About Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania is located in Eastern Africa between 29 and 41 degrees east longitude, and between 1 and 12 degrees south latitude. The United Republic of Tanzania was formed out of the union of two sovereign states, namely Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Tanganyika became a sovereign state on 9th December, 1961 and became a Republic the following year. Zanzibar became independent on 10th December, 1963 and the People’s Republic of Zanzibar was established after the revolution of 12th January, 1964. The two sovereign republics formed the United Republic of Tanzania on 26th April, 1964. However, the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania is a unitary republic consisting of the Union Government and the Zanzibar Revolutionary Government.

 

Tanzania has many natural attractions and is a haven for eco-travelers, adventurers and those seeking a true African safari. With some 800-kilometres of palm-fringed coast bordering the warm Indian Ocean, the continent's highest mountain - Mount Kilimanjaro - and longest and deepest freshwater lake - Lake Tanganyika - Tanzania is one of Africa's most attractive countries to visit. Except for a few main attractions, such as Kilimanjaro and the island of Zanzibar, much of Tanzania remains largely unexplored.

 

FACTS

Capital: Dodoma
Language: Kiswahili, English
Size: 945 090 sq km
Currency: Tanzanian shilling (TSh) = 100 cents
Electricity: 230 volts AC
Tel code: +255
Time: GMT+3

Landscape

 

As well as the remarkable Lake Tanganyika, a large part of Lake Victoria, the world's second largest lake, lies within the country's borders. Also situated in the northern region is the Ngorongoro Crater, the world's second largest crater, which forms a incredible natural reserve for a large variety of flora and fauna. Also in this region is the Olduvai Gorge, a world-renown archaeological site. The nearby Serengeti Plain is renown for the dramatic annual migration of wildlife into neighbouring Kenya.

 

Mainland Tanzania consists mostly of plateaus interrupted by mountainous regions and the East African section of the Great Rift Valley. The southeastern plateau, covered by dry grassland, rises behind the narrow, coral-fringed coastal plain and is bordered in the west by the southern highlands. Between this region and the volcanic area of Kilimanjaro in the northeast is the Masai Steppe, a plateau covered by grass and thornbush. Between the eastern and western arms of the Rift Valley is a vast, dry and infertile interior plateau. In the north it descends to the more fertile Lake Victoria basin. In the south, Tanzania shares the waters of Lake Malawi with Malawi and Mozambique.

 

Off shore the islands of Pemba, Zanzibar and Mafia are renown for their attractive beaches, historical-cultural attractions and superb scuba-diving. Most of Tanzania's main towns are concentrated on the coast, although there are some important towns in the interior such as Arusha: providing access to Kilimanjaro and the Ngorongoro-Serengeti conservation area; Musoma: Lake Victoria port; and Kigoma: Lake Tanganyika port.