+255 is the dialing code for Tanzania.
Tanzania is a union between the former Tanganyika on the east coast of Africa and the Zanzibar archipelago. In the mainland is Africa’s highest mountain Kilimanjaro and well-known national parks such as Serengeti. Politically, Tanzania has become more troubled since 2015 when authoritarian President John Magufuli won government power. Despite mining and tourism, small-scale agriculture is the foundation of the poor country’s economy.
- Abbreviationfinder: Brief profiles of Tanzania, including geography, history, politics, economics as well as common acronyms about this country.
Geography and climate
Tanzania is located on the east coast of Africa, just south of the equator. The country is more than twice the size of Sweden and borders eight countries. The climate shifts from the tropical monsoon climate of the coast and the islands to the dry and warm inland.
Tanzania is a union between a mainland part (formerly Tanganyika) and the Zanzibar archipelago of the Indian Ocean. Tanzania also includes the islands of Pemba, which is part of Zanzibar, and the Mafia.
The mainland is dominated by a plateau landscape with extensive steppes. Here are Africa’s highest and lowest points: Mount Kilimanjaro, whose summit rises almost 6,000 meters above sea level, and Lake Tanganyika, whose bottom is 385 meters below sea level.
The central plateau is bounded to the east and west by fault cracks associated with the huge Great Rift Valley tomb, which runs from north to south throughout East Africa. The long narrow lakes Tanganyika Lake and Lake Malawi form a large part of the western and deepest fault crack.
Along the Indian Ocean runs a coastal plain with beautiful sandy beaches and coral reefs. Mangrove swamps are often found around the larger estuaries. In southern and western Tanzania there are larger forest areas, covering almost a third of the country’s area. On the slopes around the Uluguru, Nguru and Usambara mountain ranges to the east are small but important areas of tropical rainforest.
Country Facts
Geography
| Cultivated land | 43.7 % |
| Land area | 947300 km 2 |
Population and health
| Population development | 2.79 ‰ |
| Urban population (Urbanization) | 31.6 % |
| Death rate | 8 per 1000 residents |
| Life expectancy: Women | 63.13 years |
| Life expectancy: Men | 60.34 years |
| Birth rate | 36.39 births per 1000 residents |
| HDI index | 0.521 |
| Population | 51045882 |
| Infant mortality | 42.43 deaths / 1000 births |
Population Graph Source: Countryaah.com
Energy
| Electricity, production | 5532 million kWh |
| Energy consumption per resident | 455.6 kg. oil per resident |
| Natural gas, production | 995 million cubic meters |
| Crude oil, production | million tons |
Infrastructure
| Internet users | 15.0 per 100 residents |
| Mobile subscriptions | 64 per 100 residents |
| Passenger cars | 7 per 1000 residents |
Business and economics
| Unemployment | % of the workforce |
| GDP | 2900 per resident |
| Primary occupations | 80 % |
| Secondary profession | 10 % |
| Tertiary professions | 10 % |
Wildlife is rich and largely untouched. In national parks such as Serengeti live lions, elephants, buffalo, leopards, rhinos, giraffes with several species. Huge herds of wildebeest and zebras roam the savannah.
In most parts of Tanzania, the rainy season falls between December and May, but in some areas there are two shorter rainy periods, October – November and April – May.
It rains less than is normal around the equator, although the amount of rain can vary greatly year on year. Reduced rainfall has helped the glacier at Kilimanjaros peak shrink by 85 percent in a century.
FACTS – GEOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE
Surface
945 090 km2 (2018)
Time
Swedish +2 hours
Adjacent country (s)
Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Congo-Kinshasa, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique
Capital with number of residents
Dodoma 262,000 (official capital, seat of parliament), Dar es Salaam 6,000,000 (with suburbs, actual capital, seat of government)
Other major cities
Mwanza, Zanzibar, Mbeya, Arusha
Highest mountain
Kilimanjaro (5,895 m asl)
Important rivers
Rufiji-Ruaha
Largest lake
Lake Victoria
Average Precipitation / year
Dodoma 572 mm
Average / day
Dodoma 24 °C (Jan), 19 °C (July)
2014
December
Success for the opposition in local elections
Opposition parties are gaining ground in local elections, especially in cities.
Fraud fraud at a high political level
Parliament dismisses two ministers and three high ranking officials, including a state prosecutor, on suspicion of involvement in a major fraud scam; Over $ 120 million has been unduly paid to a private energy company. The money is suspected to have been in the pockets of the accused. The EU is suspending its budget assistance to Tanzania because of the scandal.
October
Seven are burned to death for witchcraft
Twenty-three people are arrested on suspicion of having killed seven villagers in the Kigoma region. The seven were burned to death because of alleged witchcraft. About 500 people are killed each year in Tanzania, accused of being witches, according to estimates by a human rights group.
The opposition must have a joint presidential candidate
The four opposition parties Chadema, CUF, NLD and NCCR enter into an agreement to stand with a joint presidential candidate and a joint candidate for the post of Vice President in the October 2015 presidential election.
Referendum on the Constitution in April 2015
The government announces that a referendum on a new constitution will be held in April 2015. The opposition protests that its demand for a strengthened federal system with limited presidential power is not included in the proposal to which the referendum applies.
Thousands of refugees are granted citizenship
More than 162,000 Burundian refugees are granted Tanzanian citizenship after decades of exile. Another 40,000 Burundian refugees will be granted citizenship later.
July
Restaurant is subject to attacks
Eight people are injured when an explosive charge is thrown at a restaurant in Arusha. The restaurant is popular with foreign tourists and well-to-do Tanzanians.
June
“Road construction through Serengeti illegal”
The East African Court (East African Court of Justice) states that the government’s plans to build a road through the Serengeti National Park are in violation of the law. Over a million wild animals migrate through the nature reserve annually. A number of environmental organizations welcome the decision.
Bomb attack in mosque
A Muslim religious leader loses his life and seven people are injured in a bomb attack near a mosque in Stone Town, Zanzibar. The attack is linked to a power struggle between Muslim groups.
January
Two ministers are dismissed
Police and military are accused of serious crimes committed during raids against poachers, several of whom have been killed. The scandal leads to the dismissal of the Minister of Defense and the Minister of the Interior.