The City
Dar es Salaam
The United Republic of Tanzania is located on the East coast of Africa. In sharp contrast to its neighbors, Tanzania has remained a land of peace in a turbulent region. Yet, with an estimated GDP per capita of about $700, Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. An average Tanzanian lives on less than $2 a day and the national unemployment rate is estimated at
36% of the population.
Dar es Salaam, Arabic for "Haven of Peace," is the largest city in Tanzania with an estimated population of nearly 4.7 million people. Located on a natural harbor of the Indian Ocean, Dar es Salaam is an important economic center whose influence spreads beyond Tanzania into much of sub-Saharan Africa.
|
|
|
Despite rapid urbanization, Dar es Salaam has the largest unemployment rate of the entire country (46%); many people who are unemployed live in slums and have little access to life's basic necessities. Clean water is not available to one-third of this population. Job opportunities, affordable food and housing, and even the most rudimentary health care are elusive even to those living next to modern high rises. Although Tanzania has escaped much of the political turmoil and violence plaguing other countries in sub-Saharan Africa, the AIDS pandemic is causing tremendous suffering with 7% of the population living with HIV/AIDS. Children pay the greatest price.
- One in 5 children die before their fifth birthday
- One in 10 children have lost at least one parent to AIDS
- Over 1 million children are orphans as a direct result of AIDS
For More Information:
|
|
