Although Dodoma is the capital of Tanzania, Dar Es Salaam is the economic center of the country. The word is derived from Arabic and means “house of peace”, which seems apt when you consider that people from all 120 Tanzanian tribes, the Middle East, Europe and Asia live here peacefully together. Dar Es Saalam has one of the best natural deep-sea harbors, which is also one of the main reasons for its rapid growth from a small town in the 19th century to the largest coastal city in East Africa today, with an estimated population of 5.5 million people. Besides a visit to the national museum, a fish market or “Mwenge Wood Carvings Market”, you can relax on one of Dar Es Salaam’s city beaches in Kigamboni or Msasani. The city is also the starting point for the southern nature reserves and the islands of Zanzibar.