Tanzania

Location

• Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique
• Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa and one of only three mountain ranges on the continent that has glaciers (the others are Mount Kenya in Kenya and the Ruwenzori Mountains on the Uganda-Democratic Republic of the Congo border); Tanzania is 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 (Lake Malawi) in the southwest

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Dar es Salaam	5,383,728
Mwanza	1,104,521
Dodoma	765,179	Capital
Zanzibar	709,809
Arusha	617,631
Mbeya	541,603
Morogoro	471,409
Kahama	453,654
Tanga	393,429
Geita	318,006

Size

• 364,898 square miles
• 945,087 square kilometers
• more than six times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than twice the size of California

History

Tanzania contains some of Africa’s most iconic national parks and famous paleoanthropological sites, and its diverse cultural heritage reflects the multiple ethnolinguistic groups that live in the country. Its long history of integration into trade networks spanning the Indian Ocean and the African interior led to the development of Swahili as a common language in much of east Africa and the introduction of Islam into the region. A number of independent coastal and island trading posts in what is now Tanzania came under Portuguese control after 1498 when they began to take control of much of the coast and Indian Ocean trade. By 1700, the Sultanate of Oman had become the dominant power in the region after ousting the Portuguese, who were also facing a series of local uprisings. During the next hundred years, Zanzibar -- an archipelago off the coast that is now part of Tanzania -- became a hub of Indian Ocean trade, with Arab and Indian traders establishing and consolidating trade routes with communities in mainland Tanzania that contributed to the expansion of the slave trade. Zanzibar briefly became the capital of the Sultanate of Oman before it split into separate Omani and Zanzibar Sultanates in 1856. Beginning in the mid-1800s, European explorers, traders, and Christian missionaries became more active in the region. The Germans eventually established control over mainland Tanzania -- which they called Tanganyika -- and the British established control over Zanzibar. Tanganyika came under British administration after the German defeat in World War I. Tanganyika gained independence from Great Britain in 1961, and Zanzibar followed in 1963 as a constitutional monarchy. In Tanganyika, Julius NYERERE, a charismatic and idealistic socialist, established a one-party political system that centralized power and encouraged national self-reliance and rural development. In 1964, a popular uprising overthrew the Sultan in Zanzibar and either killed or expelled many of the Arabs and Indians who had dominated the isles for more than 200 years. Later that year, Tanganyika and Zanzibar combined to form the United Republic of Tanzania, but Zanzibar retained considerable autonomy. Their two ruling parties combined to form the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party in 1977, which has since won every presidential election. Tanzania held its first multi-party elections in 1995, but CCM candidates have continued to dominate politics. The ruling party has claimed victory in four contentious elections since 1995, despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities. In 2001, 35 people died in Zanzibar when soldiers fired on protestors. John MAGUFULI won the 2015 and 2020 presidential elections, and the CCM won over two-thirds of the seats in Parliament in both elections. MAGUFULI died in 2021 while in office and was succeeded by his vice president, Samia Suluhu HASSAN.

Climate

varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Terrain

plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south

Languages

Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic, many local languagesmajor-language sample(s): The World Factbook, Chanzo cha Lazima Kuhusu Habari ya Msingi. (Kiswahili)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Christian 63.1%, Muslim 34.1%, folk religion 1.1%, Buddhist <1%, Hindu <1%, Jewish <1%, other <1%, unspecified 1.6% (2020 est.)note: Zanzibar is almost entirely Muslim

Government

presidential republic

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest adopted 25 April 1977amendment process: proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments to constitutional articles including those on sovereignty of the United Republic, the authorities and powers of the government, the president, the Assembly, and the High Court requires two-thirds majority vote of the mainland Assembly membership and of the Zanzibar House of Representatives membership; House of Representatives approval of other amendments is not required
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021)head of government: President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of the National Assemblyelection/appointment process: president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the presidentmost recent election date: 28 October 2020election results: 2020: John MAGUFULI reelected president; percent of vote - John MAGUFULI (CCM) 84.4%, Tundu LISSU (CHADEMA) 13%, other 2.6%2015: John MAGUFULI elected president; percent of vote - John MAGUFULI (CCM) 58.5%, Edward LOWASSA (CHADEMA) 40%, other 1.5%expected date of next election: October 2025note 1: Zanzibar elects a president as head of government for internal matters; election held on 28 October 2020; Hussein MWINYI (CCM) 76.3%, Maalim Seif SHARIF (ACT-Wazalendo) 19.9%, other 3.8%note 2: the president is both chief of state and head of governmentnote 3: after the death of President John MAGUFULI in March 2021, Vice President Samia Suluhu HASSAN assumed the presidency
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Court of Appeal of the United Republic of Tanzania (consists of the chief justice and 14 justices); High Court of the United Republic for Mainland Tanzania (consists of the principal judge and 30 judges organized into commercial, land, and labor courts); High Court of Zanzibar (consists of the chief justice and 10 justices)judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and High Court justices appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission for Tanzania, a judicial body of high-level judges and 2 members appointed by the national president; Court of Appeal and High Court judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 60, but terms can be extended; High Court of Zanzibar judges appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Commission of Zanzibar; judges can serve until mandatory retirement at age 65subordinate courts: Resident Magistrates Courts; Kadhi courts (for Islamic family matters); district and primary courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: National Assembly (Bunge)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 393 (264 directly elected; 118 indirectly elected; 10 appointed)electoral system: plurality/majorityscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 10/28/2020parties elected and seats per party: Revolutionary Party of Tanzania (CCM) (350); Chadema (Party for Democracy and Development) (20); Other (7)percentage of women in chamber: 37.8%expected date of next election: October 2025

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• emerging lower middle-income East African economy; resource-rich and growing tourism; strong post-pandemic recovery from hospitality, electricity, mining, and transit sectors; declining poverty; stable inflation; gender-based violence economic and labor force disruptions
• Budget: revenues: $11.716 billion (2024 est.)expenditures: $13.583 billion (2024 est.)note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones (including tanzanite, found only in Tanzania), gold, natural gas, nickel
• Industries: agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine); mining (diamonds, gold, and iron), salt, soda ash; cement, oil refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer
• Agricultural Products: maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas, milk, sugarcane, rice, vegetables, beans, sunflower seeds (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 44.6% (2022 est.)arable land: 15.2% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 2.3% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 27.1% (2022 est.)forest: 50.6% (2022 est.)other: 4.8% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: refined petroleum, plastics, garments, fertilizers, wheat (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: China 32%, India 13%, UAE 9%, Saudi Arabia 5%, Japan 4% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: gold, refined petroleum, dried legumes, refined copper, coal (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: India 15%, UAE 14%, Uganda 12%, South Africa 10%, China 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports