Tanzania - Geography and people

Geography

Official Name: United Republic of Tanzania
Area: 945,000 sq. km including Zanzibar. Excluding Zanzibar total mainland is 881,000 sq. km
Capital Cities: Dodoma (pop. 1 million) is the country’s political capital whilst Dar es Salaam (pop. 1.5 million) is the commercial capital.
Other Mainland Cities: Mwanza (pop. 2.2 million); Tanga (pop. 1.5 million); Mbeya (pop. 1.8 million) and Arusha (pop. 1.6 million) - excluding Zanzibar and Pemba.
Major Lakes: Victoria (35,000 sq. km); Tanganyika (13,000 sq. km); Nyasa (6.000 sq. km); Rukwa (3,000 sq. km) and Eyasi (1,000 sq. km).
Terrain: Extremely variable from the heights of Mount Kilimanjaro (height of 5,895 m) to the flat plains of the central plateau.
Climate: Tropical climate with slight variations depending on altitude.

People

Nationality: Tanzanian (s) – Noun & Adjective
Population (2002): Estimated at 33 million (almost 50% under 15 years of age)
Government: Republic
Ethnic Groups: Over 95% of Bantu origin whilst the remaining 5% includes Asian, European and Arabic.
Religions: Traditional beliefs account for 30% whilst Islam and Christianity equally split the remaining 70%.
Languages: Kiswahili, English.
Education: Adult literacy rate roughly 70%.
Life Expectancy: Male - 47 years old; Female – 50 years old.
Infant Mortality Rate: 80/1,000 live births.

There are over one hundred individual native African tribes in Tanzania, each with their own customs and language. The largest tribal group is that of the Sukuma (less than 10% of the overall population) followed by the Maasai, Haya, Gogo, Nyamwezi and Chagga. Tanzania has also become a haven for refugees from other neighbouring countries including Rwanda and the Republic of Congo (formerly known as Zaire).

Kiswahili (or Swahili) is taught at all elementary schools whereas English is the second official language and is taught in all secondary schools. Language in Tanzania is also seen as an indicator of social class, with English being the main commercial and political language.

The majority of the population live in or around urban centres. Roughly 50% of the total population lives below the poverty line. The labour force consists of around 12 million people, the majority of whom are subsistence farmers.