Human geography I travelled to Dar es Salaam in a dala dala (minibus) and arrived feeling like I'd been put in a big bag and shaken hard. Until recently Dar es Salaam was the capital of Tanzania. It's name means 'Haven of Peace' and I was surprised by how little hassle there was. The place has a calm village feel to it, yet people still seem to get everything done. I didn't spend long here though because the main reason I was here was to get a ferry to the islands. There are several islands off the coast of Tanzania, and the best known is Zanzibar. I expected it to be hot, exotic and full of wonderful beaches, and I wasn't disappointed. It smells great too because of all the spices growing around. Zanzibar has been visited by many travellers through the ages including backpacking hippies, Arab merchants and slave traders. I managed to get completely lost in the winding alleyways of Stone Town and whilst trying to find my way back again I stumbled across amazing old houses with the biggest doors I've ever seen, busy bazaars, grand mosques and ancient palaces. Tanzania is one of the most beautiful countries in the world but it is also one of the poorest and almost one in five people live on less than 60p a day. One in three women cannot read or write and less than half the people can get hold of clean water. Tourists do visit Tanzania but this does not put much money into the pockets of ordinary Tanzanians. Most people earn their living from farming but only 4% of the land is good enough for growing crops. Tanzania grows and exports lots of spices and a plant called sisal which is used to make rope and baskets. People in Tanzania are a mix of Arab and Africa descent. About 40% of Tanzanians are Christian and about 33% Muslim, although near the coast most people are Muslim. The official language is Swahili but lots of people speak English, Arabic or a local language as well.