuri Stadium, Dodoma". https://www.google.com/maps/place/Jamhuri+Stadium/@-6.1727,35.7395. 
  29. ↑ "Mwanzo |WIZARA YA HABARI UTAMADUNI SANAA NA MICHEZO". https://www.habari.go.tz/. 
  30. ↑ Britannica, Tanzania, britannica.com, USA, accessed on July 7, 2019

Further reading

Template:Cities in Tanzania Template:Districts of Dodoma



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