Tanzania

The modern nation of Tanzania formed in 1964, with the combination of countries of Tanganyika and the island nation of Zanzibar. The name “Tanzania” also came from a combination of the two previous names. Tanzania lies in East Africa, and borders Uganda, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and other nations, as well as the Indian Ocean. The official capital city since 1996 is Dodoma, though the previous capital of Dar es Salaam on the coast remains the major seaport and principal commercial center of the country.

Tanzania is mountainous in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest peak, stands. To the northwest lie the Great Lakes of Lake Victoria (Africa’s largest lake) and Lake Tanganyika (Africa’s deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish). Central Tanzania comprises a large plateau, with plains and arable land. The eastern shore offers a hot and humid climate, with the island of Zanzibar lying just offshore.

Tanzania contains many large and ecologically significant wildlife parks, including the famous Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park in the north, and Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi National Park in the south. Gombe National Park in the west is known as the site of Dr. Jane Goodall’s studies of chimpanzee behavior.

Mount Kilimanjaro’s snow-capped peak towers over the Great Rift Valley. Rainforest, tarns, alpine meadows, exotic high-altitude vegetation, sunbirds, hyrax, and soaring eagles make a trek on this peak one of the most unique mountaineering experiences in the world.

But it is the wildlife preserves that make Tanzania famous. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area, for example, is a conservation area and a UNESCO World Heritage Site situated 180 kilometers (110 miles) west of Arusha in the Crater Highlands area of Tanzania. The Ngorongoro Crater, a large volcanic caldera, lies within the area. Aside from herds of zebra, gazelle, and wildebeest, the crater shelters the “big five” of wildlife species: rhinoceros, lion, leopard, elephant, and buffalo. The crater plays host to almost every individual species of wildlife in East Africa, with an estimated 25,000 animals living within the crater. In the summer, enormous numbers of Serengeti migrants pass through the plains of the reserve, including 1.7 million wildebeest, 260,000 zebra, and 470,000 gazelles. Also common in the reserve are lions, hartebeest, spotted hyenas, and jackals. Cheetahs, although common in the reserve, are scarce in the crater itself.

Tanzania’s world-famous archeological site of Olduvai Gorge has shown that early hominid and human habitation in Tanzania goes back three million years.

Today, about 57 million people live in Tanzania. The people of the country come from a rich cultural blend of over 120 ethnic groups. As a former British colony, English is widely spoken here today, along with Swahili.