Information About Tanzania

History of Tanzania

Tanzania emerged after Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to form one country. Tanganyika is made of two Swahili words: tanga (sail) and nyika (the uninhabited plain) while Zanzibar derived from zangi (black) and bar (the coast). Southern Cushitic speakers moved into Tanzania from Ethiopia 4000 years ago followed by the eastern Cushitic from north of lake Turkana 2000 years ago and they started the mining and making iron and steel equipment. In 1840, the Portuguese explorers were ousted by Omani Sultan Seyyid Said in Zanzibar which became the center of slave trade. In 19th century, imperial Germany invaded Tanzania and incorporated it into the German East Africa and later the League of Nations charter declared it to be a British mandate. In 1962, British rule ended and Tanganyika became a democratic republic and in April 1964, the two states merged to form the united republic of Tanzania with Julius Nyerere the first president. One-party rule was used in Tanzania until 1995 when the first democratic elections were held. From 1970 to 1975, Tanzania corporate with china and financed the construction of the Tazara railway from Tanzania to Zambia and in 1992, the Tanzanian constitution was amended allowing the formation of multiple political parties.

Geography of Tanzania

Tanzania is bordered by Mozambique, Zambia and Malawi in the south; Kenya and Uganda to the north; Democratic Republic of Congo borders Tanzania in the west, Indian Ocean lies to the east. The country is ranked the 13th biggest country in Africa and 31^st largest country in the world occupying a space of 947,303 square kilometers. The terrain of the country comprises plains along coast, central plateau, highlands in north, coastline of about 800 kilometers in the south and has several islands such as Pemba, Zanzibar and Unguja. The country is also mountainous and forested and has great lakes such as Lake Victoria(Africa's largest lake), Lake Tanganyika which is the second deepest lake in the continent and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi). More than half of the country is covered by savannas and the rest of the areas are semi-arid. The highest point in Tanzania is Mount Kilimanjaro at 5895 meters above the sea level. The lowest point of the country is Lake Tanganyika at 352 meters below the sea level. Some of the large rivers within Tanzania include river Rufiji, river Ruvuma, Songwe, River Mara and Simiyu rivers.

Climate of Tanzania

The climate in Tanzania ranges from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands where in the highland the climate ranges from 10oc to 20oc during the hot and cold seasons. The coast is usually hot and humid while the highlands are cool and the country experiences both the short and long rain seasons. Throughout the year, the plateau tends to be dry resulting to a dry season in the central regions of Tanzania. The country has the hottest temperatures from November to February and the coldest temperatures from May to August.

Natural Resources in Tanzania

Tanzania has a variety of natural resources ranging from lakes, Indian Ocean and forests to the rivers and natural minerals such as tin, phosphates, gemstones and coal. Other precious minerals such as nickel, diamond; iron ores, hydro power and natural gas are also in Tanzania. The natural resources are used for fishing, mining, crop farming, fertile lands for the wildlife conservation, forestry as the source of timber and the natural gas used as energy.

Tourist Attraction in Tanzania

Famous and important places which act as the destination of many tourists from all over the world includes the attractive site of the Serengeti and Tarangire national parks, the beauty of the Ngorongoro conservation sites and the cool Pemba and Mafia islands are also found within the country's territory. The top five largest cities in Tanzania include:

• Dar es salaam
• Mwanza
• Arusha
• Dodoma
• Mbeya

You should not forget to pay a visit to the majestic snow-capped Africa's highest mountain, Mount Kilimanjaro and the Zanzibar beaches and the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. Other special attraction such as the Ngorongoro volcanic craters and the large archaeological site, the Olduvai Gorge which revealed the ancient skull and the bone of human evolving and even watch the beautiful color of Lake Magadi which is flocked by the flamingos. The historic stone of Zanzibar, which has undergone minimal changes for the last 200 years, the peace memorial museum, and the old fort of Zanzibar and the house of wonders, will make your day.

Famous Hotels in Tanzania

• Essque Zalu Zanzibar
• Singita Sasakwa lounge
• Hyatt regency Dar es Salaam
• Diamond stars of the east
• Ngorongoro Serena safari lodge
• Zanzibar Serena inn
• Four seasons safari lodge Serengeti

Tanzania Culture and Cuisine

The culture of Tanzania varies largely among the several communities where most of them are Bantus using more than 128 languages. Some of the popular painting includes tingatinga which is painted with enamel paints and famous sculptors like George Lilanga are part of the Tanzanian culture. Specially prepared spicy foods and coconut milk are the famous cuisine in the coastal regions of Tanzania while the typical mainland Tanzania has the special foods such as rice, grilled meat, chapatti, marinated beef and fish. Various types of vegetables consumed in Tanzania include green peas, spinach, beans, and other fried foods and snacks such as samosa, fried dough and kebab are also cooked.

International and Domestic Airports in Tanzania

• Julius Nyerere international airport
• Kilimanjaro international airport
• Dodoma airport
• Bukoba airport
• Mbenya airport
• Songwe airport
• Musoma airport
• Mwanza airport
• Kigoma airport