What is the official capital city of Tanzania?

Introduction / Context:
Tanzania is an East African country famous for Mount Kilimanjaro, Serengeti National Park and the island of Zanzibar. Its capital city has been the subject of some confusion because the government moved the capital from one city to another over time. Many older sources still mention the former capital, while modern references highlight the current official capital. This question asks you to identify the present official capital city of Tanzania from a list that includes other African capitals and the country's major commercial centre.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The country is Tanzania in East Africa.
• The options are Nairobi, Lusaka, Kampala, Dodoma and Dar es Salaam.
• Nairobi, Lusaka and Kampala are known capitals of other African countries.
• Dodoma and Dar es Salaam are important cities in Tanzania.
• We focus on the current official capital designated by the Tanzanian government.

Concept / Approach:
Dodoma is the official capital city of Tanzania. The government announced the relocation of the capital from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma to achieve a more central location and to encourage development in the interior of the country. Dar es Salaam remains the largest city and main commercial and port centre, so it is still widely known internationally. Nairobi is the capital of Kenya, Lusaka is the capital of Zambia and Kampala is the capital of Uganda. Therefore, Dodoma is the correct answer when asked for the official capital of Tanzania.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Recall that Tanzania decided to move its capital from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma for political and geographic reasons.Step 2: Recognise that Dodoma is now considered the official capital where parliament and some government institutions meet.Step 3: Identify Nairobi as the capital of Kenya and eliminate it as an option for Tanzania.Step 4: Identify Lusaka as the capital of Zambia and Kampala as the capital of Uganda, both outside Tanzania.Step 5: Understand that Dar es Salaam is a major Tanzanian city and former capital but no longer holds official capital status.Step 6: Conclude that Dodoma is the correct choice when the question asks for the official capital of Tanzania.

Verification / Alternative check:
Checking modern atlases, geography references or government information brings up Dodoma as the capital of Tanzania. While many travel articles still focus on Dar es Salaam because of its size and economic role, they often mention Dodoma as the administrative capital. International organisations and exam preparation materials have increasingly updated this information. Nairobi appears consistently as the capital of Kenya, Lusaka as the capital of Zambia and Kampala as the capital of Uganda, confirming that these cities belong to different countries. All of this evidence supports Dodoma as the correct answer.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:

• Nairobi is the capital city of Kenya, Tanzania's neighbour to the north.
• Lusaka is the capital of Zambia, a country to the southwest of Tanzania.
• Kampala is the capital city of Uganda, another East African country.
• Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's largest city and main commercial and port centre but is no longer the official capital.

Common Pitfalls:
A very common mistake is to select Dar es Salaam as the capital because older textbooks and many maps used to list it, and it remains the best known Tanzanian city. Exam setters often include Dar es Salaam among the options specifically to test whether candidates know about the move to Dodoma. Another pitfall is confusion between East African capitals such as Nairobi, Kampala and Dodoma. To avoid these errors, remember a simple set of pairs: Nairobi for Kenya, Kampala for Uganda, Lusaka for Zambia and Dodoma for Tanzania, while Dar es Salaam is Tanzania's main commercial city but not the capital.

Final Answer:
The correct answer is Dodoma, which is the official capital city of Tanzania.