| Tanzania |
Introduction Geography People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Tanzania | Introduction | Top of Page

Background: | Shortly after independence, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities.

Tanzania | Geography | Top of Page

Location: | Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique

Geographic coordinates: | 6 00 S, 35 00 E

Map references: | Africa

Area: | total: 945,087 sq km land: 886,037 sq km water: 59,050 sq km note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

Area - comparative: | slightly larger than twice the size of California

Land boundaries: | total: 3,402 km border countries: Burundi 451 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km

Coastline: | 1,424 km

Maritime claims: | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: | varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Terrain: | plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south

Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m

Natural resources: | hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel

Land use: | arable land: 3% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 40% forests and woodland: 38% other: 18% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: | 1,500 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: | flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought

Environment - current issues: | soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture

Environment - international agreements: | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

Geography - note: | Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa

Tanzania | People | Top of Page

Population: | 36,232,074 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: | 0-14 years: 44.76% (male 8,152,438; female 8,063,520) 15-64 years: 52.35% (male 9,387,737; female 9,581,518) 65 years and over: 2.89% (male 473,498; female 573,363) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: | 2.61% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: | 39.65 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: | 12.95 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: | -0.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: | 79.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 51.98 years male: 51.04 years female: 52.95 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: | 5.42 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 8.09% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 1.3 million (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: | 140,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality: | noun: Tanzanian(s) adjective: Tanzanian

Ethnic groups: | mainland - native African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, native African, mixed Arab and native African

Religions: | mainland - Christian 45%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 20%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim

Languages: | Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguju (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages

Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili), English, or Arabic total population: 67.8% male: 79.4% female: 56.8% (1995 est.)

Tanzania | Government | Top of Page

Country name: | conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania conventional short form: Tanzania former: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

Government type: | republic

Capital: | Dar es Salaam; note - legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meets there on regular basis

Administrative divisions: | 25 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida, Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar Urban/West

Independence: | 26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent 19 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964

National holiday: | Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)

Constitution: | 25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

Legal system: | based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: | chief of state: President Benjamin William MKAPA (since 23 November 1995); Vice President Omar Ali JUMA (since 23 November 1995); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Benjamin William MKAPA (since 23 November 1995); Vice President Omar Ali JUMA (since 23 November 1995); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government note: Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government for matters internal to Zanzibar; Amani Abeid KARUME was elected to that office on 29 October 2000 cabinet: Cabinet ministers, including the prime minister, are appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly elections: president and vice president elected on the same ballot by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 29 October 2000 (next to be held NA October 2005); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Benjamin William MKAPA reelected president; percent of vote - Benjamin William MKAPA 71.7%, Ibrahim Haruna LIPUMBA 16.3%, Augustine Lyatonga MREME 7.8%, John Momose CHEYO 4.2%

Legislative branch: | unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats - 232 elected by popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the president, five to members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; members serve five-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has 50 seats, directly elected by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 29 October 2000 (next to be held NA October 2005) election results: National Assembly: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CCM 244, CUF 16, CHADEMA 4, TLP 3, UDP 2, Zanzibar representatives 5; Zanzibar House of Representatives: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CCM 34, CUF 16

Judicial branch: | Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court of Appeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court (consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by the president; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts; Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to the higher courts)

Political parties and leaders: | Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo or CHADEMA [Bob MAKANI, chairman]; Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM (Revolutionary Party) [Benjamin William MKAPA, chairman]; Civic United Front or CUF [Seif Sharif HAMAD, secretary-general]; Democratic Party (unregistered) [Reverend Christopher MTIKLA, leader]; National Convention for Construction and Reform or NCCR [Kassim MAGUTU, secretary-general]; Tanzania Labor Party or TLP [Augustine Lyatonga MREMA, chairman]; Union for Multiparty Democracy or UMD [leader NA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [John CHEYO, leader]

Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA

International organization participation: | ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G- 6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Mustafa Salim NYANG'ANYI chancery: 2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6125 FAX: [1] (202) 797-7408

Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Charge d'Affaires Wanda NESBITT embassy: 140 Msese Road, Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam mailing address: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam telephone: [255] (22) 666010 through 666015 FAX: [255] (22) 666701

Flag description: | divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue

Tanzania | Economy | Top of Page

Economy - overview: | Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, which accounts for half of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area. Industry is mainly limited to processing agricultural products and light consumer goods. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's deteriorated economic infrastructure. Growth in 1991-2000 featured a pick up in industrial production and a substantial increase in output of minerals, led by gold. Natural gas exploration in the Rufiji Delta looks promising and production could start by 2002. Recent banking reforms have helped increase private sector growth and investment. Continued donor support and solid macroeconomic policies should allow Tanzania to achieve real GDP growth of 6% in 2001 and in 2002.

GDP: | purchasing power parity - $25.1 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: | 5.2% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $710 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 49% industry: 17% services: 34% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line: | 51.1% (1991 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 30.2% (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): | 6% (2000 est.)

Labor force: | 13.495 million

Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 20% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: | NA%

Budget: | revenues: $1.21 billion expenditures: $1.36 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)

Industries: | primarily agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine), diamond and gold mining, oil refining, shoes, cement, textiles, wood products, fertilizer, salt

Industrial production growth rate: | 8.4% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production: | 2.248 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 22.24% hydro: 77.76% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: | 2.134 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: | 43 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: | coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves (Zanzibar), corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats

Exports: | $937 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: | coffee, manufactured goods, cotton, cashew nuts, minerals, tobacco, sisal (1996)

Exports - partners: | India 20%, UK 10%, Germany 8%, Japan 8%, Netherlands 8%, Belgium 4% (1998)

Imports: | $1.57 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: | consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial raw materials, crude oil

Imports - partners: | South Africa 8%, Japan 8%, UK 8%, Kenya 7%, India 6%, US 5% (1998)

Debt - external: | $6.8 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: | $963 million (1997)

Currency: | Tanzanian shilling (TZS)

Currency code: | TZS

Exchange rates: | Tanzanian shillings per US dollar - 803.34 (December 2000), 800.41 (2000), 744.76 (1999), 664.67 (1998), 612.12 (1997), 579.98 (1996)

Fiscal year: | 1 July - 30 June

Tanzania | Communications | Top of Page

Telephones - main lines in use: | 127,000 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular: | 30,000 (1999)

Telephone system: | general assessment: fair system operating below capacity and being modernized for better service; VSAT (very small aperture terminal) system under construction domestic: trunk service provided by open wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being made digital international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: | AM 12, FM 11, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios: | 8.8 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: | 3 (1999)

Televisions: | 103,000 (1997)

Internet country code: | .tz

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 6 (2000)

Internet users: | 25,000 (2000)

Tanzania | Transportation | Top of Page

Railways: | total: 3,569 km (1995) narrow gauge: 2,600 km 1.000-m gauge; 969 km 1.067-m gauge note: the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia (of which 969 km are in Tanzania and 891 km are in Zambia) is not a part of Tanzania Railways Corporation; because of the difference in gauge, this system does not connect to Tanzania Railways

Highways: | total: 88,200 km paved: 3,704 km unpaved: 84,496 km (1996)

Waterways: | note: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa are principal avenues of commerce between Tanzania and its neighbors on those lakes

Pipelines: | crude oil 982 km

Ports and harbors: | Bukoba, Dar es Salaam, Kigoma, Kilwa Masoko, Lindi, Mtwara, Mwanza, Pangani, Tanga, Wete, Zanzibar

Merchant marine: | total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 21,987 GRT/27,121 DWT ships by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: | 126 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: | total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 115 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 63 under 914 m: 35 (2000 est.)

Tanzania | Military | Top of Page

Military branches: | Tanzanian People's Defense Force or TPDF (includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary Police Field Force Unit, Militia

Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 8,365,337 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 4,841,095 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $21 million (FY98/99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 0.2% (FY98/99)

Tanzania | Transnational Issues | Top of Page

Disputes - international: | dispute with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi); a resurvey of the latitudinal boundary with Uganda in 2000 revealed a 300-meter discrepancy that both sides are currently adjudicating

Illicit drugs: | growing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African, European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for Southern Africa