EXPLORE TANZANIA
Unique Safari Destination
A country in the great lakes region of East Africa known as the United Republic of Tanzania. Bordering many countries including Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda Burundi, DRC, Zambia, Malawi & Mozambique. The Country’s current president (2018) is H.E John Magufuli.
Tanzania is a unique safari destination and a country of wonders in Africa with over 120 ethnic groups. So much flora and fauna also some known as UNESCO world heritage sites are seen in this beautiful land which borders the Indian Ocean in the east.
Tanzania has a total population of 55.7 million people as of 2016 in a country with 947,303 sq. km of land. The Country got its independence in the early years of 1961 and later Zanzibar, Pemba and Tanganyika towns were united together in April 26th, 1964 to form Tanzania.
QUICK FACTS ABOUT TANZANIA
- Current President: Samia Suluhu Hassan
- Capital City: Dodoma
- Largest city: Dar es Salaam
- Currency: Tanzania Shilling
- Official Language: Kiswahili
- Religions: Christianity, Muslims, Hindu and indigenous religious groups
- Location: East Africa
PEOPLE
Tanzania’s history has been influenced by a procession of peoples, from the original Bantu settlers from south and west Africa to the Arabs from Shiraz in Persia and the Oman; from the Portuguese to the Germans and the British. Tanzanians took control of their own destiny with independence in 1961.
It has a population of over 26 million with 120 African ethnic groups, none of which represent more than 10 per cent of the population. The Sukuma others including the Nyamwezi, the Makonde and the Chaga of the Kilimanjaro region., the largest group, live in the north-western part of the country, south of Lake Victoria. They are fairly commercial oriented and have prospered with a mix of cotton farming and cattle herding.
Unlike in other African countries, most people identify themselves as Tanzanian first and foremost. This reflects the ideals which were introduced by the leader of the nation for over twenty years, Julius Nyerere. The Hadzabe of northern Tanzania have built a society based on hunting and gathering food, while the Iraqw live in the central highlands of Mbulu and are known for their statuesque, immobile posture and sharply delineated features. They grow their own food and tend cattle.
The Masaai, who are perhaps the most well known of East Africa’s ethnic groups, are pastoralists whose livelihood and culture is based on the rearing of cattle, which are used to determine social status and wealth.
They dominate northern Tanzania but only occupy a fraction of their former grazing grounds in the north, much of which they now share with national parks and other protected areas. They are easily recognised by their single red or blue garments and their ochre covered bodies. North of the Masaai steppe, on the slopes of Kilimanjaro, live the Chagga, who farm the mountain side. Through cooperative farming they have achieved a fair standard of living.
The Gogo live near Dodoma and have developed slowly due to lack of water. The formerly warlike Hehe live in Iringa District’s highland grasses. The Makonde are internationally famous for their intricate wood (ebony) carvings (sold over much of East Africa). They live along the coast on the Makonde plateau and their relative isolation has resulted in a high degree of ethnic self-
CULTURE
Tanzania culture is quite rich and the diversity of Tanzania culture appeals to a large number of people coming from across the globe. Tanzania culture is depicted in the various forms of language, painting, sculpture, national anthem, popular dance music and art carrying the cultural values from 120 ethnic groups the country has.
Makonde sculpture, paintings etc are quite famous in Tanzania. Among the painting styles, Tingatinga painting deserves mention.
Bongoflava is represented a new genre of music in the country. Various music bands are popular in Tanzania, Africa and Global as a whole. Events such as the ones listed below makes your day in Tanzania very colourful
CUISINE
Tanzania food has lot of variety ranging from fruits to vegetables to meat and milk products. The main diet of the Tanzanian people is rice, cornmeal, beans, sorghum and millet. Gla is the national meat dish of Tanzania. People living in the coastal areas mainly prefer rice and fish cooked in coconut.
Natural grown fruits and vegetables consumed are the pawpaw (papaya), ndizi (bananas), matunda (fruits), beans, spinach and maize.
Apart from this, Tanzanian food also comprises of vitumbua (sweet fried bread), chauvet (flat fried bread), and juices of oranges, sugarcane and pineapple.
Every ethnic group in Tanzania has its own local beer. On the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, a special type of banana beer known as “Mabel” is available.
MORE ABOUT TANZANIA
Education
Tanzania education offers plenty of opportunities for overall development of the country. Education helps in the improvement of economic infrastructure, in making the citizens of the country much more responsible and hence, they can understand their rights and duties properly so that they can become efficient citizens.
The basic purpose of education in Tanzania is to alleviate poverty and to make the people independent to sustain themselves. Tanzania being a developing country puts more emphasis on education to raise its status in the international front. The government of Tanzania very well understood that if all the people can be educated, only then overall improvement is possible
Sports
Tanzanians loves Football, and indeed it is a very popular throughout the country. The Young Africans F.C. and Simba S.C are the most popular professional football clubs in Dar es Salaam. Football in Tanzania is governed by the Tanzania Football Federation. Other popular sports include netball, boxing, volleyball, athletics, and rugby
Weather
Tanzania location is very close to the equator. Tanzania has a tropical climate but has regional variations due to topography. In the highlands, temperatures range between 10 and 20 °C during cold and hot seasons respectively. Other parts of the country has temperatures rarely falling lower than 20 °C The hottest period extends between November and February while the coldest period occurs between May and August.
However the climate remains favorable between June and September although the patterns of weather keep on changing when moving from one place to another as the country has a varied geographical landscape features.
Climate
Tanzania has a tropical climate but has regional variations due to topography. 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).
Seasonal rainfall is driven mainly by the migration of the Intertropical Convergence Zone. It migrates southwards through Tanzania in October to December, reaching the south of the country in January and February, and returning northwards in March, April, and May. This causes the north and east of Tanzania to experience two distinct wet periods – the short rains (or “Vuli”) in October to December and the long rains (or “Masika”) from March to May – while the southern, western, and central parts of the country experience one wet season that continues October through to April or May.
The onset of the long rains averages 25 March and the cessation averages 21 May. A warmer-than-normal South Atlantic Ocean coupled with a cooler-than-normal Eastern Indian Ocean often causes the onset to be delayed.
Of the land area, 84.1% has a tropical wet and dry/ savanna climate (Aw), 6.9% has a semi-arid/ steppe climate (BS), 9% has a temperate/ mesothermal climate with dry winters (Cw).
Of the population, 80.5% live in a tropical wet and dry/ savanna climate (Aw), 9.5% live in a semi-arid/ steppe climate (BS), 10% live in a temperate/ mesothermal climate with dry winters (Cw)
Geography
Tanzania has a varied geography, including deep and large freshwater and salt lakes, many national parks, and Africa’s highest point, Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m or 19,341 ft)
Northeast Tanzania is mountainous and includes Mount Meru, an active volcano, Mount Kilimanjaro, a dormant volcano, and the Usambara and Pare mountain ranges. Kilimanjaro attracts thousands of tourists each year.
West of those mountains is the Gregory Rift, which is the eastern arm of the Great Rift Valley. On the floor of the rift are a number of large salt lakes, including Natron in the north, Manyara in the south, and Eyasi in the southwest. The rift also encompasses the Crater Highlands, which includes the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the Ngorongoro Crater. Just to the south of Lake Natron is Ol Doinyo Lengai (3,188 m or 10,459 ft), the world’s only active volcano to produce natrocarbonatite lava. To the west of the Crater Highlands lies Serengeti National Park, which is famous for its lions, leopards, elephants, rhinoceroses, and buffalo plus the annual migration of millions of white bearded wildebeest. Just to the southeast of the park is Olduvai Gorge, where many of the oldest hominid fossils and artifacts have been found.
Further northwest is Lake Victoria on the Kenya–Uganda–Tanzania border. This is the largest lake in Africa by surface area and is traditionally named as the source of the Nile River. Lake Victoria covers 69,490 sq km (26,832 sq miles), which is Africa’s largest lake and 49% of it lies in Tanzania. Southwest of this, separating Tanzania from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is Lake Tanganyika . This lake is estimated to be the deepest lake in Africa and second deepest lake in the world after Lake Baikal in Siberia, with maximum depths of 1,470m (4,821ft), and is 673km (420 miles) long and averages 50km (31 miles) across; 41% of its area lies in Tanzania. The western portion of the country between Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika, and Malawi consists of flat land that has been categorised by the World Wildlife Fund as part of the Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands ecoregion. Just upstream from the Kalambo Falls, there is one of the most important archaeological sites in Africa.
The Tanzanian mainland is divided into several clearly defined regions: the coastal plains, which vary in width from 16 to 64km (10 to 39 miles) and have lush, tropical vegetation; the Masai Steppe in the north, 213 to 1,067m (698 to 3,500ft) above sea level.
The centre of Tanzania is a large plateau, which is part of the East African Plateau. The southern half of this plateau is grassland within the Eastern Miombo woodlands ecoregion, the majority of which is covered by the huge Selous National Park. Further north the plateau is arable land and includes the national capital, Dodoma.
The eastern coast contains Tanzania’s largest city and former capital, Dar es Salaam. Just north of this city lies the Zanzibar Archipelago, a semi-autonomous territory of Tanzania which is famous for its spices.
The coast is home to areas of East African mangroves, mangrove swamps that are an important habitat for wildlife on land and in the water.