Tanzania is home to some of the most awe-inspiring natural sites in Africa, including the continent's highest mountain and the world's second-deepest lake. In the north is Ngorongoro Crater, the world's largest volcanic crater. The country's great variety of wildlife is protected in its many national parks. These attractions, as well as the country's political stability, have made it a popular tourist destination. Dodoma became the official capital in 1974. However, Dar es Salaam remains the seat of most government administration. GeographyTanzania is situated in East Africa, on the the Indian Ocean. The country was formed in 1964 by the union of two states: Tanganyika, on the mainland, and the island of Zanzibar. Tanzania also incorporates the smaller islands Pemba and Mafia. The country occupies a total area of 364,017 square miles (942,799 square kilometers). It is bordered to the north by Kenya and Uganda; to the west by Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; and to the south by Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. - Ol Doinyo Lengai (Mountain of God) is an active volcano near Lake Natron, in northern Tanzania. It …
On the mainland, vast stretches of plains and plateaus contrast with spectacular mountains, valleys, and lakes. In the northeast lies Mount Kilimanjaro, a huge block of three extinct volcanoes. At about 19,340 feet (5,895 meters), Kilimanjaro's central peak is the highest point in Africa. Both branches of Africa's huge rift, or fault, system run through Tanzania—the Western Rift Valley and the Eastern Rift Valley. Along the borders of the mainland are three great lakes. To the west lies Lake Tanganyika, the world's second-deepest lake. Lake Nyasa is to the south. To the north is Lake Victoria, the world's second-largest freshwater lake. Plants and animalsBushes, thickets, and open woodlands cover Tanzania's drier regions. Forests grow in the rainy highland areas. However, much of the country's original forest has been burned off for human use. Wooded grasslands now cover these areas, as well as the great Serengeti Plain, in the northeast. Tanzania is home to a wide variety of animals. The country's many wildlife reserves include the vast Serengeti National Park. It is known for its huge herds of wildebeests, gazelles, and zebras, as well as large numbers of lions, leopards, hippopotamuses, giraffes, and baboons. The government has taken special measures to protect the rhinoceros and elephant, whose numbers have been severely reduced by illegal hunting. Small bands of chimpanzees live in Gombe Stream National Park, along Lake Tanganyika. People and cultureTanzania has more than 120 ethnic groups. Most of the people are of Bantu descent, including the Sukuma, the country's largest group. Roughly 45 percent of Tanzanians are Christian, and about 35 percent are Muslim. Nearly 20 percent follow traditional native beliefs. Swahili, a Bantu language, helps bind Tanzania's many ethnic groups into a unified whole. Although English also is an official language, the vast majority of Tanzanians speak Swahili. Most people also speak the language of their ethnic group. Almost two thirds of Tanzanians live in small villages or the countryside. Dar es Salaam is the largest city by far and the only one with a population of more than 1 million. Tanzania's many ethnic groups practice a great variety of cultural traditions. The Makonde from southern Tanzania are renowned for their abstract ebony carvings. Zanzibar is famous for its elaborately carved doors and Arab chests. Basket weaving, pottery, and musical instrument making are common in many rural areas. Each tribe has its own dances and folklore. Swahili poetry and prose writing flourish. As in most of Africa, the role of family is central to Tanzanian social and recreational life. Economy - The natural harbor at Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, is an important outlet for the country's …
Tanzania's national income remains very low. The country is heavily dependent on agriculture. Farming accounts for about 40 percent of the national income and employs more than 80 percent of the workforce. However, only a small portion of the land is suitable for farming. The main food crops are cassava, corn (maize), sorghum, millet, bananas and plantains, rice, sweet potatoes, and wheat. Export crops include coffee, cotton, cashew nuts, sisal, tea, and tobacco. Cloves are the main export of Zanzibar and Pemba. Tanzania's small industrial sector includes food processing, cement, textiles, brewing beer, and making cigarettes. The country mines gold, diamonds, and various gemstones, including tanzanite. HistorySome of the earliest-known human remains have been found in what is now Tanzania. Fossils at Olduvai Gorge, in the north, date back some 1.75 million years. As early as 5000 BC, groups of hunter-gatherers lived in the area. Groups that farmed and raised livestock began arriving by about 1000 BC. Arab and European controlBy the end of the 1st century AD, the East African coast had established trading contacts with Arabia and possibly India. Arabs settled in the coastal trading centers. In the late 15th and early 16th centuries the Portuguese took control of the coastal region and Zanzibar. About 200 years later the Arab rulers of Oman became dominant. In constant search for slaves, Arab traders pushed farther into the interior. European missionaries and explorers began arriving in the 19th century. Zanzibar became a British protectorate, or dependent state, in 1890. Germany occupied the mainland in 1885 and made it part of the German Empire in 1891. The mainland of Tanzania was then joined with present-day Rwanda, Burundi, and a small triangle of Mozambique as German East Africa. The territories were separated in 1919, after World War I. England then took control of the Tanzania portion, which was named Tanganyika. Independence and modern growthTanganyika declared its independence in 1961, and Zanzibar became independent in 1963. The two merged to form the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964. Julius Nyerere became the country's first president. He engaged in a sweeping program of reforms that emphasized cooperative farming. He also established a very successful system of free education and promoted the use of Swahili to build unity. However, the poor economy failed to improve. Many of Nyerere's policies were abandoned after he resigned in 1985. Later administrations sought to strengthen Tanzania's economy by encouraging foreign investment and combating corruption. Beginning in the 1990s, hundreds of thousands of people poured into Tanzania to escape violence in their home countries. These refugees came from the neighboring countries of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and Burundi. Population (2001 estimate), 36,232,000. |