The United Republic of Tanzania is located in Eastern Africa. It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the North, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the West and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the South. The country’s eastern border lies in the Indian Ocean which has a coastline of 1,424 km.

Geography

Zanzibar is a part of the United Republic of Tanzania and consists of two main islands of Unguja and Pemba and a number of small islands. The Islands are located 40 km off the mainland coast of East Africa in the Indian Ocean. The two main islands are 40 kilometers apart, separated by 700 meters deep Pemba Channel.

 Area and Population

Map of Tanzania

Tanzania has a total area of 945,087 sq.km including 61,000 sq. km of inland water. The total surface area of Zanzibar is 2,654 sq.km. Unguja, the larger of the two islands has an area of 1,666 sq.km, while Pemba has an area of 988 sq.km.

Tanzania population is now estimated at 44.8 Million with an annual population growth rate of 3%.

Climate

Tanzania has a tropical type of climate and is divided into four main climatic zones notably: the hot humid coastal plain; the semi-arid zone of the central plateau; the high-moist lake regions; and the temperate highland areas. In the highlands, temperatures range between 10ºc and 20ºc during cold and hot seasons respectively. The rest of the country has temperatures usually not falling lower than 20ºc. The hottest period spreads between November and February (25ºc – 31ºc) whereas the coldest period is often between May and August (15ºc – 20ºc).

The climate of the islands of Zanzibar is tropical and humid. Average maximum temperature is about 30۫۫۫۫ºC recorded during the hot season November to March, while average minimum temperature is 21ºC, recorded during the cool season of June to October. Humidity rate is high ranging from 50’s to 80’s and slightly higher in Pemba than Unguja.

The Capital City

The capital City of Tanzania is Dodoma where the National Parliament (BUNGE) has its main offices and there it holds its regular sessions. The Executive Branch, with all Ministries, and Diplomatic Missions are in Dar es Salaam, which is the largest commercial city in the country. Other big urban centres include Arusha, Moshi, Tanga, Mwanza, Morogoro, Mbeya, Iringa, Tabora, Kigoma, Shinyanga and Zanzibar.

Administrative Regions and Districts

The Government of the United Republic of Tanzania is composed of 26 administrative regions; 21 regions on the mainland and 5 in Zanzibar. Tanzania’s regions are Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida, Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North and Zanzibar Urban/West.

Tanzania also has 98 districts each with at least one council created to increase local authority. Currently there are 114 councils operating in 99 districts; 22 are urban 92 are rural.

Culture

Tanzania has been described as one of the most diverse countries in Africa and this is reflected in the fact that there are more than 120 local languages spoken in the country. Swahili is the national language that is widely spoken while English is the official language of education; administration and business.

Local people are native African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 120 tribes) and the remaining 1% consisting of Asians, Europeans, and Arabs.

Most of the population belongs to Christianity and Muslim religions though there is a small number of Hindus and atheists.

Generally, Tanzania culture is a product of African, Arab, European and Indian influences. Traditional African values are being consciously adapted to modern life, although at a much slower pace among the Maasai.

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