Tanzania

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Coordinates: 6.307°S 34.854°E

United Republic of Tanzania

Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania (Swahili)

Flag

Coat of arms

Motto: "Uhuru na Umoja" (Swahili)

"Freedom and Unity"

Anthem: "Mungu ibariki Afrika"

(English: "God Bless Africa")

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 Capital Dodoma (de jure)

Largest city Dar es Salaam

Official languages None de jure

National language Swahili[1]

Other languages English German

(2010 estimate)[2]

Religion  Christianity 60%

 Islam 35%
 Other Religions 5%
 Demonym Tanzanian

Unitary dominant-party presidential

Government
constitutional socialist republic[3][4][5]

• President John Magufuli

• Vice President Samia Suluhu

• Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa

• Speaker Job Ndugai

• Chief Justice Ibrahim Hamis Juma

Legislature National Assembly

Independence from the United Kingdom

• Tanganyika 9 December 1961

• Unguja and Pemba 10 December 1963

• Merger 26 April 1964

• Current
25 April 1977
constitution

Area

• Total 947,303 km2 (365,756 sq mi) (31st)

• Water (%) 6.4[6]

Population

• 2016 estimate 55,572,201[7] (26th)

• 2012 census 44,928,923[8]

• Density 47.5/km2 (123.0/sq mi)

GDP (PPP) 2018 estimate

• Total $176.465 billion[9]

 • Per capita $3,456[9]

GDP (nominal) 2018 estimate

• Total $56.664 billion[9]

• Per capita $1,100[9]

37.8[10]
Gini (2012)
medium

0.538[11]
HDI (2017)
low · 154th

Currency Tanzanian shilling (TZS)

Time zone UTC+3 (EAT)

Driving side left

Calling code +255[note 1]

ISO 3166 code TZ

Internet TLD .tz

a. Revised to $41.33 billion[12]

Tanzania (US: /ˌtænzəˈniːə/, UK: /ˌtænzəˈnɪə/),[13][14][note 2] officially the United Republic of

Tanzania (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in eastern Africa within
the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; the
Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to the south; Zambia to the southwest; and
Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. Mount Kilimanjaro,
Africa's highest mountain, is in north-eastern Tanzania.

Some prehistoric population migrations into Tanzania include Southern Cushitic speakers who
moved south from Ethiopia;[15] Eastern Cushitic people who moved into Tanzania from north of
Lake Turkana about 2,000 and 4,000 years ago;[15] and the Southern Nilotes, including the
Datoog, who originated from the present-day South Sudan–Ethiopia border region between
2,900 and 2,400 years ago.[15]:page 18 These movements took place at about the same time as the
settlement of the Mashariki Bantu from West Africa in the Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika
areas. They subsequently migrated across the rest of Tanzania between 2,300 and 1,700 years
ago.[15][16]
European colonialism began in mainland Tanzania during the late 19th century when Germany
formed German East Africa, which gave way to British rule following World War I. The
mainland was governed as Tanganyika, with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate
colonial jurisdiction. Following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963, the two entities
merged in April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania.[17]

The United Nations estimated Tanzania's 2016 population at 55.57 million.[7] The population is
composed of several ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. The sovereign state of Tanzania is a
presidential constitutional republic and since 1996 its official capital city has been Dodoma
where the president's office, the National Assembly, and some government ministries are
located.[18] Dar es Salaam, the former capital, retains most government offices and is the
country's largest city, principal port, and leading commercial centre.[17][19][20] Tanzania is a de
facto one-party state with the democratic socialist Chama Cha Mapinduzi party in power.

Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the north-east, where Mount Kilimanjaro is
located. Three of Africa's Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lie Lake
Victoria, Africa's largest lake, and Lake Tanganyika, the continent's deepest lake, known for its
unique species of fish. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just
offshore. The Kalambo Falls, located on the Kalambo River at the Zambian border, is the second
highest uninterrupted waterfall in Africa.[21] The Menai Bay Conservation Area is Zanzibar's
largest marine protected area.

Over 100 different languages are spoken in Tanzania, making it the most linguistically diverse
country in East Africa.[22] The country does not have a de jure official language,[citation needed]
although the national language is Swahili.[23] Swahili is used in parliamentary debate, in the
lower courts, and as a medium of instruction in primary school. English is used in foreign trade,
in diplomacy, in higher courts, and as a medium of instruction in secondary and higher
education,[22] although the Tanzanian government is planning to discontinue English as a
language of instruction altogether.[24] Approximately 10 percent of Tanzanians speak Swahili as
a first language, and up to 90 percent speak it as a second language.[22]