Tanzania at a Glance... Land and Climate: Tanzania is a nation of East Africa and shares borders with Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia. The country's geography is a study in extremes with Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest point in Africa, bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent. The climate ranges from tropical along the coasts to temperate in the highlands with the snow topped peaks towering over everything.

History: Anthropologists believe that the history of mankind started in the area that now includes Tanzania. Over the years, in addition to indigenous African peoples, the coastal area has been inhabited by Persian and Arab traders and Portuguese who followed the fifteenth century explorer Vasco da Gama. British explorers arrived in the mid 19th century, including Stanley and Livingstone, from whose famous meeting on Lake Tanganyika arose the phrase, "Dr. Livingston, I presume." The Germans and British colonized the area through the mid-20th century. Led by Julius Nyerere, Tanganyika gained independence in 1961 and Zanzibar in 1963. The following year Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined and were soon renamed the United Republic of Tanzania. Tanzania has a National Assembly, known as the Bunge, which contains 274 seats. Of those, 232 are elected by popular vote, and interestingly, 37 are allocated to women nominated by the president. Zanzibar is semi-autonomous and has its own House of Representatives of 50 seats, all of which are directly elected by universal suffrage.

Historically, Tanzania was a commercial center for the slave, spice and ivory trades. Today, Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world with much of its economy depending on agriculture, with some fishing and mining. The economy has been destabilized by oil shocks, the collapse of commodity prices, drought, breakup of the East African Community and the Uganda war. However, over the past few years there has been economic growth due to donor support and solid macroeconomic policies, which can be expected to continue.

Culture: Tanzanian culture is a delightful mix of influences. Tanzanian music and dance dominate much of East Africa. Their rhythm-intensive music is well known for hard-hitting lyrics, and a vibrant dance-band scene keeps the country's Swahili-based sounds active and popular. On the island of Zanzibar, the traditional Swahili sung poetry, "Taarab", is also very popular. There are one hundred and twenty different tribes in Tanzania, each with their own artistic skills. For example the Makonde are famous for ebony carvings of masks, and the Masai are known for the artistic designs on their shields. Carvings on the doors of the old stone houses in Zanzibar reflect the country's Arab heritage.

Education: Education in Tanzania is bilingual, with children required to learn both Kiswahili and English. Education is compulsory between the ages of 7-13, but as of 1995 a quarter of the population was illiterate. Tanzania has over 25 tertiary institutions, the most prominent of which is the University of Dar es Salaam, which enrolls about 7,000 students. Since 1995, the government has undertaken a major reform of the education system, to improve quality of education, provide equity in access to education, and increase access and expansion of facilities and financial base. Progress has been made toward these goals, and as the number and quality of schools increase, more of the population will be educated and better able to lead Tanzania into the future.

Things to Do: Famous for its many natural wonders, Tanzania is the site of the "Great Migration" where two million animals charge across the Serengeti National Park twice a year to the awe of any fortunate on-lookers. As they migrate, herds of wildebeest, gazelle and zebra are followed closely by predators such as cheetahs and hyenas. Other natural wonders include Arusha National Park, the Tanzania Great Rift Valley, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Olduvai Gorge World Heritage Site. Mt. Kilimanjaro is the only mountain of its size that can be climbed by amateurs. Also popular are safaris, hot-air balloons across the Serengeti, swimming with dolphins in Zanzibar and snorkeling and scuba diving in Pemba and the Mafia islands.

Zanzibar was once the commercial center of East Africa and some of that heritage can still be seen in the Islamic ruins and Arabic houses. The cultural center of Zanzibar is Stone Town, which has remained largely untouched over the past 200 years. Also not to be missed are the spice islands of Zanzibar - Unguja and Pemba. The aromatic spice plantations on these islands grow cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, cardamom and others on a large scale.

Food in Tanzania is a blend of the different cultures that make up the country's heritage. A cornmeal-based porridge known as ugali is one of the staple foods of Tanzania along with rice and chapattis, and a number soups and stews. Bananas and coconut milk are two common foods that go into a number of recipes, and seafood is plentiful near the coast and lakes. Tea is a common drink as well as the national beer, Safari Lager. Be careful with the local liquor, a white rum concoction known as konyagi.

Those who venture to visit or live in Tanzania discover its panorama of natural wonders and indigenous culture and can delight in the beauty of its scenery and people.

ONLINE RESOURCES
Tanzania National Website: http://www.tanzania.go.tz
Lonely Planet: http://www.lonelyplanet.com
StudyAbroad.com: http://Tanzania.StudyAbroad.com
World InfoZone: http://www.worldinfozone.com
CIA Factbook: https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tz.html

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