Tanzam Highway
This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (June 2019) |
The Tanzam Highway leads from Lusaka in Zambia to Dar es Salaam in Tanzania. The highway was built from 1968 to 1973 in several stages and was intended to provide seaport access for Zambia and to expand the transport options for Zambia, Malawi and the then Zaire (now Democratic Republic of the Congo).
Description
The Tanzam Highway is about 2400 km long and is paved. The road leads largely through very mountainous areas to an altitude of over 2000 m. It starts in Dar es Salaam, the largest city of Tanzania, and passes through the regions of Coast, Morogoro, Iringa, Njombe, Mbeya and Songwe. The highway crosses the
In the vicinity of Iringa, the highway passes by the site of a battle near Ilula-Lugalo, where a monument commemorates the defeat of the German colonial troops on the Hehe on 17 August 1891.
In Zambia, the Great North Road crosses the Kapiri Mposhi and Nakonde areas. The distance between Nakonde and Kapiri Mposhi is approximately 832 km.
Within Tanzania, the Tanzam Highway connects with four major routes:
- in Chalinze, the main road to
- in Morogoro, the road to Dodoma in the west, then to Singida, Tabora, Mpanda, Shinyanga, Bariadi, Geita, Mwanza, Musoma, Bukoba and Kigoma
- in Makambako there is a road up to Songea, going on to Mtwara
- Uyole/Mbeya is on the road to Malawi through Tukuyu, Rungwe and Kasumulu, Kyela.
West from Makambako, Tanzam frequently runs parallel to the TAZARA Railway.
This road is the main link between East Africa and Southern Africa.
Significance
During the
References
- Ian Singer, Arthur Steevens, Heather Chalcraft: The Great North Road. From Great North Road. Horizont, 1966