Dodoma is Tanzania's official capital, though in practice Dar es Salaam remains the country's commercial and administrative heart. Parliament meets here, but most ministries and government offices stay on the coast. The decision to relocate the capital was made under Nyerere in the 1970s — Dar es Salaam was considered too geographically peripheral — and the move has been inching forward ever since.
The city sits on a dry central plateau surrounded by wine-growing country and rocky hills. It is not a major tourist destination, but travellers passing through will find a few points of interest. The railway station is a hub on the Central Railway, built by the Germans before World War I along the old caravan route from the coast to Lake Tanganyika. Nearby, the old railway hotel dates from the same era. The point where the railway crosses the Great North Highway — part of the old British Cape-to-Cairo road scheme — is a reminder of the grand colonial infrastructure projects that shaped East Africa.
Around the centre, the big modern Gaddafi Mosque, the older Anglican and Catholic cathedrals, and the bustling central market make a half-day's exploration. On the eastern edge of town sits the parliament building; to the north, Lion Rock offers a wide view over the plateau.