Tanzania

Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa in the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda, Kenya, the Indian Ocean, Mozambique, Malawi, Zambia, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. About 67.5 million people live there, making it the most populous country completely south of the equator.

Important hominid fossils found in Tanzania show early human history. The country has many ethnic groups and languages, with over 120 groups and more than 100 languages spoken. The main language in government and schools is Swahili, while English is used in business and higher education. Arabic is common in the Zanzibar area.

Tanzania is famous for its beautiful landscapes, including Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest mountain. The country has three of the African Great Lakes: Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Malawi. Many tourists visit Tanzania for safaris and to explore its natural wonders. It belongs to groups such as the United Nations, the African Union, and the East African Community.

Etymology

The name "Tanzania" comes from joining parts of the names of two places that joined together: Tanganyika and Zanzibar. A newspaper held a contest to choose a new name, and Mohammed Iqbal Dar won. He made the name by taking “Tan” from Tanganyika and “zan” from Zanzibar, adding “i” from his own name, and then adding “a”.

The name Tanganyika comes from Swahili words meaning “sail” and “wilderness”.

The name Zanzibar comes from the name of a local group of people called the Zanj, and an Arabic word meaning “coast” or “shore”.

History

Main articles: History of Tanzania and History of Zanzibar

Ancient

Tanzania is one of the oldest places where people have lived for a very long time. The Olduvai Gorge, in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, is a special place with old tools that show how people lived long ago.

The first people to live in eastern Africa were small groups of hunters and gatherers called the Hadza and Sandawe of Tanzania.^{: page 17} 

Later, people from places like Ethiopia and Somalia moved into Tanzania. These people are the ancestors of groups like the Iraqw, Gorowa, and Burunge.^{: page 17} 

Archaeologists have found proof that people moved into Tanzania from places near the border of South Sudan and Ethiopia between 2,900 and 2,400 years ago.^{: page 18} 

Around the same time, people from West Africa called the Mashariki (Eastern) Bantu came to areas around Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika. They brought farming ways and grew yams. They moved across Tanzania between 2,300 and 1,700 years ago.

More people came from South Sudan about 500 to 1,500 years ago, like the Maasai.

People in Tanzania were good at making iron and steel. The Pare people made iron for others, and the Haya people made a special kind of furnace to create strong steel over 1,500 years ago.

People from places like the Persian Gulf and India visited the east coast of Africa a long time ago. Some people on the Swahili Coast followed Islam as early as the eighth or ninth century.

Medieval

People built farms and trade places along the Tanzanian coast from the very beginning of the first thousand years. At a place called Fukuchani on Zanzibar, scientists found proof of a village that farmed and fished from at least the sixth century. They found things like building pieces, shell beads, and iron pieces. There is also proof that they traded with faraway places, though most of their things came from nearby areas.

Trade became very important, and by the end of the tenth century, Zanzibar was a big trading town.

More ships from Egypt and Persia started trading in the Indian Ocean. This helped Swahili farmers build bigger villages to take part in the trade. These villages grew into early Swahili city-states. Gold from places like Mapungubwe and Zimbabwe in South Africa made Kilwa in Tanzania very rich. Kilwa traded with places far away and was very powerful until the Portuguese came in the late 15th century.

Colonial

Main articles: German East Africa and Tanganyika Territory

An leader from Oman named Said bin Sultan moved his capital to Zanzibar City in 1840. During this time, Zanzibar was a place where people were treated very badly.

In 1885, Germany took control of the land that is now Tanzania (except Zanzibar) and called it German East Africa.

After World War I, the land that was German East Africa was given to Britain. It was called Tanganyika. The British ruled using a system where local leaders helped govern.

During World War II, about 100,000 people from Tanganyika joined the Allied forces to fight against bad leaders. They helped in many places.

In 1954, a man named Julius Nyerere started a group called the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU). This group wanted Tanganyika to be independent. In 1961, Tanganyika became independent, and Nyerere became the leader.

Modern

British rule ended on 9 December 1961. Elizabeth II was the queen of Tanganyika for the first year after independence. On 9 December 1962, Tanganyika became a republic with a president.

In 1964, after nearby Zanzibar became independent and had big changes in government, it joined with Tanganyika. The new country was called the United Republic of Tanzania.

President Nyerere worked hard to make all people in Tanzania feel like one group, no matter where they came from. He also started ideas about sharing wealth and helping everyone.

Tanzania stayed neutral in world affairs, meaning it didn’t pick sides between big powers. This helped Tanzania get help from many countries.

In 1992, Tanzania allowed more than one political party. In 1995, the leader Benjamin Mkapa was elected president.

The leaders of Tanzania since independence have been Julius Nyerere (1962–1985), Ali Hassan Mwinyi (1985–1995), Benjamin Mkapa (1995–2005), Jakaya Kikwete (2005–2015), John Magufuli (2015–2021), and Samia Hassan Suluhu since 2021.

Geography

Main articles: Geography of Tanzania and Zanzibar Archipelago

Tanzania is a large country in East Africa. It is one of the biggest countries in Africa. Tanzania shares borders with Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. The country has a long coastline along the Indian Ocean and includes islands such as Unguja (Zanzibar), Pemba, and Mafia.

Tanzania is home to Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa. It also has Lake Tanganyika, one of the deepest lakes in the world, and Lake Victoria, one of the largest lakes. The country has many lakes, mountains, forests, and a large plateau in the center. The eastern coast is warm and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago nearby.

The climate in Tanzania changes a lot. In the mountains, temperatures stay cool, while other areas are warmer. Tanzania has two rainy seasons. Sometimes, strong storms affect the country.

Tanzania has many wild animals and beautiful natural places. Many animals live in its 21 national parks and protected areas. Famous places include the Serengeti, where wildebeest and other animals move each year, and Gombe Stream National Park, where chimpanzees were studied by Jane Goodall. Tanzania has many different kinds of birds, reptiles, and amphibians.

Main article: Wildlife of Tanzania

See also: List of protected areas of Tanzania

Government and politics

Main article: Politics of Tanzania

Constitution and elections

Main articles: Constitution of Tanzania and Elections in Tanzania

Tanzania has one main party, the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM), that has been in power since 1961.

John Magufuli was president from 2015 until he died in 2021. Then Samia Suluhu Hassan became president. She was reelected in 2025, but some people were not happy with the results.

Executive

President Samia Suluhu Hassan

Vice-President Emmanuel Nchimbi

Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba

Voters choose the president of Tanzania and members of the National Assembly for five years. The vice-president is elected with the president. The president chooses a prime minister to help lead the government.

Legislature

All legislative power for mainland Tanzania is held by the National Assembly. It has 393 members, including elected representatives and others appointed to ensure fair representation.

Judiciary

See also: Chief Justice of Tanzania

Tanzania’s legal system is based on English common law. The country has four levels of courts, starting with Primary Courts and going up to the Court of Appeal.

Zanzibar

Zanzibar has its own government with a president and a House of Representatives. The president and representatives are elected for five years. The president chooses ministers to help run the government.

Administrative subdivisions

Main articles: Regions of Tanzania, Districts of Tanzania, and Subdivisions of Tanzania

Tanzania is divided into thirty-one regions, twenty-six on the mainland and five in Zanzibar. These regions are split into districts, some of which have city or town councils.

Foreign relations

Main article: Foreign relations of Tanzania

Tanzania focuses on protecting its interests, promoting peace, and working with other nations. It is part of many international groups, such as the United Nations, African Union, and East African Community.

International partnerships

Tanzania works with the United Nations and other organizations on issues like human rights, education, and health. It is also a member of the African Union and the East African Community.

Military

The Tanzania People’s Defence Force is the country’s army, navy, and air force. It operates under civilian control and includes volunteers and national service members.

Law enforcement

Main article: Law enforcement in Tanzania

The Tanzania Police Force keeps public safety and controls borders. It is overseen by government officials.

Human rights

Main article: Human rights in Tanzania

Tanzania faces challenges with human rights, including issues for people with albinism and those who have different sexual orientations. The government works with international groups to address some of these concerns.

Economy

Main articles: Economy of Tanzania and Poverty in Tanzania

As of 2021, Tanzania's gross domestic product (GDP) was about $71 billion, or $218.5 billion when considering purchasing power parity (PPP). GDP per capita (PPP) was $3,574.

From 2009 to 2013, Tanzania's per capita GDP grew by an average of 3.5% each year, higher than any other country in the East African Community (EAC).

Tanzania's biggest trading partners for exports in 2017 were India, Vietnam, South Africa, Switzerland, and China. Its imports were worth US$8.17 billion, with India, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, China, and the United Arab Emirates as the main suppliers.

Tanzania handled the Great Recession well. Strong gold prices helped the country's mining industry, and its limited ties to global markets protected it. Since then, the economy has grown quickly due to strong tourism, telecommunications, and banking.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says that recent economic growth has only helped a few people, leaving most of the population behind. In 2015/2016, 57.1 percent of people lived in multidimensional poverty. Tanzania's Global Hunger Index in 2013 was worse than any other EAC country except Burundi.

In 2020, the World Bank said Tanzania's economy moved from low income to lower middle income country, as its GNI per capita rose from US$1,020 in 2018 to US$1,080 in 2019.

Tanzania's economy grew 4.6 percent in 2022, and 5.2 percent in 2023.

Hunger and poverty

The Global Hunger Index used to call the situation "alarming" with a score of 42 in 2000; now it is 23.2. Children in rural areas often suffer from malnutrition and hunger, though differences between rural and city areas have gotten smaller. Low rural productivity is mainly due to poor infrastructure, lack of farm tools, limited technology, and dependence on rain-fed farming.

About 68 percent of Tanzania's people live below the poverty line, and 32 percent are malnourished. Big challenges for reducing poverty include unsustainable use of natural resources, farming that harms the land, climate change, and water issues, according to UNDP.

There are few resources for things like credit, infrastructure, or better farming tools, which makes hunger and poverty worse, says UNDP. Tanzania ranks 159 out of 187 countries for poverty according to the United Nation's Human Development Index (2014).

The 2019 World Bank report said poverty fell by 8 percentage points in 10 years, from 34.4% in 2007 to 26.4% in 2018. Another report showed it fell to 25.7% in 2020.

Food and nutrition

Main article: Food security in Tanzania

Nutrition is a big problem in Tanzania and changes a lot across different areas. USAID says 16% of children are underweight and 34% are shorter than they should be because of poor nutrition. Ten regions have 58% of children with stunted growth, and five regions have 50% of children who are acutely malnourished. In the Mara district, stunting in children under 5 fell from 46% to 31% between 2005 and 2010. But Dodoma saw stunting rise from 50% to 57% in the same years. Even where food is enough, like Iringa, Mbeya, and Rukwa, stunting is over 50%. In areas with food shortages, like Tabora and Singida, stunting is less. The Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre says this is because of poor nutrition in mothers, bad feeding of babies, poor hygiene, and weak healthcare. Droughts can greatly affect crop production. Drought in East Africa has made food prices shoot up, like for maize and sorghum, which are key foods for most people. From 2015 to 2017, the price of maize more than tripled.

Tanzania relies a lot on farming, with 80% of people doing subsistence farming. Rural areas have more food shortages than cities. In 2017, 84% of rural people had shortages for over three months, compared to 64% in cities. This is because rural people need more food to work, have less access to food due to poor roads, are more affected by nature, and have an "Agricultural Productivity Gap" where farming makes less value per worker.

Programmes targeting hunger

USAID has nutrition programmes in Morogoro, Dodoma, Iringa, Mbeya, Manyara, Songwe and Zanzibar. These "Feed the Future" programmes focus on nutrition, infrastructure, policy, institutions, and farming. A Tanzanian government plan, "Kilimo Kwanza" or "Agriculture First", aims to get private investment in farming and improve farming methods by using young people's ideas. In the 1990s, about 25% of people got iodine supplements to help mothers and babies, which led to better education for children.

The World Food Programme has programmes in Tanzania. The Supplementary Feeding Programme gives special food with vitamins to pregnant women and mothers of children under 5 each month. Mothers and young children get "Super Cereal" to help reduce stunting. This is also the main food for refugees. They also give Super Cereal, Vegetable Oil, Pulses, and Salt to meet daily needs. UNICEF says investing in nutrition is very important. If nutrition does not improve, Tanzania could lose $20 billion by 2025, but better nutrition could gain $4.7 billion.

Save the Children, with UNICEF and Irish Aid, started the Partnership for Nutrition in Tanzania (PANITA) in 2011. PANITA works with groups to focus on nutrition, farming, water, sanitation, education, economic growth, and social progress. Since it began, PANITA has grown from 94 to 306 groups. Irish Aid also started HANO to combine nutrition and farming in Lindi District, aiming to reduce stunting by 10% in young children.

Agriculture

Main article: Agriculture in Tanzania

Tanzania's economy depends a lot on farming, which in 2013 made up 24.5% of GDP, provided 85% of exports, and employed half the workers. The farming sector grew 4.3% in 2012, less than the goal of 10.8%. 16.4% of land is arable, and 2.4% has permanent crops. Farming is important, but climate change has affected it.

Maize was the biggest food crop in 2013 (5.17 million tonnes), followed by cassava, sweet potatoes, beans, bananas, rice, and millet. Sugar was the biggest cash crop (296,679 tonnes), followed by cotton, cashew nuts, tobacco, coffee, sisal, and tea. Beef was the biggest meat product (299,581 tonnes), followed by lamb/mutton, chicken, and pork.

By 2011, only 310,745 hectares were irrigated, though 29.4 million hectares could be.

Industry, energy and construction

Main articles: Energy in Tanzania, Water supply and sanitation in Tanzania, and Natural resource and waste management in Tanzania

See also: List of companies of Tanzania

Williamson diamond mine

Songo Songo Gas Plant

Industry and construction is a big and growing part of Tanzania's economy, making up 22.2% of GDP in 2013. This includes mining, manufacturing, electricity, natural gas, water, and building. Mining made up 3.3% of GDP in 2013. Most money from mining comes from gold, which was 89% of the value in 2013. Tanzania produced 46 metric tonnes of gold in 2015. It also exports gemstones like diamonds and tanzanite. All coal production, 106,000 short tons in 2012, is used at home.

Only 15% of people had electricity in 2011, but this rose to 35.2% in 2018. The government-owned Tanzania Electric Supply Company Limited (TANESCO) runs the electricity system. In 2013, Tanzania made 6.013 billion kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity, 4.2% more than 2012. Generation grew by 63% from 2005 to 2012; in 2012, almost 18% was lost due to theft and problems. The electricity supply changes, especially when droughts affect hydropower, and blackouts happen when needed. In 2013, 49.7% of electricity came from natural gas, 28.9% from hydroelectric, 20.4% from thermal, and 1.0% from outside the country. The government built a 532 km gas pipeline from Mnazi Bay to Dar es Salaam, planning to double electricity capacity to 3,000 megawatts by 2016 and to at least 10,000 megawatts by 2025.

According to PFC Energy, Tanzania found 25 to 30 trillion cubic feet of natural gas since 2010, making total reserves over 43 trillion cubic feet by end of 2013. The value of gas produced in 2013 was US$52.2 million, 42.7% more than 2012.

Commercial gas production from Songo Songo Island started in 2004, 30 years after discovery. In 2013, over 35 billion cubic feet was produced, with reserves of 1.1 trillion cubic feet. The gas goes to Dar es Salaam by pipeline. As of August 27, 2014, TANESCO owed the operator of this field, Orca Exploration Group Inc.

A newer gas field in Mnazi Bay in 2013 produced about one-seventh of Songo Songo but has reserves of 2.2 trillion cubic feet. Almost all this gas is used for electricity in Mtwara.

The Ruvuma and Kiliwani areas have over 3.5 trillion cubic feet of gas, found mainly by Aminex, which has 75% interest.

Tourism

Main article: Tourism in Tanzania

Travel and tourism made up 17.5% of Tanzania's GDP in 2016 and gave 11.0% of jobs (1,189,300 jobs) in 2013. Money from tourism rose from US$1.74 billion in 2004 to US$4.48 billion in 2013, and from US$1.255 billion in 2010 to US$2 billion in 2016. In 2016, 1,284,279 tourists came to Tanzania, up from 590,000 in 2005. Most visit Zanzibar or a "northern circuit" of Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Tarangire National Park, Lake Manyara National Park, and Mount Kilimanjaro. In 2013, Serengeti was the most visited park (452,485 tourists), followed by Manyara (187,773) and Tarangire (165,949).

Banking

The Bank of Tanzania is the central bank of Tanzania. It keeps prices stable and prints money for the Tanzanian shilling. At end of 2013, the banking industry's total assets were TSh 19.5 trillion, 15% more than 2012.

Transport

Main article: Transport in Tanzania

Most transport in Tanzania is by road, which carries over 75% of freight and 80% of passengers. The Cairo-Cape Town Highway goes through Tanzania. The 181,191 km road system is mostly in poor condition. Tanzania has two railway companies: TAZARA, which runs between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia, and Tanzania Railways Limited, connecting Dar es Salaam to central and northern Tanzania. Train travel is often slow with many delays and safety issues.

Dar es Salaam has a big project for rapid buses, Dar Rapid Transit (DART), linking suburbs. The project has six phases, funded by the African Development Bank, the World Bank, and the Tanzanian government. The first phase started in April 2012, finished in December 2015, and began operating in May 2016.

Tanzania has four international airports and over 120 small airports or landing strips. Airport facilities are often poor. Airlines include Air Tanzania, Precision Air, Fastjet, Coastal Aviation, and ZanAir. On February 14, 2026, Tanzania signed an agreement with Liberia to grow its maritime industry using Liberia's expertise.

Communications

Main article: Telecommunications in Tanzania

In 2013, the communications sector grew 22.8%, but it was only 2.4% of GDP.

By 2011, Tanzania had 56 mobile phone users per 100 people, a bit above the sub-Saharan average. Very few people had land-line phones. About 12% used the internet in 2011, but this is growing fast. The country has a fibre-optic network, but internet speed is still low.

Science and technology

Main article: Science and technology in Tanzania

Tanzania's first "National Science and Technology Policy" was in 1996. The government's "Vision 2025" (1998) aimed to make the economy strong and competitive using science and technology.

In 2008, UNESCO and Tanzanian groups planned to update the "National Science and Technology Policy". The US$10 million budget came from the One UN fund and others. UNESCO helped include science and technology in development plans.

Tanzania's new science policy came out in 2010. Called "National Research and Development Policy", it aims to improve research, work with other countries, and plan for people. It also plans to start a National Research Fund. This policy was reviewed in 2012 and 2013.

In 2010, Tanzania spent 0.38% of GDP on research and development, lower than the global average of 1.7% in 2013. It had 69 researchers per million people in 2010. In 2014, it had 15 science publications per million people, lower than sub-Saharan Africa's average of 20 and the global average of 176. Tanzania was 121st in the Global Innovation Index in 2025, down from 97th in 2019.

Economic statistics controversy

Two articles in the Economist in July 2020 questioned official growth numbers: "If Tanzania's economy grew by almost 7% in the fiscal year to the end of June 2019, why did tax revenue fall by 1%? And why has bank lending to companies slumped?" Tim Staermose disagreed, saying bank lending did not fall and cement sales were not flat, matching the reported growth.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Tanzania

Tanzania has about 67.5 million people. In 2012, the population was 44,928,923. Many people are young, with about 44% under 15 years old.

People live in different parts of the country. Most live near the northern border or the coast. The population density ranges from 12 people per square kilometer in the Katavi Region to 3,133 people per square kilometer in the Dar es Salaam Region.

Most people live in rural areas, but this is changing. Dar es Salaam is the largest city. Dodoma is the capital.

Tanzania has many ethnic groups, about 125. Some groups, like the Sukuma, Nyamwezi, Chagga, and Haya, each have more than one million members. There are also smaller groups from India, China, Arab, and Shirazi backgrounds.

Languages

Main article: Languages of Tanzania

Tanzania has over 100 languages. The main languages are Bantu, Cushitic, Nilotic, and Khoisan. Kiswahili is the national language, used in schools and government. English is used in higher education and business. Many people speak Kiswahili as a second language, and educated people often speak English.

The Sandawe people speak a language related to the Khoe languages, and the Hadzabe people speak a language with click sounds. The Iraqw people speak a Cushitic language.

Religion

Main article: Religion in Tanzania

See also: Christianity in Tanzania and Islam in Zanzibar

Most people in Tanzania are Christian, Muslim, or follow traditional African religions. About 63% are Christian and 34% are Muslim. On Zanzibar, most people are Muslim.

Among Christians, the Catholic Church is the largest group. There are also Lutherans, Anglicans, Pentecostals, and Adventists. Other groups include Buddhists, Hindus, and Bahá'ís.

Education

Main article: Education in Tanzania

Most people aged 15 and older can read and write. Education is required until age 15. Many children finish primary school, but fewer complete secondary school.

The Tanzania Library Services Board runs many libraries.

Health

Main article: Health in Tanzania

See also: Healthcare in Tanzania

In 2012, the average life expectancy was 61 years. Diseases like diarrhoea and measles can affect young children. In 2025, Tanzania had an outbreak of the Marburg virus, a serious disease. The government worked with health organizations to help control it.

Women

Main article: Women in Tanzania

Women and men have equal rights under the law. The government signed a treaty in 1985 to prevent discrimination against women. Many women face challenges, such as higher unemployment and fewer educational opportunities. The constitution requires that women make up at least 30% of elected officials.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Tanzania

Tanzania has rich and varied cultural traditions. Two art styles, Tingatinga painting and vibrant canvas artworks, are known around the world. These paintings show people, animals, and everyday life in bright colors.

The country’s literature is mostly spoken, with folktales, poems, and proverbs passed down through generations. Books are not always easy to find, but writers in Swahili and English have created many stories and poems enjoyed by people across Tanzania.

Music in Tanzania changes often and varies by place and occasion. Traditional styles include ngoma (dance and drum music), dansi (urban jazz), taarab (poetry songs), and kwaya (church-inspired music). More recent styles like bongo flava mix local sounds with international genres such as reggae and hip hop. The national anthem, “Mungu Ibariki Afrika,” was originally written by a South African composer and adapted for use in Tanzania.

Tanzania also enjoys many sports. Football is especially popular, with teams like Young Africans F.C. and Simba S.C. being widely followed. Other sports such as basketball, netball, boxing, volleyball, athletics, and rugby are also played and enjoyed by many.

Main article: Music of Tanzania

Main article: Mass media in Tanzania

Main article: Cinema of Tanzania

Main article: Sport in Tanzania