Tanzania

Tanzania,officially theUnited Republic of Tanzania,is a country inEast Africawithin theAfrican Great Lakesregion. It is bordered byUgandato the northwest;Kenyato the northeast; theIndian Oceanto the east;MozambiqueandMalawito the south;Zambiato the southwest; andRwanda,Burundi, and theDemocratic Republic of the Congoto the west. According to the 2022 national census, Tanzania has a population of around 62 million, making it the most populous country located entirely south of the equator.
Many importanthominidfossils have been found in Tanzania. In the Stone and Bronze Age, prehistoric migrations into Tanzania includedSouthern Cushiticspeakers similar to modern dayIraqw peoplewho moved south from present-day Ethiopia;Eastern Cushitic people who moved into Tanzania from north ofLake Turkanaabout 2,000 and 4,000 years ago;and theSouthern Nilotes, including theDatoog, who originated from the present-day South Sudan–Ethiopia border region between 2,900 and 2,400 years ago.These movements took place at about the same time as the settlement of theMashariki Bantufrom West Africa in theLake VictoriaandLake Tanganyikaareas.In the late 19th century, the mainland came under German rule asGerman East Africa, and this was followed by British rule afterWorld War Iwhen it was governed asTanganyika, with theZanzibar Archipelagoremaining a separate colonial jurisdiction. Following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963, the two entities merged in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania.Tanganyika joined the BritishCommonwealthand Tanzania remains a member of the Commonwealth as a unified republic.
Today, the country is apresidentialconstitutional republic with thefederal capitallocated inGovernment City (Dodoma);the former capital,Dar es Salaam, retains most government offices and is the country's largest city, principal port, and leading commercial centre.Tanzania is ade factoone-party statewith thedemocratic socialistChama Cha Mapinduziparty in power.The country has not experienced major internal strife since independence and is seen as one of the safest and most politically stable on the continent.Tanzania's population comprises about 120ethnic,linguistic, and religious groups.Christianityis the largestreligion in Tanzania, with substantialMuslimandAnimistminorities.Over 100languages are spoken in Tanzania, making it the most linguistically diverse country in East Africa;the country does not have ade jureofficial language,although the national language isSwahili.English is used in foreign trade, in diplomacy, in higher courts, and as a medium of instruction in secondary and higher education,whileArabicis spoken inZanzibar.
Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the north-east, whereMount Kilimanjaro, the highestmountain in Africaand thehighest single free-standing mountain above sea levelin the world, is located. Three of theAfrican Great Lakesare partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lie Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, and Lake Tanganyika, the continent's deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish. To the south liesLake Malawi. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore. TheMenai Bay Conservation Areais Zanzibar's largest marine protected area. TheKalambo Falls, located on theKalambo Riverat the Zambian border, is the second-highest uninterrupted waterfall in Africa.Tanzania is one of the most visited tourist destinations forsafaris.
The name Tanzania was created as aclipped compoundof the names of the two states that unified to create the country:TanganyikaandZanzibar.It consists of the first three letters of the names of the two states ("Tan" and "Zan") and the suffix "-ia."
The name Tanganyika is derived from theSwahiliwordstanga"sail" andnyika"uninhabited plain, wilderness", creating the phrase "sail in the wilderness". It is sometimes understood as a reference toLake Tanganyika.
The name ofZanzibarderives fromZanj, the name of a local people (said to mean "black"), and Arabicbarr"coast" or "shore."
Tanzania is one of the oldest continuously inhabited areas on Earth. Traces of fossil remains of humans and hominids date back to theQuaternaryera. TheOlduvai Gorge, in theNgorongoro Conservation Area, aUNESCO World Heritage Site, features a collection with remnants of tools that document the development and use of transitionaltechnology.
The indigenous populations of eastern Africa are thought to be thelinguistically isolatedHadzaandSandawehunter-gatherers of Tanzania.
The first wave of migration was bySouthern Cushiticspeakers who moved south fromEthiopiaandSomaliainto Tanzania. They are ancestral to theIraqw,Gorowa, andBurunge.Based on linguistic evidence, there may also have been two movements into Tanzania of Eastern Cushitic people at about 4,000 and 2,000 years ago, originating from north ofLake Turkana.
Archaeological evidence supports the conclusion thatSouthern Nilotes, including theDatoog, moved south from the present-day South Sudan / Ethiopia border region into central northern Tanzania between 2,900 and 2,400 years ago.
These movements took place at approximately the same time as the settlement of the iron-makingMashariki (Eastern) Bantufrom West Africa in theLake VictoriaandLake Tanganyikaareas, as part of the centuries-longBantu expansion. The Bantu peoples brought with them the west African planting tradition and the primary staple ofyams. They subsequently migrated out of these regions across the rest of Tanzania between 2,300 and 1,700 years ago.
Eastern Niloticpeoples, including theMaasai, represent a more recent migration from present-day South Sudan within the past 500 to 1,500 years.
The people of Tanzania have been associated with the production of iron and steel. ThePare peoplewere the main producers of sought-after iron for peoples who occupied the mountain regions of north-eastern Tanzania.TheHaya peopleon the western shores ofLake Victoriainvented a type of high-heatblast furnace, which allowed them to forgecarbon steelat temperatures exceeding 1,820 °C (3,310 °F) more than 1,500 years ago.
Travelers and merchants from thePersian Gulfand India have visited the east African coast since early in the first millennium AD.Islamwas practiced by some on theSwahili Coastas early as the eighth or ninth century AD.
Bantu-speakers built farming and trade villages along the Tanzanian coast from the outset of the first millennium. Archaeological finds atFukuchani, on the north-west coast of Zanzibar, indicate a settled agricultural and fishing community from the 6th century CE at the latest. The considerable amount of daub found indicates timber buildings, and shell beads, bead grinders, and iron slag have been found at the site. There is evidence for limited engagement in long-distance trade: a small amount of imported pottery has been found, less than 1% of total pottery finds, mostly from the Gulf and dated to the 5th to 8th century. The similarity to contemporary sites such asMkokotoniand Dar es Salaam indicate a unified group of communities that developed into the first centre of coastal maritime culture. The coastal towns appear to have been engaged in Indian Ocean and inland African trade at this early period. Trade rapidly increased in importance and quantity beginning in the mid-8th century and by the close of the 10th century Zanzibar was one of the central Swahili trading towns.
Growth in Egyptian and Persian shipping from the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf revitalisedIndian Ocean trade, particularly after theFatimid Caliphaterelocated to Fustat (Cairo). Swahili agriculturalists built increasingly dense settlements to tap into trade, these forming the earliest Swahili city-states. The Venda-Shona Kingdoms ofMapungubweand Zimbabwe in South Africa andZimbabwe, respectively, became a major producer of gold around this same period. Economic, social, and religious power was increasingly vested inKilwa, Tanzania's major medieval city-state. Kilwa controlled a number of smaller ports stretching down to modern-day Mozambique.Sofalabecame the major gold emporium and Kilwa grew rich off the trade, lying at the southern end of the Indian Ocean Monsoons. Kilwa's major rivals lay to the north, in modern-day Kenya, namely Mombasa and Malindi. Kilwa remained the major power in East Africa until the arrival of the Portuguese at the end of the 15th century.
Claiming the coastal strip,OmaniSultanSaid bin Sultanmoved his capital toZanzibar Cityin 1840. During this time, Zanzibar became the centre for theeast African slave trade.Between 65 and 90 per cent of theSwahilipopulation ofZanzibarwas enslaved.One of the most infamous slave traders on the East African coast wasTippu Tip, who was the grandson of an enslaved African. TheNyamwezislave traders operated under the leadership ofMsiriandMirambo.According toTimothy Insoll, "Figures record the exporting of 718,000 slaves from the Swahili coast during the 19th century, and the retention of 769,000 on the coast."In the 1890s, slavery was abolished.
In 1863, theHoly Ghost Missionestablished an early reception center and depot at Zanzibar. In 1877, responding to appeals ofHenry Stanleyfollowing histrans-Africa expedition, and permission being given to Stanley byKing Mutessa I of Buganda, theChurch Missionary Societysent missionariesEdward Baxterand Henry Cole to establish inland missions.In 1885, Germany conquered the regions that are now Tanzania (minus Zanzibar) and incorporated them intoGerman East Africa(GEA).The Supreme Council of the1919 Paris Peace Conferenceawarded all of GEA to Britain on 7 May 1919, over the strenuous objections of Belgium.The Britishcolonial secretary,Alfred Milner, and Belgium's ministerplenipotentiaryto the conference,Pierre Orts[fr], then negotiated the Anglo-Belgian agreement of 30 May 1919where Britain ceded the north-western GEA provinces ofRuanda and Urundito Belgium.The conference's Commission on Mandates ratified this agreement on 16 July 1919.The Supreme Council accepted the agreement on 7 August 1919.On 12 July 1919, the Commission on Mandates agreed that the smallKionga Trianglesouth of theRovuma Riverwould be given toPortuguese Mozambique,with it eventually becoming part of independent Mozambique. The commission reasoned that Germany had virtually forced Portugal to cede the triangle in 1894.TheTreaty of Versailleswas signed on 28 June 1919, although the treaty did not take effect until 10 January 1920. On that date, the GEA was transferred officially to Britain, Belgium, and Portugal. Also on that date, "Tanganyika" became the name of the British territory. In the mid-1920s, the British implemented a system ofindirect rulein Tanzania.
TheMaji Maji Rebellion, between 1905 and 1907, was an uprising of several African tribes inGerman East Africaagainst the colonial authorities, in particular because of forced labour and deportation of certain tribes. It was the subject of a bloody repression, which combined with famine caused 300,000 deaths among the population, out of a Tanganyikan population of about four million.
DuringWorld War II, about 100,000 people from Tanganyika joined theAllied forcesand were among the 375,000 Africans who fought with those forces.Tanganyikans fought in units of theKing's African Riflesduring theEast African Campaignin Somalia andAbyssiniaagainst the Italians, in Madagascar against theVichy Frenchduring theMadagascar Campaign, and in Burma against theJapaneseduring theBurma Campaign.Tanganyika was an important source of food during this war, and its export income increased greatly compared to the pre-war years of theGreat Depression.Wartime demand, however, caused increased commodity prices and massive inflation within the colony.
In 1954,Julius Nyereretransformed an organisation into the politically orientedTanganyika African National Union(TANU). TANU's main objective was to achieve nationalsovereigntyfor Tanganyika. A campaign to register new members was launched, and within a year, TANU had become the leading political organisation in the country. Nyerere became Minister of British-administered Tanganyika in 1960 and continued as prime minister when Tanganyika became independent in 1961.
British rule came to an end on 9 December 1961.Elizabeth II, who had acceded to the British throne in 1952, continued to reign through the first year of Tanganyika's independence, but now distinctly asQueen of Tanganyika, represented by thegovernor general.Tanganyika also joined theBritish Commonwealthin 1961.On 9 December 1962, Tanganyika became a democratic republic under an executive president.
After theZanzibar Revolutionoverthrew the Arab dynasty in neighbouringZanzibar, accompanied with the slaughter of thousands of Arab Zanzibaris,which had become independent in 1963, the archipelago merged with mainland Tanganyika on 26 April 1964.The new country was then named theUnited Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar.On 29 October of the same year, the country was renamed the United Republic of Tanzania ("Tan" comes from Tanganyika and "Zan" from Zanzibar).The union of the two hitherto separate regions was controversial among many Zanzibaris (even those sympathetic to the revolution) but was accepted by both theNyereregovernment and theRevolutionary Government of Zanzibarowing to shared political values and goals.
Following Tanganyika's independence and unification with Zanzibar leading to the state of Tanzania, President Nyerere emphasised a need to construct a national identity for the citizens of the new country. To achieve this, Nyerere provided what is regarded as one of the most successful cases of ethnic repression and identity transformation in Africa.With more than 130 languages spoken within its territory, Tanzania is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa. Despite this obstacle, ethnic divisions remained rare in Tanzania when compared to the rest of the continent, notably its immediate neighbour, Kenya. Furthermore, since its independence, Tanzania has displayed more political stability than most African countries, particularly due to Nyerere's ethnic repression methods.
In 1967, Nyerere's first presidency took a turn to theleftafter theArusha Declaration, which codified a commitment to socialism as well asPan-Africanism. After the declaration, banks and many large industries were nationalised.
Tanzania was also aligned with China, which from 1970 to 1975 financed and helped build the 1,860-kilometre-long (1,160 mi)TAZARA Railwayfrom Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to Kapiri-Mposhi, Zambia.Nonetheless, from the late 1970s, Tanzania's economy took a turn for the worse, in the context of an international economic crisis affecting both developed and developing economies.
In 1978, the neighbouring Uganda, under the leadership of Idi Amin,invaded Tanzania. This disastrous invasion would culminate in Tanzania invading Uganda with the aid of Ugandan rebels and deposing Idi Amin as a result. However, the war severely damaged Tanzania's economy.
Through the 1980s, conservation oriented national parks such asSerengetiandKilimanjaro, withMount Kilimanjaroas the tallest freestanding summit on Earth, were included on theUNESCO World Heritage List.
From the mid-1980s, the regime financed itself by borrowing from theInternational Monetary Fundand underwent some reforms. Since then, Tanzania's gross domestic product per capita has grown and poverty has been reduced, according to a report by the World Bank.
In 1992, theConstitution of Tanzaniawas amended to allow multiple political parties.In Tanzania's first multi-party elections, held in 1995, the rulingChama Cha Mapinduziwon 186 of the 232 elected seats in the National Assembly, andBenjamin Mkapawas elected as president.
The presidents of Tanzania since Independence have beenJulius Nyerere1962–1985,Ali Hassan Mwinyi1985–1995,Benjamin Mkapa1995–2005,Jakaya Kikwete2005–2015,John Magufuli2015–2021, andSamia Hassan Suluhusince 2021.After the long tenure of president Nyerere, the Constitution has a term limit: a president can serve a maximum of two terms. Each term is five years.Every president has represented the ruling partyChama Cha Mapinduzi(CCM).President Magufuli won a landslide victory and re-election in October 2020. According to the opposition, theelectionwas full of fraud and irregularities.
On 17 March 2021, PresidentJohn Magufulidied in office.Magufuli's vice president,Samia Suluhu Hassan, became Tanzania's first female president.
At 947,403 square kilometres (365,794 sq mi),Tanzania is the 13th largest country in Africa and the 31st largest in the world, ranked between the larger Egypt and smaller Nigeria.It borders Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. Tanzania is located on the eastern coast of Africa and has an Indian Ocean coastline approximately 1,424 kilometres (885 mi) long.It also incorporates several offshore islands, includingUnguja(Zanzibar),Pemba, andMafia.The country is the site of Africa's highest and lowest points:Mount Kilimanjaro, at 5,895 metres (19,341 ft) above sea level, and the floor ofLake Tanganyika, at 1,471 metres (4,826 ft) below sea level, respectively.
Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro is located. Three ofAfrica's Great Lakesare partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lieLake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, andLake Tanganyika, the continent's deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish. To the southwest liesLake Nyasa. Central Tanzania is a large plateau, with plains and arable land. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with theZanzibar Archipelagojust offshore.
Kalambo Fallsin the southwestern region ofRukwais the second highest uninterrupted waterfall in Africa, and is located near the southeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika on the border with Zambia.TheMenai Bay Conservation Areais Zanzibar's largest marine protected area.
Climate varies greatly within Tanzania. In the highlands, temperatures range between 10 and 20 °C (50 and 68 °F) during cold and hot seasons respectively. The rest of the country has temperatures rarely falling lower than 20 °C (68 °F). The hottest period extends between November and February (25–31 °C or 77.0–87.8 °F) while the coldest period occurs between May and August (15–20 °C or 59–68 °F). Annual temperature is 20 °C (68.0 °F). The climate is cool in high mountainous regions.
Tanzania has two major rainfall periods: one isuni-modal(October–April) and the other is bi-modal (October–December and March–May).The former is experienced in southern, central, and western parts of the country, and the latter is found in the north fromLake Victoriaextending east to the coast.The bi-modal rainfall is caused by the seasonal migration of theIntertropical Convergence Zone.
Tanzania infrequently experiences land-falling tropical cyclones which can have severe impacts,Cyclone Hidayafor instance.There are recorded examples of such cyclones back as far as 1872.
Climate change in Tanzaniais resulting in rising temperatures with a higher likelihood of intense rainfall events (resulting in flooding) and of dry spells (resulting in droughts).Climate changeis already impacting the sectors in Tanzania of agriculture, water resources, health and energy. Sea level rise and changes in the quality of water are expected to impact fisheries and aquaculture.
Tanzania produced aNational Adaptation Programmes of Action(NAPAs) in 2007 as mandated by theUnited Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. In 2012, Tanzania produced a National Climate Change Strategy in response to the growing concern of the negative impacts of climate change and climate variability on the country's social, economic and physical environment.
Tanzania contains around 20% of the species of Africa's enormous warm-blooded animal populace, found over its 21 National parks, reserves, 1 conservation area, and 3 marine parks. Spread over a zone of in excess of 42,000 square kilometres (16,000 sq. mi) and shaping around 38% of the nation's area.Tanzania has 21 national parks,plus a variety of game and forest reserves, including theNgorongoro Conservation Area, however the local human population still has an impact on the environment. In western Tanzania,Gombe Stream National Parkis the site ofJane Goodall's ongoing study ofchimpanzeebehaviour, which started in 1960.
Tanzania is highlybiodiverseand contains a wide variety of animal habitats.On Tanzania'sSerengetiplain, white-beardedwildebeest(Connochaetes taurinus mearnsi), otherbovidsand zebraparticipate in a large-scale annual migration. Tanzania is home to about 130amphibianand over 275 reptile species, many of them strictlyendemicand included in theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature's Red Lists of countries.Tanzania has the largest lion population in the world.
Tanzania had a 2019Forest Landscape Integrity Indexmean score of 7.13/10, ranking it 54th globally out of 172 countries.
Tanzania is aone-party dominant statewith theChama Cha Mapinduzi(CCM) party in power. From its formation until 1992, it was the only legally permitted party in the country. This changed on 1 July 1992, when the constitution was amended.It has held power since independence in 1961, and is the longest-serving ruling party in Africa.
John Magufuliwon the October 2015 presidential election and secured a two-thirds majority in parliament.The main opposition party in Tanzania since multiparty politics in 1992 is calledChama cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Chadema)(Swahilifor "Party for Democracy and Progress"). The leader of Chadema party isFreeman Mbowe.
InZanzibar, the country's semi-autonomous state,The Alliance for Change and Transparency-Wazalendo(ACT-Wazalendo) is considered the main opposition political party. The constitution of Zanzibar requires the party that comes in second in the polls to join a coalition with the winning party. ACT-Wazalendo joined a coalition government with the islands' ruling party Chama Cha Mapinduzi in December 2020 after Zanzibar disputedelections.
In November 2020, Magufuli once again was declared the winner for his second term as president. Election fraud was suspected. The national electoral commission announced that Magufuli received 84%, or about 12.5 million votes and the top opposition candidate,Tundu Lissureceived 13%, about 1.9 million votes.
In March 2021, it was announced that Magufuli had died whilst serving in office, meaning that his vice president,Samia Suluhu Hassan, became the country's president.
Thepresident of Tanzaniaand themembers of the National Assemblyare elected concurrently by direct popular vote for five-year terms.Thevice-presidentis elected for a five-year term at the same time as the president and on the same ticket.Neither the president nor the vice-president may be a member of the National Assembly.The president appoints aprime ministerfrom among the members of the National Assembly, subject to confirmation by the assembly, to serve as the government's leader in the assembly.The president selects hercabinetfrom assembly members.Law enforcement in Tanzaniais under the executive branch of government and is administered by the Tanzania Police Force.
Alllegislativepower relating to mainland Tanzania and union matters is vested in theNational Assembly,which is unicameral and has 393 members.These include members elected to represent constituencies, the attorney general, five members elected by theZanzibarhouse of representatives from among its own members, the special women's seats that constitute at least 30% of the seats that any party has in the assembly, the speaker of the assembly (if not otherwise a member of the assembly), and the persons (not more than ten) appointed by the president.The Tanzania Electoral Commission demarcates the mainland into constituencies in the number determined by the commission with the consent of the president.
Tanzania's legal system is based on Englishcommon law.
Tanzania has a four-level judiciary.The lowest-level courts on the Tanzanian mainland are the Primary Courts.In Zanzibar, the lowest-level courts are the Kadhi's Courts for Islamic family matters and the Primary Courts for all other cases.On the mainland, appeal is to either the District Courts or the Resident Magistrates Courts.In Zanzibar, appeal is to the Kadhi's Appeal Courts for Islamic family matters and the Magistrates Courts for all other cases.From there, appeal is to theHigh Court of Mainland Tanzania or Zanzibar.No appeal regarding Islamic family matters can be made from the High Court of Zanzibar.Otherwise, the final appeal is to the Court of Appeal of Tanzania.
The High Court of mainland Tanzania has three divisions – commercial, labour, and land– and 15 geographic zones.The High Court of Zanzibar has an industrial division, which hears only labour disputes.
Mainland and union judges are appointed by theChief Justice of Tanzania,except for those of theCourt of Appealand the High Court, who are appointed by the president of Tanzania.
Tanzania is a party to theRome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
Public safety and border control is the responsibility of the Tanzania Police Force. Oversight of the force is shared by the Principal Secretary of the Ministry of Police and the Inspector-General of Police.
The legislative authority in Zanzibar over all non-union matters is vested in theHouse of Representatives(per the Tanzania constitution)or the Legislative Council (per the Zanzibar constitution).
The Legislative Council has two parts: the president of Zanzibar and the House of Representatives.The president is Zanzibar's head of government and the chairman of the Revolutionary Council, in which the executive authority of Zanzibar is invested.Zanzibar has two vice-presidents, with the first being from the main opposition party in the house.The second is from the party in power and is the leader of government business in the House.
The president and the members of the House of Representatives have five-year terms and can be elected for a second term.
The president selects ministers from members of the House of Representatives,with the ministers allocated according to the number of House seats won by political parties.The Revolutionary Council consists of the president, both vice-presidents, all ministers, theattorney generalof Zanzibar, and other house members deemed fit by the president.
The House of Representatives is composed of elected members, ten members appointed by the president, all the regional commissioners of Zanzibar, the attorney general, and appointed female members whose number must be equal to 30 per cent of the elected members.The House determines the number of its elected memberswith the Zanzibar Electoral Commission determining the boundaries of each election constituency.In 2013, the House had 81 members: fifty elected members, five regional commissioners, the attorney general, ten members appointed by the president, and fifteen appointed female members.
In 1972, local government on the mainland was abolished and replaced with direct rule from the central government. Local government, however, was reintroduced in the beginning of the 1980s, when the rural councils and rural authorities were re-established. Local government elections took place in 1983, and functioning councils started in 1984. In 1999, a Local Government Reform Programme was enacted by theNational Assembly, setting "a comprehensive and ambitious agenda ... [covering] four areas: political decentralization, financial decentralization, administrative decentralization and changed central-local relations, with the mainland government having overriding powers within the framework of the Constitution."
Tanzania is divided into thirty-oneregions(mikoa),twenty-six on the mainland and five inZanzibar(three onUnguja, two onPemba).The thirty-one regions are divided into 195districts(wilaya), also known as local government authorities. Of those districts, 45 are urban units, which are further classified as three city councils (Arusha,Mbeya, andMwanza), twenty municipal councils, and twenty-two town councils.
The urban units have an autonomous city, municipal, or town council and are subdivided into wards and sub-wards (mitaa). The non-urban units have an autonomous district council but are subdivided into village councils or township authorities (first level) and then into hamlets (vitongoji).
The city of Dar es Salaam is unique because it has a city council whose area of jurisdiction overlaps three municipal councils. The mayor of the city council is elected by that council. The twenty-member city council is composed of eleven persons elected by the municipal councils, seven members of the National Assembly, and "Nominated members of parliament under 'Special Seats' for women". Each municipal council also has a mayor. "The City Council performs a coordinating role and attends to issues cutting across the three municipalities", including security and emergency services.The city of Mwanza has a city council whose areal jurisdiction overlaps two municipal councils.
Foreign policies of Tanzania are in process of review to replace the current New Foreign Policy of 2001, which was the first official foreign policy of Tanzania.Before 2001, Tanzanian foreign policy was dictated by the various presidential declarations of Mwalimu Nyerere specifically Circular No. 2 of 1964,Arusha Declaration,and Policy of Foreign Affairs of 1967.These declarations had focused foreign policy primarily on independence and sovereignty, human rights, and African unity.The current New Foreign Policy of 2001 was established to better address the end of colonialism and the cold war, globalization, market economics and liberalization, and the multi-party state of Tanzania. Its primary focus is economic diplomacy and development.
New Foreign Policy of 2001, which is still used today, has a foundation of 7 principles;sovereignty,liberalism,good neighborliness,African unity,non-alignment,economic diplomacy, andglobal cooperationfor economic development and peace.The primary objectives are outlined as the protection and promotion of cultural and economic interests, establishment of relations with other nations driven by economic interest, economic self-sufficiency, internal and global peace, and regional political and economic integration.
A review of current foreign policy is being undertaken by the sixth phase government to replace the current New Foreign Policy of 2001.Foreign Affairs MinisterLiberata Mulamulahas stated the new policies will maintain the priority of and non-alignment of the 2001 policy while making additional top priorities the climate change and refocusing economic diplomacy with a greater focus on value-added exports and the digital economy.
Tanzania is a member of many international organizations such as theUnited Nations (UN),African Union (AU),East African Community (EAC), andSouthern African Development Community (SADC)among many others.Additionally, due to the strength of Tanzania's non-alignment, unity and internal peace since independence, Tanzania frequently acts as a mediator and location of treaties and agreements between other nations, such as theArusha Agreementwith Europe, as well as the Arusha Accords withRwanda (1993)andBurundi (2000).
The United Nations has a large current and historical presence in Tanzania and acts as an important partner in itself, and associated IGOs and NGOs, in many functions in the country, as well as functions based in Tanzania and implemented throughout the Great Lakes and Africa as a whole.Of the many functions, the UN and Tanzania partner or the UN works with outside countries, most notably human rights and justice courts and reporting, education, development, climate change, health, and wildlife conservation.While the UN primary offices are inOysterbay, Dar es Salaam, many other offices, courts, and NGOs are based inArusha, TZ. The most well-known example is theInternational Criminal Tribunal for Rwandagenocide.
The African Union consists of 55 nations in Africa.Tanzania is a founding member of the AU in 2001, and its predecessor theOrganisation of African Unity (OAU)by the predecessors of Tanzania,TanganyikaandZanzibar, in 1963. The Judicial Branch of the AU and its courts are located in Tanzania.Originally theCourt of Justice of the African Union, it has been combined with theAfrican Court on Human and Peoples' Rightsto form theAfrican Court of Justice and Human Rights (ACJHR)which is located in Arusha.Tanzania ratified and joined the AU-brokeredAfrican Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)on 17 January 2022, the largest free trade area in the world.
The East African Community consisting of Tanzania, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda, Burundi, South Sudan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is headquartered in Arusha.Tanzania, along with Kenya and Uganda, is a founding member of the EAC in 2000.Following the German defeat inWorld War ITanzania joined the London-basedEast African Currency Board (EACB)that was a customs union and provider of currency for Tanzania, Uganda, and Kenya from 1919 to 1948, theEast Africa High Commission (EAHC)from 1948 to 1961, and East African Common Services Organization (EACSO) from 1961 to 1966. In 1966 all three countries formed the first East African Community which lasted until 1976, then the East African Co-operation from 1993 to 2000, before becoming reestablished as the East African Community in 2000.
The EAC has had acustoms unionsince 2005, with a free trade zone between member states and unified tariffs and trade agreements with non-member states and multinational organizations.The customs union also established a unified organization and sets of rules, such asrules of origin, for all trade within, into, and passing through member states. In 2010 a common market was established within the EAC for the free movement of labor, goods, people, capital, and services, as well as established rights of establishment.The East African Monetary Union (EAMU) is proposed to be established in 2024 that will create a single common currency by the East African Central Bank.From the original reestablishment of the EAC, as laid out in Article 5(2) of the Treaty for the Establishment of the East African Community, the final goal for the EAC is always the political federation of all member states. In 2017 all member states adopted theconfederationof EAC as a transitional precursor to the final federation.
The Southern African Development Community consists of 16 nations, including all countries of southern Africa plus Tanzania and the DRC from the Great Lakes.Tanzania is a founding member of SADC in 1994, as well as its predecessor theFrontline States (FLS), from 1960 to 1994. While FLS aimed to end apartheid, its successor SADC has the aims of furthering peace and security along with the economic and political integration of member states.
TheTanzania People's Defence Force(TPDF) (Kiswahili: Jeshi la Wananchi wa Tanzania (JWTZ)) is the armed forces of Tanzania, operating as a people's force under civilian control. It is composed of five branches or commands: Land Force (army), Air Force, Naval Command, National Service, Headquarter (MMJ).Tanzanian citizens are able to volunteer for military service from 15 years of age, and 18 years of age for compulsory National military service upon graduation from advanced secondary school. Conscript service obligation was 2 years as of 2004.
Tanzania is the 65th most peaceful country in the world, according to the 2024Global Peace Index.
Throughout Tanzania,same sex actsare illegal and carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.According to a 2007Pew Research Centresurvey, 95 percent of Tanzanians believed that homosexuality should not be accepted by society.
People withalbinismliving in Tanzania are often attacked, killed or mutilated because of superstitions related to the black-magical practice known asmutithat say body parts of albinos have magical properties.Tanzania has the highest occurrence of this human rights violation among 27 African countries wheremutiis known to be practised.
In December 2019,Amnesty Internationalreported that the Tanzanian government annulled the right of NGOs as well as individuals to directly file any case against it at the Arusha-based African Court for Human and Peoples' Rights.
As of 2021, according to the IMF, Tanzania's gross domestic product (GDP) was an estimated $71 billion (nominal), or $218.5 billion on apurchasing power parity(PPP) basis. GDP per capita (PPP) was $3,574.
From 2009 through to 2013, Tanzania's per capita GDP (based on constant local currency) grew an average of 3.5% per year, higher than any other member of theEast African Community(EAC) and exceeded by only nine countries in Sub-Saharan Africa: the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, Lesotho, Liberia, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.
Tanzania's largest trading partners in 2017 for its US$5.3 billion in exports wereIndia,Vietnam,South Africa,Switzerland, andChina.Its imports totalled US$8.17 billion, with India, Switzerland, Saudi Arabia, China, and the United Arab Emirates being the biggest partners.
Tanzania weathered theGreat Recession, which began in late 2008 or early 2009, relatively well. Strong gold prices, bolstering the country'smining industry, and Tanzania's poor integration into global markets helped to insulate the country from the downturn.Since the recession ended, the Tanzanian economy has expanded rapidly thanks to strong tourism, telecommunications, and banking sectors.
According to theUnited Nations Development Programme(UNDP), however, recent growth in the national economy has benefited only the "very few", leaving out the majority of the population.As of the latest survey in 2015/2016, 57.1 percent of the population is considered to be affected bymultidimensional poverty.Tanzania's 2013Global Hunger Indexwas worse than any other country in the EAC except Burundi.The proportion of persons who were undernourished in 2010–12 was also worse than any other EAC country except Burundi.
In 2020, theWorld Bankdeclared the rise of the Tanzanian economy from low income to lowermiddle income country, as itsGNI per capitaincreased 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.
The Global Hunger Index previously ranked the situation as "alarming" with a score of 42 in the year 2000; since then the GHI has declined to 23.2.Children in rural areas suffer substantially higher rates of malnutrition and chronic hunger, although urban-rural disparities have narrowed as regards both stunting and underweight.Low rural sector productivity arises mainly from inadequate infrastructure investment; limited access to farm inputs, extension services and credit; limited technology as well as trade and marketing support; and heavy dependence on rain-fed agriculture and natural resources.
Approximately 68 percent of Tanzania's 61.1 million citizens live below the poverty line of $1.25 a day. 32 percent of the population are malnourished.The most prominent challenges Tanzania faces in poverty reduction are unsustainable harvesting ofits natural resources, unchecked cultivation, climate change and water source encroachment, according to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
There are very few resources for Tanzanians in terms of credit services, infrastructure or availability to improved agricultural technologies, which further exacerbates hunger and poverty in the country according to the UNDP.Tanzania ranks 159 out of 187 countries in poverty according to the United Nation's Human Development Index (2014).
The 2019World Bankreport showed that in the last 10 years, poverty has reduced by 8 percentage points, from 34.4% in 2007 to 26.4% in 2018.A further report showed a reduction to 25.7% in 2020.
The Tanzanian economy is heavily based on agriculture, which in 2013 accounted for 24.5 per cent of gross domestic product,provides 85% of exports,and accounted for half of the employed workforce.The agricultural sector grew 4.3 percent in 2012, less than half of theMillennium Development Goaltarget of 10.8%.16.4 per cent of the land isarable,with 2.4 percent of the land planted withpermanent crops.Tanzania's economy relies on farming, but climate change has impacted their farming.
Maizewas the largest food crop on the Tanzania mainland in 2013 (5.17 million tonnes), followed by cassava (1.94 million tonnes), sweet potatoes (1.88 million tonnes), beans (1.64 million tonnes), bananas (1.31 million tonnes), rice (1.31 million tonnes), and millet (1.04 million tonnes).Sugar was the largestcash cropon the mainland in 2013 (296,679 tonnes), followed by cotton (241,198 tonnes), cashew nuts (126,000 tonnes), tobacco (86,877 tonnes), coffee (48,000 tonnes), sisal (37,368 tonnes), and tea (32,422 tonnes).Beef was the largest meat product on the mainland in 2013 (299,581 tonnes), followed by lamb/mutton (115,652 tonnes), chicken (87,408 tonnes), and pork (50,814 tonnes).
According to the 2002 National Irrigation Master Plan, 29.4 million hectares in Tanzania are suitable for irrigation farming; however, only 310,745 hectares were actually being irrigated in June 2011.
Industry and construction is a major and growing component of the Tanzanian economy, contributing 22.2 per cent of GDP in 2013.This component includes mining and quarrying, manufacturing, electricity and natural gas, water supply, and construction.Mining contributed 3.3 per cent of GDP in 2013.The vast majority of the country's mineral export revenue comes from gold, accounting for 89 per cent of the value of those exports in 2013.Tanzania's gold production is 46 metric tonnes in 2015.It also exports sizeable quantities of gemstones, includingdiamondsandtanzanite.All of Tanzania's coal production, which totalled 106,000 short tons in 2012, is used domestically.
Only 15 percent of Tanzanians had access to electric power in 2011, rising to 35.2 per cent in 2018.The government-ownedTanzania Electric Supply Company Limited(TANESCO) dominates the electric supply industry in Tanzania.The country generated 6.013 billionkilowatt hours(kWh) of electricity in 2013, a 4.2 per cent increase over the 5.771 billion kWh generated in 2012.Generation increased by 63 percent between 2005 and 2012;Almost 18 percent of the electricity generated in 2012 was lost because of theft and transmission and distribution problems.The electrical supply varies, particularly when droughts disrupt hydropower electric generation; rolling blackouts are implemented as necessary.The unreliability of the electrical supply has hindered the development of Tanzanian industry.In 2013, 49.7 percent of Tanzania's electricity generation came from natural gas, 28.9 percent from hydroelectric sources, 20.4 percent from thermal sources, and 1.0 percent from outside the country.The government has built a 532 kilometres (331 mi) gas pipeline fromMnazi Bayto Dar es Salaam.This pipeline was expected to allow the country to double its electricity generation capacity to 3,000 megawatts by 2016.The government's goal is to increase capacity to at least 10,000 megawatts by 2025.
According toPFC Energy, 25 to 30 trillion cubic feet of recoverable natural gas resources have been discovered in Tanzania since 2010,bringing the total reserves to over 43 trillion cubic feet by the end of 2013.The value of natural gas actually produced in 2013 was US$52.2 million, a 42.7 percent increase over 2012.
Commercial production of gas from the Songo Songo Island field in the Indian Ocean commenced in 2004, thirty years after it was discovered there.Over 35 billion cubic feet of gas was produced from this field in 2013,with proven, probable, and possible reserves totalling 1.1 trillion cubic feet.The gas is transported by pipeline to Dar es Salaam.As of 27 August 2014, TANESCO owed the operator of this field, Orca Exploration Group Inc.
A newer natural gas field in Mnazi Bay in 2013 produced about one-seventh of the amount produced near Songo Songo Islandbut has proven, probable, and possible reserves of 2.2 trillion cubic feet.Virtually all of that gas is being used for electricity generation inMtwara.
The Ruvuma and Kiliwani areas of Tanzania have been explored mostly by the discovery company that holds a 75 percent interest, Aminex, and has shown to hold in excess of 3.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. A pipeline connecting offshore natural gas fields to Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam was completed at the end of April 2015.
Travel and tourism contributed 17.5 per cent of Tanzania's gross domestic product in 2016and employed 11.0 per cent of the country's labour force (1,189,300 jobs) in 2013.Overall receipts rose from US$1.74 billion in 2004 to US$4.48 billion in 2013,and receipts from international tourists rose from US$1.255 billion in 2010 to US$2 billion in 2016.In 2016, 1,284,279 tourists arrived at Tanzania's borders compared to 590,000 in 2005.The vast majority of tourists visitZanzibaror a "northern circuit" ofSerengeti National Park, theNgorongoro Conservation Area,Tarangire National Park,Lake Manyara National Park, andMount Kilimanjaro.In 2013, the most visited national park was Serengeti (452,485 tourists), followed by Manyara (187,773) and Tarangire (165,949).
TheBank of Tanzaniais thecentral bankof Tanzania and is primarily responsible for maintaining price stability, with a subsidiary responsibility for issuing the banknotes and coins of theTanzanian shilling.At the end of 2013, the total assets of the Tanzanian banking industry wereTSh19.5 trillion, a 15 per cent increase over 2012.
Most transport in Tanzania is by road, with road transport constituting over 75 per cent of the country's freight traffic and 80 percent of its passenger traffic.TheCairo-Cape Town Highwaypasses through Tanzania. The 181,191 kilometres (112,587 mi) road system is in generally poor condition.Tanzania has two railway companies:TAZARA, which provides service between Dar es Salaam andKapiri Mposhi(in a copper-mining district in Zambia), andTanzania Railways Limited, which connects Dar es Salaam with central and northern Tanzania.Rail travel in Tanzania often entails slow journeys with frequent cancellations or delays, and the railways have a deficient safety record.
In Dar es Salaam, there is a huge project of rapid buses,Dar Rapid Transit (DART)which connects suburbs ofDar es Salaamcity. The development of the DART system consists of six phases and is funded by the African Development Bank, the World Bank and the Government of Tanzania. The first phase began in April 2012, and it was completed in December 2015 and launched operations in May 2016.
Tanzania has four international airports, along with over 120 small airports or landing strips. Airport infrastructure tends to be in poor condition.Airlines in Tanzania includeAir Tanzania,Precision Air,Fastjet,Coastal Aviation, andZanAir.
In 2013, the communications sector was the fastest growing in Tanzania, expanding 22.8 per cent; however, the sector accounted for only 2.4 per cent of gross domestic product that year.
As of 2011, Tanzania had 56 mobile telephone subscribers per 100 inhabitants, a rate slightly above the sub-Saharan average.Very few Tanzanians have fixed-line telephones.Approximately 12 per cent of Tanzanians used the internet as of 2011, though this number is growing rapidly.The country has a fibre-optic cable network that replaced unreliable satellite service, but internet bandwidth remains very low.
Two articles in theEconomistin July 2020 raised doubts about official claims of economic growth: "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? Private data are bad, too. In 2019 sales at the biggest brewer fell by 5%. Sales of cement by the two biggest producers were almost flat. None of these things is likely if growth is storming ahead. The discrepancies are so large that it is hard to avoid the conclusion that the government is lying."
Tim Staermose, a proponent of African investment, took issue with these data: "Some of these statements byThe Economist, based on the evidence I have gathered from primary sources – namely, the statutory financial reports that listed companies in Tanzania are legally obligated to release – are simply not true. Bank lending to companies as far as I can see has not, 'slumped.' The two biggest banks in Tanzania, which between them account for approximately 40% of the banking sector, both reported strong loan growth in 2019. ... As for cement sales being 'almost flat,' again, this is total nonsense. ... In 2019 Twiga sold 6% more cement by volume than it did in 2018. In the first six months of 2020, Twiga already sold 8% more cement than it had done by the same stage in 2019. Again, these numbers are very consistent with an economy that's reported to be growing at around 7% per annum. ... [On] the 5% fall in beer sales in 2019 ... the published 2019 annual report by Tanzania Breweries Limited (TBL) will tell you there were one-off circumstances that largely drove the decline ... [which] resulted in sales falling. But TBL's profits actually rose in 2019."
Poor nutrition remains a persistent problem within Tanzania and varies hugely throughout the country's regions.USAIDreports that 16% of children are underweight and 34% experience stunted growth as a result of malnutrition.10 regions house 58% of children suffering from stunted growth while 50% of acutely malnourished children can be found in 5 regions.Over a 5-year period, theMaradistrict of Tanzania saw a 15% reduction in stunting in children under 5 years old, falling from 46% to 31% in 2005 and 2010 respectively.Dodoma, on the other hand, saw a 7% increase in the prevalence of stunting in this age group, rising from 50% in 2005 to 57% in 2010.Overall availability of food does not necessarily contribute to overall stunting figures.Iringa,MbeyaandRukwaregions, where overall availability of food is considered acceptable, still experience stunting incidents in excess of 50%. In some areas where food shortages are common, such as in theTaboraandSingidaregions, stunting instances remain comparatively less than those seen in Iringa, Mbeya and Rukwa.The Tanzania Food and Nutrition Centre attributes these discrepancies to variance in maternal malnutrition, poor infant feeding practices, hygiene practices and poor healthcare services.Periods of drought can have significant impacts on the production of crops in Tanzania. Drought in East Africa has resulted in massive increases in the prices of food staples such as maize andsorghum, crops crucial to the nutrition of the majority of Tanzania's population. From 2015 to 2017 the price of maize when bought wholesale more than tripled, fromTSh400/=per kilogramme to 1,253/=per kilogramme.
Tanzania remains heavily agricultural, with 80% of the total population engaging in subsistence farming.Rural areas are subjected to increased food shortages in comparison to urbanised areas, with a survey carried out within the country in 2017 finding 84% of people in rural areas suffering food shortages over a 3-month period compared to 64% of residents in cities.This disparity between rural and city nutrition can be attributed to various factors; increased nutritional needs due to manual labour, more limited access to food as a result of poor infrastructure, high-susceptibility to the damaging effects of nature and the "Agricultural Productivity Gap".The Agricultural Productivity Gap postulates that "value added per worker" is often much lower within the agricultural sector than that found within non-agricultural sectors. Furthermore, allocation of labour within the agricultural sector is largely allocated ineffectively.
USAID programmes focusing on nutrition operate within theMorogoro,Dodoma,Iringa,Mbeya,Manyara,SongweandZanzibarregions of Tanzania. These "Feed the Future" programmes heavily invest in nutrition, infrastructure, policy, capacity of institutions and agriculture which is identified by the organisation as a key area of economic growth in the country.A Tanzanian government led initiative "Kilimo Kwanza" or "Agriculture First" aims to encourage investment into agriculture within the private sector and hopes to improve agricultural processes and development within the country by seeking the knowledge of young people and the innovation that they can potentially provide.During the 1990s, around 25% of Tanzania's population were provided access to iodised oil aimed to target iodine deficiency within expecting mothers, as result of studies showing the negative effects of in-utero iodine deficiency on cognitive development in children. Research showed that children of mothers with access to the supplement achieved on average greater than a third of a year more education than those who did not.
Programmes led by theWorld Food Programmeoperate within Tanzania. The Supplementary Feeding Programme (SFP) aims to target acute malnutrition by supplying blended food fortified with vitamins to pregnant women and mothers to children under 5 on a monthly basis.Pregnant women and mothers to children under 2 have access to the Mother and Child Health and Nutrition Programme's "Super Cereal" which is supplied with the intent of reducing stunting in children.World Food Programme supplementation remains the main food source for Tanzania's refugees. Super Cereal, Vegetable Oil, Pulses and Salt are supplied as part of the Protracted Relief and Recovery Operation to meet the average person's minimum daily caloric requirement of 2,100 kcal.UNICEFstate that continued investment in nutrition within Tanzania is of the utmost importance: Estimates predict that Tanzania stands to lose $20 billion by 2025 if nutrition within the country remains at its current level, however improvements in nutrition could produce a gain of around $4.7 billion
Save the Children, with the help of UNICEF andIrish Aidfunding created the Partnership for Nutrition in Tanzania (PANITA), in 2011. PANITA aims to use civil society organisations to target nutrition within the country. Alongside this, various sectors associated with nutrition are targeted such as agriculture, water, sanitation, education, economic development and social progress. PANITA is responsible for ensuring significant attention is given to nutrition in development plans and budgets created on national and regional levels within Tanzania. Since its conception, PANITA has grown from 94 to 306 participating civil society organisations nationwide.Agriculture within Tanzania is targeted by the Irish Aid led initiative Harnessing Agriculture for Nutrition Outcomes (HANO), which aims to merge nutrition initiatives with agriculture in the Lindi District of the country. The project aims to reduce stunting by 10% in children aged 0 to 23 months.
Tanzania's first "National Science and Technology Policy" was adopted in 1996. The objective of the government's "Vision 2025" (1998) document was to "transform the economy into a strong, resilient and competitive one, buttressed by science and technology".
Under the umbrella of the One UN Initiative, UNESCO and Tanzanian government departments and agencies formulated a series of proposals in 2008 for revising the "National Science and Technology Policy". The total reform budget of US$10 million was financed from the One UN fund and other sources. UNESCO provided support for mainstreaming science, technology, and innovation into the new "National Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy" for the mainland and Zanzibar namely, Mkukuta II and Mkuza II, including in the field of tourism.
Tanzania's revised science policy was published in 2010. Entitled "National Research and Development Policy", it recognises the need to improve the process of prioritisation of research capacities, develop international co-operation in strategic areas of research and development, and improve planning for human resources. It also makes provisions for the establishment of a National Research Fund. This policy was, in turn, reviewed in 2012 and 2013.
In 2010, Tanzania devoted 0.38 per cent of GDP to research and development. The global average in 2013 was 1.7 per cent of GDP. Tanzania had 69 researchers (in head counts) per million population in 2010. In 2014, Tanzania counted 15 publications per million inhabitants in internationally catalogued journals, according to Thomson Reuters' Web of Science (Science Citation Index Expanded). The average for sub-Saharan Africa was 20 publications per million inhabitants and the global average 176 publications per million inhabitants. Tanzania was ranked 120th in theGlobal Innovation Indexin 2024, down from 97th in 2019.
According to the 2012 census, the total population of Tanzania was 44,928,923.The under-15 age group represented 44.1% of the population.
The population distribution in Tanzania is significantly uneven. Most people live on the northern border or the coast, with much of the remainder of the country being sparsely populated.Density varies from 12 per square kilometre (31/sq mi) in theKatavi Regionto 3,133 per square kilometre (8,110/sq mi) in theDar es Salaam Region.
Approximately 70% of the population is rural, although this percentage has been declining since at least 1967.Dar es Salaam (population 4,364,541)is the largest city and commercial capital. The capital of the country and economic centre of Tanzania,Dodoma(population 410,956)is located in central Tanzania, and hosts theNational Assembly.
At the time of the foundation of the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964, the child mortality rate was 335 deaths per 1,000 live births. Since independence, the rate of child deaths has declined to 62 per 1000 births.
The population consists ofabout 125 ethnic groups.TheSukuma,Nyamwezi,Chagga, andHayapeoples each have a population exceeding 1 million.Most Tanzanians are of nativeAfricandescent. Tanzanian citizens ofIndiandescent constitute a significant demographic minority which is particularly prominent in business and entrepreneurship. There are also Tanzanians ofChinesedescent.Many Tanzanians identify asShirazis. Some Tanzanians are of Arab descent.The majority of Tanzanians, including the Sukuma and the Nyamwezi, areBantu.
Thousands of Arabs and Indians were massacred during theZanzibar Revolutionof 1964.As of 1994, the Asian community numbered 50,000 on the mainland and 4,000 on Zanzibar. An estimated 70,000 Arabs and 10,000 Europeans lived in Tanzania.As of 2015, the Indian community numbered 60,000.
Somealbinosin Tanzania have been the victims of violence in recent years.Attacks are often to hack off the limbs of albinos in the perverse superstitious belief that possessing the bones of albinos will bring wealth. The country has banned witch doctors to try to prevent the practice, but it has continued and albinos remain targets.
According to 2010 Tanzanian government statistics, thetotal fertility ratein Tanzania was 5.4 children born per woman, with 3.7 in urban mainland areas, 6.1 in rural mainland areas, and 5.1 in Zanzibar.For all women aged 45–49, 37.3 per cent had given birth to eight or more children, and for currently married women in that age group, 45.0 per cent had given birth to that many children.
Official statistics on religion are unavailable because religious surveys were eliminated from government census reports after 1967.Tanzania's religious field is dominated by Christianity, Islam and African traditional religions connected to ethnic customs. The word for religion in Swahili,dini,generally apply to the world religions of Christianity andIslammeaning that followers of traditional African religions are considered to be of "no religion". Religious belonging is often ambiguous, with some people adhering to multiple religious identities at the same time (for instance being Christian but also following African traditional rituals) something which suggests that religious boundaries are flexible and contextual.
According to a 2014 estimate by theCIA World Factbook, 61.4% of the population wasChristian, 35.2% wasMuslim, 1.8% practised traditional African religions, 1.4% were unaffiliated with any religion, and 0.2% followed other religions. However, according to theAssociation of Religion Data Archives(ARDA), 55.3% of the population is Christian, 31.5% is Muslim, 11.3% practices traditional faiths, while 1.9% of the population isnon-religiousor adheres to other faiths as of 2020.The ARDA estimates that most Tanzanian Muslims are Sunni, with a small Shia minority, as of 2020.Nearly the entire population of Zanzibar is Muslim.Of Muslims, 16% areAhmadiyya, 20% arenon-denominational Muslims, 40% areSunni, 20% areShia, and 4% areSufi.Most Shias in Tanzania are from Asian/Indian descent.Notable Shias ofIndian/Khojaheritage in Tanzania areMohammed DewjiorAmir H. Jamal.
Within the Christian community theCatholic Churchis the largest group (51% all Christians).Among the Protestants, the large number ofLutheransandMoravianspoints to the German missionary past of the country, while the number ofAnglicanspoint to the British missionary history of Tanganyika. A growing number have adoptedPentecostalism, andAdventistslikewise have an increasing presence because of external missionary activities from Scandinavia and the United States, especially during the first part of the 20th century.All of them have had some influence in varying degrees from the Walokole movement (East African Revival), which has also been fertile ground for the spread ofcharismaticand Pentecostal groups.The country also has around 20,000Jehovah's Witnesses.
There are also active communities of other religious groups, primarily on the mainland, such asBuddhists,Hindus, andBahá'ís.
More than 100languages are spoken in Tanzania, making it the most linguistically diverse country in East Africa.Among the languages spoken are four of Africa's language families:Bantu,Cushitic,Nilotic, andKhoisan.There are node jureofficial languages in Tanzania.
Swahiliis used in parliamentary debate, in the lower courts, and as a medium of instruction in primary school. English is used in foreign trade, in diplomacy, in higher courts, and as a medium of instruction in secondary and higher education.The Tanzanian government, however, has plans to discontinue English as a language of instruction.In connection with hisUjamaasocial policies, President Nyerere encouraged the use of Swahili to help unify the country's many ethnic groups.Approximately 10 per cent of Tanzanians speak Swahili as a first language, and up to 90 per cent speak it as a second language.Many educated Tanzanians are trilingual, also speaking English.The widespread use and promotion of Swahili is contributing to the decline of smaller languages in the country.Young children increasingly speak Swahili as a first language, particularly in urban areas.Ethnic community languages (ECL) other than Kiswahili are not allowed as a language of instruction. Nor are they taught as a subject, though they might be used unofficially in some cases in initial education. Television and radio programmes in an ECL are prohibited, and it is nearly impossible to get permission to publish a newspaper in an ECL. There is no department of local or regional African Languages and Literatures at the University of Dar es Salaam.
TheSandawe peoplespeak a language that may be related to theKhoe languagesof Botswana and Namibia, while the language of theHadzabe people, although it has similarclick consonants, is arguably alanguage isolate.The language of theIraqw peopleis Cushitic.
In 2015, the literacy rate in Tanzania was 77.9% for people aged 15 and over (83.2% males, 73.1% females).Education is compulsory until children reach age 15.In 2020, 97% completed primary (98.4% females and 95.5% males), 28.3% completed secondary (30% females and 27% males), and 8% completed tertiary education (7% females and 8.5% males).
The Tanzania Library Services Board operates twenty-one regional, eighteen district, and one divisional library.
As of 2012, life expectancy at birth was 61 years.The under-five mortality rate in 2012 was 54 per 1,000 live births.Thematernal mortalityrate in 2013 was estimated at 410 per 100,000 live births.Prematurityandmalariawere tied in 2010 as the leading cause of death in children under five years old.The other leading causes of death for these children were, in decreasing order,malaria,diarrhoea, HIV, andmeasles.
Malaria in Tanzania causes death and disease and has a "huge economic impact".There were approximately 11.5 million cases of clinical malaria in 2008.In 2007–08, malaria prevalence among children aged 6 months to five years was highest in theKagera Region(41.1 per cent) on the western shore of Lake Victoria and lowest in theArusha Region(0.1 per cent).
According to the 2010Tanzania Demographic and Health Survey 2010, 15 per cent of Tanzanian women had undergonefemale genital mutilation(FGM)and 72 per cent of Tanzanian men had been circumcised.FGM is most common in theManyara,Dodoma,Arusha, andSingidaregions and nonexistent inZanzibar.The prevalence of male circumcision was above 90 per cent in the eastern(Dar es Salaam,Pwani, andMorogororegions), northern (Kilimanjaro,Tanga, Arusha, and Manyara regions), and central areas (Dodoma andSingidaregions) and below 50 per cent only in the southern highlands zone (Mbeya,Iringa, andRukwaregions).
2012 data showed that 53 per cent of the population used improved drinking water sources (defined as a source that "by nature of its construction and design, is likely to protect the source from outside contamination, in particular from faecal matter") and 12 per cent used improved sanitation facilities (defined as facilities that "likely hygienically separates human excreta from human contact" but not including facilities shared with other households or open to public use).On January 21, 2025, Tanzania's President, Samia Suluhu Hassan, has confirmed an outbreak of the Marburg virus, a highly infectious disease similar to Ebola. She expressed confidence in the country's ability to overcome the outbreak, emphasizing the importance of public awareness and adherence to health guidelines. The government is implementing measures to contain the virus's spread and is collaborating with international health organizations to manage the situation.
Women and men have equality before the law.The government signed theConvention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women(CEDAW) in 1985.Nearly 3 out of ten women reported having experiencedsexual violencebefore the age of 18.The prevalence offemale genital mutilationhas decreased.School girls are reinstated back to school after delivery.The Police Force administration strives to separate the Gender Desks from normal police operations to enhance confidentiality of the processing of women victims of abuse.Most of the abuses and violence against women and children occurs at the family level.TheConstitution of Tanzaniarequires that women constitute at least 30% of all elected members ofNational Assembly.The gender differences in education and training have implications later in life of these women and girls.Unemployment is higher for females than for males.The right of a female employee tomaternity leaveis guaranteed in labour law.
As in other countries, the music in Tanzania is constantly undergoing changes, and varies by location, people, settings and occasion. The five music genres in Tanzania, as defined byBASATAare,ngoma,dansi,kwaya, andtaarab, withbongo flavabeing added in 2001.Singeli has since the mid-2000s been an unofficial music ofuswahilini, unplanned communities inDar es Salaam, and is the newest mainstream genre since 2020.
Ngoma(Bantu, meaning dance, drum and event)is a traditional dance music that has been the most widespread music in Tanzania.Dansi is urban jazz or band music.Taarab is sungKiswahilipoetry accompanied by a band, typically string, in which audience is often, but not always, encouraged to dance and clap.Kwaya was choir music originally limited to church during colonization, but is now a secular part of educational, social, and political events.
Bongo flavais Tanzanian pop music originating in the early 2000s frommuziki wa kizazi kipya, meaning "Music of the new generation", which originated in the late 1980s. Kizazi kipya's dominant influences werereggae,RnB, andhip hop, where as the later bongo flava's dominant influences are taarab and dansi.Three recent influence on bongo flava areAfropopin the 2010s, as well asamapianofromSouth Africaand singeli from Tanzania, both since 2020.Singeli is a ngoma music that originated in Manzese, an uswahilini in north-west Dar es Salaam. A MC performs over fast tempo taarab music, often at between 200 and 300beats per minute (BPM)while females dance. Styles between MC gender typically differ significantly. Male MCs usually perform in fast-paced rap, while female MCs usually perform kwaya.
From independence until 1993, all recording and distribution of music was strictly managed by BASATA, primarily throughRadio Tanzania Dar es Salaam(RTD).Only the four Tanzanian genres were permitted to be recorded or broadcast, which at the time was ngoma, taarab, kwaya and dansi. The Broadcasting Services Act of 1993 allowed private broadcast networks and recording studios.In the few years prior to the 1993 Act hip hop had been getting somewhat established in Dar es Salaam, Arusha and Mwanza. It was transitioning from English performances of hip hop originating in uzunguni, rich areas like Oysterbay and Masaki with international schools, to Kiswahili performances of kizazi kipya, originating in uswahilini.Following the opening of the radio waves, bongo flava spreading throughout the country, and the rest of the Great Lakes.
The Tanzanian national anthem is "Mungu Ibariki Africa" (God Bless Africa). It has kiswahili lyrics adapted for "Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" composed by South African composerEnoch Sontongain 1897."Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika" became a pan-African song adapted into the current national anthems for Tanzania,Zambia, and following the end of apartheidSouth Africa.It was previously used in the national anthems forZimbabweandNamibia, but has since been replaced by original new anthems. Another patriotic song isTanzania, Tanzania.
Tanzania's literary culture is primarily oral.Major oral literary forms include folktales, poems, riddles, proverbs, and songs.The greatest part of Tanzania's recorded oral literature is in Swahili, even though each of the country's languages has its own oral tradition.The country's oral literature has been declining because of the breakdown of the multigenerational social structure, making transmission of oral literature more difficult, and because increasing modernisation has been accompanied by the devaluation of oral literature.
Books in Tanzania are often expensive and hard to come by.Most Tanzanian literature is in Swahili or English.Major figures in Tanzanian written literature includeShaaban Robert(considered the father of Swahili literature),Aniceti Kitereza, Muhammed Saley Farsy, Faraji Katalambulla, Adam Shafi Adam,Muhammed Said Abdalla,Peter K. Palangyo, Said Ahmed Mohammed Khamis, Mohamed Suleiman Mohamed,Euphrase Kezilahabi,Gabriel Ruhumbika,Ebrahim Hussein,May Materru Balisidya,Fadhy Mtanga,Abdulrazak Gurnah, andPenina O. Mlama.
Two Tanzanian art styles have achieved international recognition.TheTingatingaschool of painting, founded byEdward Said Tingatinga, consists of brightly coloured enamel paintings on canvas, generally depicting people, animals, or daily life.After Tingatinga's death in 1972, other artists adopted and developed his style, with the genre now being the most important tourist-oriented style in East Africa.
Historically, there were limited opportunities for formal European art training in Tanzania and many aspiring Tanzanian artists left the country to pursue their vocation.
Footballis very popular throughout the country.The most popularprofessional football clubsin Dar es Salaam are theYoung Africans F.C.andSimba S.C.TheTanzania Football Federationis the governing body for football in the country.
Other popular sports includebasketball,netball, boxing,volleyball,athletics, andrugby.The National Sports Council also known as Baraza la Michezo la Taifa is the governing body for sports in the country under the Ministry of Information, Youth, Sports and Culture.
Tanzania has a popular film industry known as "Bongo Movie".It also hosts an international film festival, theZanzibar International Film Festival.
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