Moshi is located  just to the south of Kilimanjaro and 45 miles east of Arusha. It is a town of just under 150,000 residents and is the the home of the Chagga Tribe.

The area has a rich agricultural heritage with extensive maize and bean farming locally. Coffee and Bananas are grown nearby but on the lower slopes of Kilimanjaro at between the 2000 – 4000 foot elevation. The seeds for the type of coffee bean called Arabica was cultivated in Moshi by catholic missionaries at the end of the 19th century.

Today there is a small tourist industry and a small but bustling downtown area with shops and some exquisite food and produce markets.

The city now hosts a fast growing Marathon and half marathon each February http://www.kilimanjaromarathon.com/ the race is aptly sponsored by Kilimanjaro Beer Company, whose famous tagline is “It’s Kili Time”.

NASA Picture 2004.

According to Ohio State University. Since 1912 – 82 % of the glacial ice on Kilimanjaro has disappeared.

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