Location of Tanzania. Source: Vardion/Wikipedia

Map of Tanzania. Source: CIA World Factbook

Satellite image of Tanzania. Source: Cwolfsheep/Wikipedia/The Map Library

Tanzania is a nation in eastern-Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya to the north and Mozambiqueto the south. It has plains along coast, a central plateau and highlands in the north and the south. The western border region lies in the Albertine Rift region (the western branch of Africa's Great Rift System) and lies along two of Africa's Great Lakes, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Malawi (Nyasa).  In the north, Tanzania also takes in part of Lake Victoria, the world's second-largest freshwater lake.  The highest point in Africa, Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres), is also in the country.  

Tanzania's major environmental issues include: soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture; and, wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and trade, especially for ivory. It is susceptible to flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; and to drought.

Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early 1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities.

Geography

Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique

Geographic Coordinates: 6 00 S, 35 00 E

Area: 945,087 km² (886,037 km² land and 59,050 km²  water) note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

arable land: 4.23%
permanent crops: 1.16%
other: 94.61% (2005) 

Land Boundaries: 3,861 km. Border countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km

Coastline: 1,424 km

Maritime Claims: Territorial sea to: 12 nautical miles and an exclusive economic zone to 200 nautical miles.

Natural Hazards: flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought

Terrain: Plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south. Its lowest point is the Indian Ocean (0 metres) and its highest point is Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 metres).

Climate: Varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Government

Government Type: Republic

Capital: Dar es Salaam

Independence Date: 26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent 19 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964

Legal System: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

International Environmental Agreements

Tanzania is party to international agreements on: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, and Wetlands.

People and Society

Population: 40,213,162

Age Structues:

0-14 years: 43.5% (male 8,763,471/female 8,719,198)
15-64 years: 53.7% (male 10,638,666/female 10,947,190)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 502,368/female 642,269) (2008 est.)

Population Growth Rate: 2.072% (2008 est.)

Birth Rate: 35.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death Rate: 12.92 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Net Migration Rate: -1.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth: 51.45 years (2008 est.)

Total Fertility Rate: 4.62 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Languages: Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages
note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources including Arabic and English; it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages

Literacy (2002 census):   69.4% (male: 77.5% - female: 62.2%)

Water

Total Renewable Water Resource: 91 cu km (2001)

Freshwater Withdrawal:  Total: 5.18 cu km/yr (10% domestic, 0% industrial, 89% agricultural). Per capita: 135 cu m/yr (2000)

Agriculture

Agricultural Products: coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats

Irrigated Land: 1,840 sq km (2003)

Resources

Natural Resources: hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, [iamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel.

Energy

Health

Prevalence Rate of HIV/AIDS in Adults: 8.8% (2003 est.)

Major Infectious Diseases: Degree of risk: very high

food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2008)

Conflict

International Disputes: Tanzania still hosts more than a half-million refugees, more than any other African country, mainly from Burundi and the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo[[]]despite the international community's efforts at repatriation; disputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant

Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons: refugees (country of origin): 352,640 (Burundi); 127,973 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2007)

Economy

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for more than 40% of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area. Industry traditionally featured the processing of agricultural products and light consumer goods. The World Bank, the IMF, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's out-of-date economic infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. Long-term growth through 2005 featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial increase in output of minerals led by gold. Recent banking reforms have helped increase private-sector growth and investment. Continued donor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported real GDP growth of nearly 7% in 2007.

GDP (Purchasing Power Parity): $48.94 billion (2007 est.)

GDP (Official Exchange Rate): $16.18 billion (2007 est.)

GDP- real growth rate: 7.3% (2007 est.)

GDP- per capita (PPP): $1,300 (2007 est.)

GDP- composition by sector:

agriculture: 42.8%
industry: 18.4%
services: 38.7% (2007 est.)

Population Below Poverty Line: 36% (2002 est.)

Industries: agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine); diamond, gold, and iron mining, salt, soda ash; cement, oil refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer

Exports: gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton

Export Partners: China 9.6%, India 9.2%, Netherlands 6.1%, Germany 6%, UAE 4.6% (2006)

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

Import Partners: China 10.8%, South Africa 9.4%, Kenya 7.5%, India 6.5%, UAE 5.5%, Zambia 5.5% (2006)

Economic Aid Recipient: $1.505 billion (2005)

Currency: Tanzanian shilling (TZS)

Ports and Terminals: Dar es Salaam

Further Reading

1. CIA World Factbook
2. Tanzania country profile