NAVIGATION
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NAVIGATION
United Republic of Tanzania
former: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar
INTRODUCTION
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Background:
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Shortly after independence, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities. |
GEOGRAPHY
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Location:
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Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique |
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Geographic coordinates:
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6 00 S, 35 00 E |
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Map references:
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Africa |
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Area:
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total: 945,087 sq km
note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar water: 59,050 sq km land: 886,037 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly larger than twice the size of California |
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Land boundaries:
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total: 3,861 km
border countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km |
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Coastline:
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1,424 km |
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Maritime claims:
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exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
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Climate:
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varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands |
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Terrain:
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plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m |
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Natural resources:
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hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel |
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Land use:
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arable land: 4.24%
permanent crops: 1.02% other: 94.74% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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1,550 sq km (1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought |
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Environment - current issues:
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soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and trade, especially for ivory |
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Environment - international agreements:
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party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban |
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Geography - note:
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Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest |
PEOPLE
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Population:
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35,922,454
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2003 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 44.3% (male 7,988,898; female 7,938,979)
15-64 years: 53.1% (male 9,429,959; female 9,634,102) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 405,803; female 524,713) (2003 est.) |
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Median age:
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total: 17.5 years
male: 17.2 years female: 17.7 years (2002) |
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Population growth rate:
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1.72% (2003 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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39.5 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Death rate:
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17.38 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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-4.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 103.68 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 93.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 113.29 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 44.56 years
male: 43.33 years female: 45.83 years (2003 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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5.24 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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7.8% (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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1.5 million (2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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140,000 (2001 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun: Tanzanian(s)
adjective: Tanzanian |
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Ethnic groups:
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mainland - native African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, native African, mixed Arab and native African |
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Religions:
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mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim |
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Languages:
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Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguju (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages
note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili), English, or Arabic
total population: 78.2% male: 85.9% female: 70.7% (2003 est.) |