Tanzania

Full name of country: United Republic of Tanzania

Region: Africa

Official language: English, Kiswahili (Swahili)

Population: 67,462,121 (2024 est.)

Nationality: Tanzanian(s) (noun), Tanzanian (adjective)

Land area: 885,800 sq km (342,009 sq miles)

Water area: 61,500 sq km (23,745 sq miles)

Capital: Formerly Dar es Salaam, but legislative offices were transferred to Dodoma, the planned new national capital, and the transfer of governmental functions began in earnest in 2016. The president's office was officially relocated to Dodoma in 2019.

National anthem: “Mungu ibariki Afrika” (God Bless Africa), by Collective/Enoch Mankayi Sontonga

National holiday: Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), April 26 (1964)

Population growth: 2.72% (2024 est.)

Time zone: UTC +3

Flag: The flag of Tanzania is divided diagonally by an ascending black stripe outlined on both sides in yellow (the stripe originates in the lower hoist side). The top triangle of the flag is green, representing vegetation or agriculture, and the equal bottom triangle is blue, symbolizing the country’s water resources, namely its position next to the Indian Ocean.

Motto: “Uhuru na Umoja” (Freedom and Unity)

Independence: April 26, 1964; Tanganyika became independent on December 9, 1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent on December 10, 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar on April 26, 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania on October 29, 1964

Government type: presidential republic

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Legal system: English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation

The United Republic of Tanzania is a sub-Saharan country on the east coast of Africa. A socialistic, self-reliant African republic, it was formed by Tanganyika’s union with Zanzibar in 1964. Throughout its history of migration and trade, it has been ruled by Africans, Arabs, Asians, and Europeans. Its economy is primarily based on agriculture, industry, and tourism.

Though it is a poor country, it contains some of the most revered and famous natural sites in the world, including Mount Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria, and wild game preserves such as the Serengeti. It has remained relatively stable since independence and has made great progress in education, literature and the arts, and public health.

Note: unless otherwise indicated, statistical data in this article is sourced from the CIA World Factbook, as cited in the bibliography.

People and Culture

Population: The population of Tanzania is quite diverse. Among the ethnic groups represented are more than 130 Bantu tribes (around 95 percent of the population), as well as some Asian, European, and Arab peoples. Most of the country’s Arabs live on the island of Zanzibar.

Kiswahili (Swahili), one of Tanzania’s two official languages, is one of the many Bantu-based languages spoken in the country. Kiswahili in particular has evolved to incorporate vocabulary from a variety of other languages and dialects, including Arabic and English.

While religion is no longer included in census surveys in Tanzania, some sources estimate that the Muslim and Christian populations are roughly equal in size, with each group accounting for between 30 and 40 percent of the total population and the remaining one-third primarily practicing Indigenous religions. Other sources, such as the CIA World Factbook, placed the Christian population at nearly double the Muslim population—approximately 63.1 percent and 34.1 percent, respectively, in 2020. More than 99 percent of Zanzibar’s population is Muslim.

The largest city is Dar es Salaam, the “Haven of Peace,” with a population of 7.776 million people in 2023. It is Tanzania’s commercial capital and site of a major port. The country’s second largest city is Mwanza, a midsized port city with a 2023 population of 1.311 million. Dodoma, the capital, had a population of 262,000 in 2018. Zanzibar’s Stone Town is a historic town that is popular among tourists. Ujili on Lake Victoria is another large city.

Tanzania has deliberately remained a country of small villages and farms. In 2023, 37.4 percent of the total population lived in urban areas. The urban communities cannot support the large number of people who come from the rural areas. Tanzania ranked 160th on the 2022 United Nations Human Development Index.

It is important to many Tanzanians to retain traditional African values in the face of modern technology. Courtesy and respect are emphasized both in everyday life and in literature. Good manners include handshakes, which are so important that a Tanzanian may continue holding hands throughout a conversation. In the Muslim tradition, the right hand is usually used for eating, while the left is used only in the toilet. Many Tanzanians consider it rude to show emotions in public.

In Zanzibar especially, women are expected to cover the body completely in accordance with traditional interpretations of Islam. While education is slowly improving the role of women in Tanzanian society, they still face sexism in many areas of society, and marriage is the emphasized goal for many young women.

Indigenous People: During the mid-twentieth century, paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey discovered remains of an early human that he named Homo habilis (handy human) in Olduvai Gorge. Dated around two million years old, this prehistoric man may be considered the first native of Tanzania. The first Bantu ancestral groups migrated to the area between 2000 and 1000 BCE.

The word Bantu means “the people.” Of the many different Bantu-speaking groups in Tanzania, the Sukuma, living south of Lake Victoria, is the largest. Once warriors, they are now peaceful farmers who raise cattle and cultivate crops in Mwanza. The Nyamwezi, living in the grasslands (savannahs), were one of the most powerful tribes in the early nineteenth century.

The Bena and Chaga, who dwell on Kilimanjaro’s rise, often work as tour guides and run flourishing farms and coffee plantations. The Gogo (or Wagogo), near Dodoma, raise herds and crops, but their land has little water, and it is a hard living.

The Hehe were once feared and warlike. Their name comes from the war cry of a chief who led the resistance against German colonizers. Now they work as rangers and guides. The Makonde, famous woodcarvers, live near the Mozambique border.

Non-Bantu tribes include the Masai, a nomadic people who move freely between Kenya and Tanzania. They prize their cattle, subsisting mostly on the blood and milk.

Education: The Ministry of Education, Science and Technology and the Tanzania Commission for Universities are responsible for the quality of education in Tanzania. By January 2020, there were twelve public and eighteen private registered full universities throughout the country. The largest of these is the University of Dar es Salaam.

Specialty schools in Tanzania include the Sokoine University of Agriculture and the International Medical and Technological University. St. Augustine University of Tanzania is one of the country’s prominent private institutions. The island of Zanzibar also has its own university.

The adult literacy rate in Tanzania was estimated at 81.8 percent in 2021.

Health Care: The greatest health concerns facing Tanzania are malaria, human sleeping sickness caused by tsetse flies, and large bloodsuckers (trypanosomes). HIV/AIDS has been spreading in Tanzania and affects everyone, old and young. Female genital mutilation, extremely painful and often fatal, is still practiced among the Masai. Bilharzia, caused by parasitic worms, is common in tropical areas but is easily diagnosed and treated.

Food: Ugali, the staple food of Tanzania and served at most meals, is a stiff cornmeal porridge, though it may be made from cassava (tapioca) as well. Beans and rice are other common staples, and various vegetables and tropical fruits are used in main dishes as well as desserts. Most Tanzanian dishes are spiced with curry, turmeric, and garlic.

Arts & Entertainment: An important part of traditional Tanzanian literature is enanga, epic poetry in Swahili accompanied by the zither (enanga).

Some well-known Swahili authors include Ebrahim Hussein, Pera Ridhiwani, Robert Shaaban, and Sheikh Amri Abedi. May Materru Balisidya (an oral storyteller) and Penina Mlama are both considered feminist authors.

Modern authors who have gained international recognition include Tololwa Mollel, an Arusha Masai children’s author who lives in the United States. His original stories are derived from folktales he heard as a child in Tanzania. Godfrey Mwakikagile, author of Nyerere and Africa: End of an Era (2002), is a political science writer.

Annual events and festivals held in Tanzania include the Festival of the Dhow in Zanzibar, which includes an international film festival.

A traditional musical form is Zanzibari taraab, which combines Swahili poetry and Arabic or Indian melodies. Other music styles with a Tanzanian flair include kwayas (popular choir music), muziki wa dansi (dance music), and mzibo, or “Bongo Flava,” which incorporates a bit of everything.

Traditional Tanzanian art, consisting of cave paintings and wood carvings, is focused on folk art. Modern individual artists, such as carver and painter George Lilanga (1934–2005), are relatively new to Tanzania.

Tanzanians enjoy football (soccer), cricket, and the half marathon. There are several major football clubs for continental competition. Cricket has been played in Tanzania since colonial times, but the first official game dates back to 1890, in Zanzibar.

Internationally successful runners from Tanzania have included Martin Sulle and Fabian Joseph. Runner John Yuda holds several international championships.

Holidays: Secular, government-sponsored holidays in Tanzania include Union Day (April 6), celebrating the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; Independence Day (December 9); Zanzibar Revolution Day (January 12); Constitution Day (April 27); Heritage Day (September 24); Farmers’ Day (August 8); International Trade Fair (July 7); Human Rights Day (March 21); Family Day (date varies); Youth Day (June 16); Women’s Day (August 9); and Day of Reconciliation (December 16).

Mwalimu Nyerere Day (October 14) is celebrated in honor of Tanzania’s first president, and also marks the climax of the Uhuru Torch Race.

Major Christian and Muslim holidays are celebrated in Tanzania. Mwaka Kogwa, which marks the beginning of the Persian new year, is observed in southern Zanzibar.

Environment and Geography

Topography: The largest country in East Africa, Tanzania consists of the mainland plus the Indian Ocean islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, and Mafia off its east coast. Mainland Tanzania has borders with Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, and Mozambique.

The mainland can be divided into three types of terrain. The northeastern and southwestern mountain regions include the volcanic Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa at 5,895 meters (19,341 feet). The name Kilima Njaro means “Shining Mountain.”

The large central high plateau has an average altitude of about 1,200 meters (4,000 feet) and is split by the Great Rift Valley, a 9,656-kilometer (6,000-mile) fissure that reaches from Lebanon to Mozambique. The low coast region includes the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba, and Mafia.

Lake Tanganyika lies on the western border of Tanzania, and Lake Malawi is on the southwest border. Lake Victoria, in the northwestern corner of the country, also likes partly in Uganda and Kenya. Major rivers in Tanzania include the Pangani, Rufiji, Ruvuma, and Malagarasi.

Important game preserves in Tanzania include the Serengeti National Park, Tarangire National Park, and Gombe Stream National Park (where famous primatologist Jane Goodall studied chimpanzees for 40 years).

The southern part of the country, though filled with tsetse flies, malarial swamps, and poor roads, boasts Ruaha National Park, Tanzania’s second-largest.

Natural Resources: Tanzania’s chief natural resources include large mineral deposits (including gold), natural gas, and vast parklands and nature preserves. None of these resources have been exploited to their full economic potential.

Deforestation of the land to provide fuel and to create farms has created conservation issues, particularly soil loss, which has caused the formation of desert areas. As a result, the blackwood tree, among others, is threatened.

Another conservation problem is the dynamite fishing which has ruined offshore coral reefs. Despite prevention efforts, poaching is another persistent challenge.

The tsetse fly, fatal to cattle as well as humans, prevents farmers and herdsmen from settling vast sections of land across Tanzania. Many parts of Tanzania would be open to cultivation if eradication of the tsetse fly becomes a reality, but most eradication programs have not been practical because the pesticides used damage the environment. A pest control program known as STI (Sterile Insect Technique), which sterilizes the male population of the insect, has supposedly rid Zanzibar of the tsetse fly.

Plants & Animals: Plant life in Tanzania varies with the country’s geography. The mainland plateau is mostly grassland, and evergreen forests cover the mountains. Mangrove trees grow alongside coastal rivers, and rainforests thrive near Lake Victoria. The islands are mainly brush and grassland, though some rainforests have developed in extremely wet sections.

Examples of Tanzania’s more interesting trees include the ubiquitous umbrella acacia tree, and the unusual baobab tree, one of the largest trees in the world. The branches of the baobab are said to resemble roots, leading to the folk belief that the tree grows upside down.

Tanzania’s national parks, game preserves, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area are home to a wide variety of wildlife. The country boasts over 1,000 bird species, including flamingos, African spoonbills, African paradise flycatchers, cattle egrets, saddle-billed storks, hoopoes, ostriches, and parrots.

Common mammals found in Tanzania include warthogs, leopards, elephants, wildebeests, lions, zebras, chimpanzees, baboons, monkeys, crocodiles, buffalos, dik-diks, and kudus.

There are several species of poisonous snakes found throughout Tanzania, including black mambas, puff adders, and red and black spitting cobras. Boa constrictors and pythons also abound. Most of these dangerous snakes avoid humans, when possible.

Climate: Tanzania has a tropical climate with high temperatures and humidity on the coast and islands. Daytime temperatures average around 23 degrees Celsius (73 degrees Fahrenheit) from June to September and 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) from December to March.

Summer, the dry season in Tanzania, lasts from December until March. Winter, from March to May, corresponds with the rainy season.

Annual rainfall is more than 1,000 millimeters (40 inches), although the central plateau is much drier than the rest of the country, and usually receives only 250 millimeters (10 inches) or rain each year.

On peaks above 1,500 meters (5,000 feet) there is a semi-temperate climate, with permanent snow on the highest peaks. Temperatures on Mount Kilimanjaro and Meru regularly drop below freezing.

Economy

Tanzania's economy depends heavily on agriculture, though other sectors, namely industry and tourism, have also grown increasingly important. In 2023 the gross domestic product (GDP) was an estimated US$234.05 billion, or US$3,600 per capita.

Industry: The industrial sector accounted for over a quarter of Tanzania's GDP by the early 2020s. Manufacturing activity includes processed agricultural goods, paper, refined petroleum, fertilizer, aluminum goods, and construction materials (especially cement). Clove oil and woven goods are also produced.

Diamonds, tanzanite, and other gemstones are mined in Tanzania, along with gold, salt, gypsum, phosphates, kaolin, tin, coal, and iron ore.

The abundance of trees found in Tanzania, including mahogany, teak, ebony, camphor wood, and mangrove, fuel the country’s timber and wood products industry.

Agriculture: Tanzanian agriculture consists of both plantations for commercial profit and subsistence farming. The country’s principal exported crops are cloves and copra, as well as coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), sisal, rice, peanuts, tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, and cashews.

Subsistence farming, practiced by most of the population to feed families, produces corn, wheat, millet, sorghum, vegetables, bananas, and cassava. Farmers also raise livestock such as cattle, sheep, and goats.

Tourism: Like many of its natural resources, Tanzania’s tourism industry has gone largely unexploited. Those tourists who do visit Tanzania are drawn to wildlife safaris in the Serengeti, as well as the beautiful scenery of Kilimanjaro and the island beaches. Zanzibar also has an emegency tourism sector.

There are several large resorts along the coast, near Dar es Salaam. Divers enjoy exploring the waters of the Indian Ocean off Tanzania, home to interesting marine life and coral reefs such as Wambe Shando. In 2022, according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, travel and tourism contributed 8 percent to the GDP, though the sector contracted the following year due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Government

Originally called Tanganyika, the present-day Tanzania was part of the German Empire at the beginning of the twentieth century, but came under British control after World War I (1914–18). Tanganyika gained its independence in 1961.

Julius Kambarage Nyerere, a schoolteacher who organized the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) in 1954, was elected president in 1962. Zanzibar gained its independence the following year, and in 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar united. In 1967, the new government wrote the Arusha Declaration, which emphasized the need to educate the people in socialism. Tanzania’s constitution was adopted in 1977.

In 1990, President Nyerere retired from formal politics, and Tanzania began moving away from socialism and toward multiparty democracy.

The republic has faced several serious challenges, such as the failure of socialism in the villages, increasing taxation and corruption, infrastructure problems, bankruptcy, and the 1978 war with Uganda.

The United Republic of Tanzania is led by the president, who is both chief of state and the head of government, and the vice president. Both are elected on the same ticket to five-year terms. In addition, Zanzibar elects its own president for internal matters. The cabinet is appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly.

The prime minister, appointed by the president, serves as the leader of government business in the National Assembly and the head of the cabinet. Of the 393 members of the unicameral National Assembly, 264 are directly elected by popular vote, 113 are women indirectly elected by proportional representation vote, 5 are indirectly elected by Zanzibar’s Baraza La Wawakilishi (House of Representatives), 10 are appointed by the president, and the last seat is reserved for the attorney general. All members serve five-year terms. The 82-member Baraza La Wawakilishi has jurisdiction over all non-union matters for the island of Zanzibar.

The highest courts of Tanzania’s judicial branch are the Court of Appeal of the United Republic of Tanzania, the High Court of the United Republic for Mainland Tanzania, and the High Court of Zanzibar. Lower courts include Resident Magistrates Courts, Qadi courts (for Islamic family matters), and district and primary courts

For administrative purposes, Tanzania is divided into thirty-one administrative regions, called mkoa in Kiswahili.

Vice-President Hassan took over in March 2021 on the death of President John Magufuli, who had caused international concern over his campaign against the independent media and other issues, including gay rights and his handling of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Interesting Facts

• There are many myths surrounding the unusually shaped baobab tree, which can be found in Tanzania. A traditional Tanzanian belief holds that God planted the tree upside down, while Arab legend suggests that the uprooting is the work of the Devil. Some botanists believe that certain specimens are thousands of years old.
• The Uhuru (meaning “freedom” in Kiswahili) Torch, placed atop Mount Kilimanjaro in 1961, is considered a symbol of freedom and light in Tanzania.
• Chumbe Island, part of the Zanzibar Archipelago off the coast of Tanzania, is home to the world’s largest land crustacean, the coconut crab, also called the robber crab (Birgus latro).
• Deposits of tanzanite, a blue-violet zoisite, have only been found in Tanzania.
• In 2018, Tanzania became the first African country to be confirmed by the World Health Organization as having achieved a well-functioning, regulatory system for medical products.

Bibliography

Croucher, Sarah K. Capitalism and Cloves: An Archaeology of Plantation Life on Nineteenth-Century Zanzibar. Springer, 2015.

Lofchie, Michael F. The Political Economy of Tanzania: Decline and Recovery. U of Pennsylvania P, 2014.

"Human Development Insights." Human Development Reports, United Nations Development Programme, 13 Mar 2024, hdr.undp.org/data-center/country-insights#/ranks. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.

"Tanzania—2023 Annual Research: Key Highlights." Economic Impact Factsheet, World Travel and Tourism Council, 2023, researchhub.wttc.org/factsheets/tanzania. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

“Tanzania.” The World Factbook, Central Intelligence Agency, 23 Dec. 2024, www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/tanzania/. Accessed 17 Jan. 2025.