Tanzania – country information

Country name	Tanzania
Official name	United Republic of Tanzania
Capital	At home
Continent	Africa
Area	945,087 km2
Population	44,928,923 (2012)
Foundation of a state	26/04/1964
The highest mountains	Uhuru 5895 m (Kilimanjaro)
Longest rivers	Rufiji 1400 km
The largest lakes	Ukerewe (Victoria) 68,800 km 2
State system	transition to a multi-party system; presidential type republic
The biggest cities	Dar es-Salaam (capital) 1,725,000, Mwanza 320,000, Tabora 280,000, Mbeya 240,000, Tanga 230,000, Zanzibar 190,000, Dodoma (seat of the legislature) 150,000
Official language	Swahili, English
Ethnicity/National Composition	language groups Nyamwezi and Sukuma 22%, Swahili 9%, Hehet and Bena 7%, Makonde 5.8%, Haya 5.7%, others 50.5%
Religious affiliation	Christians 35%, Muslims 34%, traditional and other religions 31%
Currency	1 Tanzanian shilling (T Sh) = 100 cents
gross domestic product (GDP)	US$1,627 (2012)
Average life expectancy of the population	45.64 years (2006)

Tanzania – Neighboring States

State	Capital	Area	Population
Burundi	Bujumbura	27,834 km2	10,163,000
Democratic Republic of the Congo	Kinshasa	2,344,860 km2	67,514,000
Kenya	Nairobi	580,367 km2	44,354,000
Malawi	Lilongwe	118,484 km2	16,363,000
Mozambique	Maputo	801,590 km2	23,700,715
Rwanda	Kigali	26,338 km2	10,537,222
Uganda	Kampala	241,038 km2	35,357,000
Zambia	Lusaka	752,618 km2	14,580,290

Country overview

According to Abbreviationfinder, Tanzania, which lies in East Africa on the coast of the Indian Ocean, was formed in 1964 by the merger of mainland Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which form the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba.

Country data

Location: East Africa

Time zone: CET + 2 (during summer time: CET + 1)

Total area: 947,300 km²

Land area: 885,800 km²

Water area: 61,500 km²

Length of the state border: 3,861 km

Bordering countries:
Burundi: 451 km
Kenya: 769 km
Congo, Democratic Republic: 459 km
Malawi: 475 km
Mozambique: 756 km
Rwanda: 217 km
Zambia: 338 km
Uganda: 396 km

Coastline: 1,424 km

Capital: Dar es Salaam

Regions: 30
Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Geita, Iringa, Kagera, Kaskazini Pemba, Kaskazini Unguja, Katavi, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Kusini Pemba, Kusini Unguja, Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Mjini Magharibi, Morogoro, Mwanza, Njombe, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Singida, Tabora, Tanga

Telephone code: 00 255 (Source: Allcitycodes)

Highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m

Population

Population: approx. 50 million residents (Countryaah, 2021)

Population growth: 2.8% per year

Population density (residents per km²): 53

Life expectancy: 60 (male), 63 (female)

Official language: Swahili, English

Religions:

• 35% Muslim
• 30% Christians
• 35% other

Climate

There are 4 different climatic regions in Tanzania:

Coastal area (Indian Ocean):

• very high humidity (over 70% on average)
• average daily temperature around 28 ° C
• the hottest months are from October to February
• Rainy season from March to May

Central plateau:

• strong temperature fluctuations every day
• during the day it is often very hot
• it can get very chilly at night

Edge plateau (between coastal plain and central plateau)

• temperate climate
• pleasant temperatures (around 22 ° C)
• only from October to November is it hot

Lake areas:

• there are very often heavier rains here
• there is permanently higher humidity

Currency / finance

Currency unit: Tanzanian Shilling (TZS)

Classification: 1 Schilling = 100 Senti / Cent

ATMs: are only available in larger cities.

International credit cards: These are only accepted in a few shops in the big cities.

Regulations: The import and export of the local currency is not permitted. There is no limit to the amount of foreign currencies that can be imported. The export is limited to the declared import.

We recommend using the US dollar as the foreign currency. However, only recent banknotes should be carried.

Outside of the big cities there are hardly any opportunities to change money.

Since it is seldom possible to exchange the local currency back, you should only exchange the amounts that you actually need!

Customs regulations

The following may be carried duty-free:

• 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 250 g of tobacco
• 1 liter of alcoholic beverages
• small amounts of perfume

(Information applies to people aged 18 and over)

Tourists and people in transit can bring items of personal use with them duty-free.

In order to ensure the export of valuable goods, the customs authorities can request the deposit of a guarantee upon entry.

Travel advice

Particular caution is advised when visiting religious sites and tourist attractions, as terrorist attacks cannot be ruled out.

Behavioral advice

You should avoid staying in isolated areas or in crowds, as violent crime is high.

There is a particularly great danger in the border regions in the north and west of the country, as there are many refugees from neighboring countries.

Economy

Due to the aggressive mining in the last decades, the deposits of diamonds have been exhausted. With this, Tanzania has lost a previously important source of income.

With the export of agricultural products (bananas, cotton, spices, coffee, coconuts, corn, cassava, tea, sugar cane) one tries to earn foreign exchange.

Industries: mining, wood processing, agriculture, textile manufacturing

Natural resources: diamonds, precious stones, iron ores, natural gas, gold, coal, nickel, phosphates, hydropower, tin

Land use:

• Usable land: 3%
• Grain cultivation: 1%
• Pasture area: 40%
• Forests: 38%
• other: 18%

Plants

There are many swamps and wetlands in the coastal areas. These go over to the interior in grasslands and long savannas.

The large forest areas are in the higher regions.

Animals

Most of the animal species that are native to the African continent are represented in Tanzania. These include, for example: monkeys, antelopes, buffalo, elephants, hippos, giraffes, lions, rhinos, ostriches and zebras.

Several national parks and protected areas have been created to protect the animals and to arouse tourist interest.