Background:
Shortly after independence, 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.
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between; Kenya and Mozambique
Area: Total: 945,087 sq km
Land: 886,037 sq km
Water: 59,050 sq km
Note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar
Land Boundaries Total: 3,861 km
Bordering 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
Climate Varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands
Terrain Plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south
Elevation extremes Lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m
Natural resources: Hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel
Land use: Arable land: 4.52%
Permanent crops: 1.08%
Other: 94.4% (2001)
Irrigated land: 1,550 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: Flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season;
drought
Geography - note: Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest
PEOPLE
Population: 36,766,356
Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2005 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 44% (male 8,100,216/female 8,074,171)
15-64 years: 53.4% (male 9,665,957/female 9,963,772)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 418,080/female 544,160) (2005 est.)
Median age: total: 17.62 years
male: 17.36 years
female: 17.89 years (2005 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.83% (2005 est.)
Birth rate: 38.16 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Death rate: 16.71 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
< 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 98.54 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 107.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 88.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 45.24 years
male: 44.56 years
female: 45.94 years (2005 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.06 children born/woman (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 8.8% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.6 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 160,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
Degree of risk: very high
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria, Rift Valley fever and plague are high risks in some locations
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)
Ethnic groups:
Mainland - native African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, native African, mixed Arab and native African
Religions: Mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim
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, and it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili), English, or Arabic
total population: 78.2%
male: 85.9%
female: 70.7% (2003 est.)
GOVERNMENT
Government type: Republic
Capital: Dar es Salaam; note - legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meets there on regular basis
Independence: 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
ECONOMY
Economy - overview: Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for almost half 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 International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's out-of-date economic infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. Growth in 1991-2002 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 6% in 2004.
Labor force: 19 million (2004 est.)
Agriculture 80%, Industry and services 20% (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line: 36% (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products: Coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries: Agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine), diamond, gold and iron mining, soda ash, oil refining, shoes, cement, apparel, wood products, fertilizer, salt
Exports - commodities: Gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton
Economic aid - recipient: $1.2 billion (2001)
Currency (code): Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
Exchange rates: Tanzanian shillings per US dollar - 1,089.33 (2004), 1,038.42 (2003), 966.58 (2002), 876.41 (2001), 800.41 (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use: 149,100 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 891,200 (2003)
Internet users: 250,000 (2003)
TRANSPORTATION
Railways: total: 3,690 km
narrow gauge: 969 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)
Highways: total: 88,200 km
paved: 3,704 km
unpaved: 84,496 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal
avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not
navigable (2004)
Pipelines: Gas 29 km; oil 866 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, Zanzibar City
Merchant marine: Total: 11 ships
By type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 4
Registered in other countries: 1 (2005)
Airports: 123 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: Total: 11
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 112
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
914 to 1,523 m: 60
under 914 m: 33 (2004 est.)
Disputes - international: 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): 447,877 (Burundi)
153,155 (DROC)
3,036 (Somalia) (2004)
Illicit drugs: Growing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African, European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for southern Africa; money laundering remains a problem
