Al-Ziyarah (Arabic: الزيارة, also spelled Zeyareh) is a town in northern Syria, administratively part of the Hama Governorate, located 75 kilometers northwest of Hama. It is situated in the Ghab plain, on the eastern bank of the Orontes River. Nearby localities include Qarqur 7 kilometers to the north, Sirmaniyah to the northwest, Qastun to the east and Farikah, Khirbet al-Arus and al-Amqiyah Tahta to the south. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics, al-Ziyarah had a population of 3,541 in the 2004 census. It is also the center of the Al-Ziyarah Nahiyah ("subdistrict"), part of the Al-Suqaylabiyah District, consisting of 25 localities and with a combined population of 38,872 in 2004.
By ELISHA MAGOLANGA
Tanzanias strategic position in the continent, its abundant natural resources and countering Chinas advances to Africa have been cited as some of the reasons why President Barack Obama chose to visit Tanzania in his tour of Africa next month.
Mr Obama, who is the first...