Arusha is the capital of the Arusha Region, located in the north of Tanzania

Arusha is the capital of the Arusha Region, located in the north of Tanzania. It has a population of 270,485 (2002 census}. This city is located on a plateau in the Great Rift Valley amidst the Serengeti Plain, Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Olduvai Gorge, Tarangire and Mount Kilimanjaro National Parks.

By the foot of Mt Meru it's climate is cool and the humidity low. Arusha is a starting point for many safari companies being in fairly close proximity to Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Manyara, Tarangire and the Serengeti.

Official documents ceding independence to Tanzania were signed by the United Kingdom at Arusha in 1961.

The Arusha Declarations for Self Reliance in Tanzania were signed in 1964 in Arusha.

The Arusha Accords were signed at Arusha on August 4, 1993 by representatives of competing factions in the Rwandan civil war.

In 1995 the UN security council decided that Arusha should host the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. The establishment of the tribunal with its employees has influenced the local economy of Arusha. The tribunal is expected to end it's normal work in 2008 with two more subseqent years for appeals handling.