Tanzania the Country of Freedom and Unity

Tanzania is an East African country known for its vast wilderness areas. They include the plains of Serengeti National Park, a safari mecca populated by the “big five” game (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino), and Kilimanjaro National Park, home to Africa’s highest mountain. Offshore lie the tropical islands of Zanzibar, with Arabic influences, and Mafia, with a marine park home to whale sharks and coral reefs.

Independence from the United Kingdom
Capital	Dodoma
Largest city	Dar es Salaam
Religion (2020)^[2]	63.1% Christianity 34.1% Islam 1.6% No religion 1.1% Traditional faiths 0.1% Others
Government	Unitary dominant party presidential constitutional republic

• President	Samia Suluhu
• Vice-President	Philip Mpango
• Prime Minister	Kassim Majaliwa
• Speaker	Job Ndugai
• Chief Justice	Ibrahim Hamis Juma
Legislature	National Assembly

• Tanganyika	9 December 1961
• Zanzibar and Pemba	10 December 1963
• Merger	26 April 1964
• Current constitution	25 April 1977

ISO Country Code: tz, TZA

Time:
Local Time = UTC +3h
Actual Time: Fri-May-28 14:44

Country Calling Code: +255

Capital City:
Dar es Salaam (executive)
Dodoma (legislative)

Other Cities: Arusha, Mwanza, Mbeya, Mtwara, Stonetown, Zanzibar

Geography:
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique.
Area: Tanzania mainland: 945 000 km² (378 000 sq. mi.); Zanzibar: 1,658 km² (640 sq. mi.).
Terrain: Coastal plains; a central plateau; highlands in north and south.
Highest point: Kilimanjaro 5 895 m.

Climate: Varies from tropical to arid to temperate.

People:
Nationality: Tanzanian(s); Zanzibari(s).
Population: 50.1 million (2016) includ. Zanzibar.
Ethnic Groups: mainland – native African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar – Arab, native African, mixed Arab and native African.
Religions: mainland – Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar – more than 99% Muslim.
Languages: Kiswahili (Swahili, Kiunguja), and English (both official), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages.
Literacy: male: 85.9%, female: 70.7% .

Natural resources: Hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel.

Agriculture products: Coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (organic insecticide), cashew nuts, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; livestock.

Industries: Agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine); diamond, gold, and iron mining, oil refining.

Exports – commodities: gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton.

Exports partners: India 21.4%, China 8.1%, Japan 5.1%, Kenya 4.6%, Belgium 4.3% (2015)

Imports – commodities: consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial raw materials, crude oil

Imports partners: China 34.6%, India 13.5%, South Africa 4.7%, UAE 4.4%, Kenya 4.1% (2015)

Currency: Tanzanian Shilling (TZS)

Tanzania is located east of Africa’s Great Lakes north of Mozambique and south of Kenya, it has a coastline at the Indian Ocean in east. The nation is bordered by six other African countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia, it also shares maritime borders with the Comoros and the Seychelles. It has shorelines at three of the Great Lakes: Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyassa (Lake Malawi).

The country occupies an area of 945,087 km², compared it is about three times the size of Italy or slightly larger than twice the size of California

Culture

A slew of festivals go on throughout the year in Tanzania featuring traditional dress and dance, such as the Wanyambo Festival in Dar es Salaam and the Mwaka Kogwa Festival in Zanzibar. There are also periodic arts and film events, while objects of fascination can be picked up at markets nationwide.

The Tanzania culture is Swahili, an Arab/African mix, but there are also big Asian communities, particularly Indian, in towns and cities. Tribes inhabit rural areas, including the Maasai of the Great Rift Valley of the north. It is okay to photograph the locals, but always ask first. Some Maasai will charge you for this.

Zanzibar is predominantly Muslim so attention to dress is paramount and women should always keep knees and shoulders covered. Guides and cooks on safaris expect to be tipped, as do waiters in city restaurants (typically 10 percent). Tanzanians are big on shaking hands and small talk.

Food

Some typical mainland Tanzanian foods include wali (rice), ugali (maize porridge), nyama choma (grilled meat), mshikaki (marinated beef), samaki (fish), pilau (rice mixed with a variety of spices), biriyani, and ndizi-nyama (plantains with meat).

Mount Kilimanjaro is Africa’s highest peak (5,895 m) and Tanzania’s most iconic image. Mount Kilimanjaro National Park, unlike other parks in northern Tanzania, is not visited for the wildlife but for the chance to stand in awe of this beautiful snow-capped mountain and, for many, to climb to the summit. Mount Kilimanjaro can be climbed at any time, although the best period is from late June to October, during the dry season.

Facts about Tanzania

Tanzania has the largest animal population density out of any country in the world. That is, there are more animals per square mile of land in Tanzania than in any other country.

Tanzania is home to the famed Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, with its summit at 19,340 feet (5,895 meters).

A little more than two of the U.S. state of California can fit within Tanzania, as it is the largest country in East Africa.

Tanzania experiences some of the most luminescent moons in the world, often so bright that flashlights are not necessary for people to see at night.

Tanzania is divided roughly into thirds between practitioners of folk religion, Christians, and Muslims (many of whom live on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar). Currently, the largest religious denomination in Tanzania is Roman Catholic Christianity, followed by Protestant Christianity, Sunni Islam, and Shia Islam.

Image:

Stone Town is the cultural heart of Zanzibar and little has changed in the last 200 years. The grand old Arabian homes lining the narrow streets and winding alleys give the city its own unique charm. The majority of homes in Stone Town were built in the 19th C when Zanzibar was one of the most important Swahili trading towns in the Indian Ocean. Visitors will notice the bras-studded, intricately carved wooden doors on many of the houses.

Source: Wikipedia, Britannica, nationalOnline.org