City Africa
Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam is the biggest city in Tanzania. It has a port on the Indian Ocean.
Dar es Salaam is the largest city of Tanzania, on the coast of the Indian Ocean in East Africa. It was founded in 1862 beside a harbor that was good for ships. In the 2022 census, 5,383,728 people were counted there.
Dar es Salaam, founded in 1862 by the sultan of Zanzibar for the sailing qualities of its harbor, became the capital of German East Africa in 1891 and lost its role as capital to Dodoma in 1974. It remains the country's main economic center. Census of 23 August 2022: 5,383,728.
Photo: Ali Damji, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam is the biggest city in Tanzania. Tanzania is a country in East Africa.
The city is by the sea, around a harbor where ships come in.
Dar es Salaam is the main city of Tanzania, on the coast of the Indian Ocean. Universalis calls it the country's main economic center, and says the city now spreads out about 40 kilometers around its port.
In the census of August 2022, 5,383,728 people were counted in Dar es Salaam, according to Tanzania's National Bureau of Statistics. That is almost five times as many as in Mwanza, the second-largest city.
Universalis: Tanzania's main city, with more than 3 million inhabitants in 2007; its built-up area has spread over a radius of 40 km around the port, and it remains the country's main economic center.
National Bureau of Statistics Tanzania (via City Population), Dar es Salaam city: 769,445 (census 1978), 1,205,443 (1988), 2,339,910 (2002), 4,364,541 (2012) and 5,383,728 (23 August 2022), rank 1, ahead of Mwanza (1,104,521) and Dodoma (765,179). The Dar es Salaam region (1,393 km2) had the same 5,383,728 people in 2022.
- Country
- Tanzania (its main city)
- People in Dar es Salaam (census 2022)
- 5,383,728
- Founded
- 1862, for the good sailing qualities of its harbor (Universalis)
- Size
- the built-up area spreads about 40 km out from the port (Universalis)
A harbor shaped like a pocket
Look at the blue harbor! Tall buildings stand along its shore. On the right, cranes and ships fill the port.
This photo shows Dar es Salaam from the air on 5 October 2017. A narrow channel leads from the ocean, on the left, into a wide, almost closed harbor. Tall office towers stand along its shore, and small boats float on the water.
On the right is the port, with cranes, long sheds, stacks of colorful containers, ships at the quays and round storage tanks. Across the harbor, green land with many houses reaches toward the sea.
Commons: own work by Ali Damji (Flickr photo uploaded to Commons by the photographer), 5 October 2017, CC BY 2.0 (FlickreviewR passed); the photographer's description reads 'Aerial view of the city of Dar es Salaam'.
In the picture: the ocean at left, the harbor entrance and the enclosed bay at the top center, boats and ferries on the water; the high-rise center along the shore, with a tall tower with a curved top by the water; the port at right with cranes, sheds, container yards, quays with ships and storage tanks; a green peninsula with houses across the bay; dense mid-rise blocks in the foreground and an oval sports ground at the lower left. Wikidata: Port of Dar es Salaam (Q15940655); Kigamboni Bridge, 680 m, opened April 2016.
- Photo
- Dar es Salaam from the air, 5 October 2017
- Port of Dar es Salaam
- about 2.6 km southeast of the city's Wikidata point
- Kigamboni Bridge
- 680 m long, opened in April 2016 (Wikidata)
A port chosen for its harbor
Long ago, a ruler chose this harbor for a new town. The town grew into a city of millions.
Universalis says Dar es Salaam was founded in 1862 by the sultan of Zanzibar, because its harbor was good for ships and because it lay some distance from Bagamoyo, 60 kilometers to the north.
In 1891 the city became the capital of German East Africa. The Germans made it the main port of their colony and the start of a railway inland. In 1974 Dar es Salaam lost its role as capital to Dodoma, but it kept growing as the country's main city.
Universalis: founded in 1862 by the sultan of Zanzibar for the nautical qualities of its roadstead and its distance from Bagamoyo (60 km north); capital of German East Africa from 1891; the Germans made it their colony's main port and the head of the railway to Moshi (on the slopes of Kilimanjaro) and Lake Tanganyika. In 1919 the League of Nations gave the United Kingdom the administration of Tanganyika. In 1974 the city lost its capital function to Dodoma; since 1985 renewed economic growth and investment, and the repair of sewage and power networks, have brought fast urban growth again.
- 1862
- founded by the sultan of Zanzibar
- 1891
- capital of German East Africa
- 1974
- the capital role passes to Dodoma
Ships, trains and a bridge
Trains leave Dar es Salaam for faraway lakes and countries. Ships bring goods to the port.
Dar es Salaam is a transit city, Universalis says: goods pass through its port and its airport on their way to and from other places. A railway built by the Chinese links it with Zambia, and the old German railway runs inland toward Moshi and Lake Tanganyika.
Main roads lead out of the center toward Kilwa, Morogoro and Bagamoyo. Wikidata lists the Kigamboni Bridge, 680 meters long, opened in April 2016, about 5.3 kilometers south-southeast of the city's center point.
Universalis: the main economic center, thanks especially to its transit role through the port and a fast-growing airport; the railway to Zambia, built by the Chinese, also plays an important role; radial roads run from the center toward Kilwa, Morogoro and Bagamoyo.
Wikidata (from the city point Q1960): National Museum of Tanzania (Q1960827, inception 1934) 1.53 km ENE; Port of Dar es Salaam (Q15940655) 2.59 km SE; Kigamboni Bridge (Q12221041, 680 m, opened April 2016) 5.25 km SSE; University of Dar es Salaam (Q557597) 9.08 km WNW.
- Railway
- the Germans' line inland to Moshi and Lake Tanganyika started here
- Railway to Zambia
- built by the Chinese, still important (Universalis)
- Roads out of the center
- toward Kilwa, Morogoro and Bagamoyo
Hot all year, with long and short rains
It is hot in Dar es Salaam all year. The rainiest month is April.
Dar es Salaam is hot all year. In the World Meteorological Organization's averages for 1971 to 2000, the average daily high is 32.4 °C in February and 28.9 °C in July, the coolest month.
About 1,150 millimeters of rain fall in a year, in two rainy times: a big one from March to May and a smaller one from November to December. April is the wettest month, with 254.2 millimeters, and September the driest, with 22.8.
WMO World Weather Information Service, Dar es Salaam (6.82° S, 39.27° E; Tanzania Meteorological Agency), 1971–2000: mean daily maximum 28.9 °C (July) to 32.4 °C (February); mean daily minimum 18.1 °C (August) to 23.5 °C (January). Rainfall sums to 1,149.7 mm; March-May bring 590.1 mm and November-December 243.7 mm, while June-September each bring less than 43 mm. April (254.2 mm) is the wettest month and September (22.8 mm) the driest. Days with at least 1 mm sum to 91 a year.
- Average daily highs (WMO, Dar es Salaam, 1971–2000)
- 28.9 °C (July) to 32.4 °C (February)
- Average daily lows (same table)
- 18.1 °C (August) to 23.5 °C (January)
- Rain in a year (sum of the monthly averages)
- about 1,150 mm
Tanzania's busiest center of work
Dar es Salaam is the center of Tanzania's trade and factories.
Universalis calls Dar es Salaam the economic heart of Tanzania and its main center of industry; gas deposits lie about 200 kilometers south of the city. As the economy has grown, government offices have become a smaller part of the city's work.
The city is also a place of learning. The University of Dar es Salaam lies about 9 kilometers west-northwest of the city's center point on Wikidata, and the National Museum of Tanzania about 1.5 kilometers east-northeast.
Universalis: Dar es Salaam remains Tanzania's main economic hub, notably through its transit function, and is also the country's industrial center, with gas deposits 200 km south of the city; with liberalization and growth, public administration, once essential to the urban economy, carries less weight.
Wikidata: University of Dar es Salaam (Q557597; P571 1961-10-25 and 1970), 9.08 km WNW; National Museum of Tanzania (Q1960827, a group of Tanzanian museums, P571 1934), 1.53 km ENE of the city point.
- Economy
- the country's main economic and industrial center (Universalis)
- Gas
- gas deposits about 200 km south of the city
- University of Dar es Salaam
- about 9.1 km west-northwest of the city's Wikidata point
Dar es Salaam on the map
Find Africa on the globe. Look at its east coast, by the Indian Ocean. Dar es Salaam is there.
Dar es Salaam lies at about 6.8° south and 39.3° east, on the Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania. Bagamoyo is 60 kilometers to the north.
Measured from the city's center point on Wikidata, the National Museum of Tanzania is about 1.5 kilometers east-northeast, the port about 2.6 kilometers southeast, the Kigamboni Bridge about 5.3 kilometers south-southeast and the University of Dar es Salaam about 9.1 kilometers west-northwest.
Dar es Salaam lies at about 6.80° S and 39.27° E (Natural Earth point, 2.52 km NW of the Wikidata point). From the Wikidata point (Q1960; 39.2803° E, 6.8161° S): National Museum of Tanzania 1.53 km ENE; Port of Dar es Salaam 2.59 km SE; Kigamboni Bridge 5.25 km SSE; University of Dar es Salaam 9.08 km WNW. The WMO station point (6.82° S, 39.27° E) is 1.21 km WSW of the Wikidata point.
- Latitude
- about 6.8° south
- Longitude
- about 39.3° east
- Bagamoyo
- 60 km to the north (Universalis)
Amazing facts
-
Dar es Salaam keeps growing. Houses now reach far out from the port.
Universalis says Dar es Salaam's built-up area now spreads about 40 kilometers out from its port.
Universalis: urban sprawl, with the agglomeration extending over a 40 km radius around the port.
-
Trains from Dar es Salaam go all the way to another country, Zambia.
A railway built by the Chinese links Dar es Salaam with Zambia, Universalis says.
Universalis: the railway to Zambia, built by the Chinese, plays an important role in the city's transit economy.
-
In the 2022 census, more than five million people were counted in Dar es Salaam.
Dar es Salaam had 769,445 people in the 1978 census and 5,383,728 in 2022: about seven times as many.
Census counts via City Population: 769,445 (1978) to 5,383,728 (2022), a factor of 7.0 in 44 years.
-
Dar es Salaam has two rainy times a year.
In the WMO table, Dar es Salaam has a big rainy time from March to May and a smaller one in November and December.
WMO table: March-May 590.1 mm, November-December 243.7 mm; June-September each under 43 mm.
Words to know
- harbor
- a sheltered place by the shore where ships can stay
- port
- a place where ships load and unload goods and passengers
- transit
- passing through a place on the way to somewhere else
- colony
- a land ruled by another, faraway country
- container
- a big metal box of a standard size for carrying goods on ships, trains and trucks
- census
- an official count of all the people in a country
Discovery challenge
-
Dar es Salaam is the biggest city in which country?
Dar es Salaam is the largest city and main port of which country?
Dar es Salaam lost its capital role to Dodoma in 1974 in which country?
- Tanzania
- Norway
- Argentina
Show the answer
Tanzania
Tanzania!
Tanzania.
Tanzania.
-
Which ocean is Dar es Salaam next to?
Dar es Salaam's harbor opens onto which ocean?
On which ocean does Tanzania's main port lie?
- The Indian Ocean
- The Atlantic Ocean
- The Arctic Ocean
Show the answer
The Indian Ocean
The Indian Ocean!
The Indian Ocean.
The Indian Ocean.
-
In which year was Dar es Salaam started?
In which year was Dar es Salaam founded, Universalis says?
In which year did the sultan of Zanzibar found Dar es Salaam?
- 1862
- 1962
- 1762
Show the answer
1862
1862!
1862.
1862.
-
Which city took over as capital from Dar es Salaam in 1974?
In 1974, to which city did Dar es Salaam lose its role as capital?
To which city did Dar es Salaam lose its capital function in 1974?
- Dodoma
- Cairo
- Lagos
Show the answer
Dodoma
Dodoma!
Dodoma.
Dodoma.
-
Which month is the rainiest in Dar es Salaam?
In the WMO table, which month gets the most rain in Dar es Salaam?
WMO table for Dar es Salaam: which month has the highest rainfall, 254.2 mm?
- April
- September
- July
Show the answer
April
April!
April.
April (254.2 mm).
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For parents & teachers
What children will learn
- Locate Dar es Salaam on the Indian Ocean coast of Tanzania.
- Explain why a sheltered harbor makes a good place for a port city.
- Describe how railways from a port reach far inland.
- Read a rainfall table with two rainy seasons.
Recommended ages: 3 to 17 · About 15 minutes
Talk about it
- Why might a country move its capital away from its biggest city?
- What does a port city need to move goods quickly inland?
- Why might a city keep growing even after it stops being the capital?
Try at home or in class
- Harbor shapes: draw a coastline with an almost closed bay and explain why ships like it.
- Growth bars: make a bar chart of Dar es Salaam's census counts from 1978 to 2022.
- Rain bars: draw the monthly rainfall and color the long and short rainy times.
Key vocabulary: harbor, port, transit, colony, container, census
Where these facts come from
- Wikidata , Wikimedia Foundation (CC0 1.0)
- Natural Earth vector data , Natural Earth (NACIS) (Public domain)
- Dar-es-Salam , Encyclopaedia Universalis
- Tanzania: Regions and Cities , City Population (Thomas Brinkhoff), from the National Bureau of Statistics Tanzania
- Dar Es Salaam: climatological information , World Meteorological Organization, World Weather Information Service
- File:Dar es Salaam (Aerial).jpg (Ali Damji, 5 October 2017) , Wikimedia Commons
- Wikimedia Commons , Wikimedia Foundation (Per file (public domain, CC0, CC BY or CC BY-SA); see each media record)
Checked, not yet human-reviewed. Last updated November 1, 2026. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.