1982 Edition

Area

939,652 km2 (including islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, 2,642 km2); 6% inland water, 15% cultivated, 31% grassland, 48% bush forest, woodland; on mainland, 60% arable, of which 40% cultivated on islands of Zanzibar and Pemba

Coastline

1,424 km (this includes 113 km Mafia Island; 177 km Pemba Island; and 212 km Zanzibar)

Land boundaries

3,883 km WATER

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

50 nm

Ethnic divisions

99% native Africans consisting of well over 100 tribes; 1% Asian, European, and Arab

Labor force

456,000 in paid employment, over 90% in agriculture

Language

Swahili official, English primary language of commerce, administration and higher education; Swahili widely understood and generally used for communication between ethnic groups; first language of most people is one of the local languages

Literacy

61%

Nationality

noun—Tanzanian(s); adjective—Tanzanian

Organized labor

15% of labor force

Population

19,868,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 3.2%

Religion

Mainland—40% Animist, 30% Christian, 30% Muslim; Zanzibar—almost all Muslim

Branches

President Julius Nyerere has full executive authority on the mainland; National Assembly dominated by Nyerere and the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Revolutionary Party); National Assembly consists of 233 members, 72 from Zanzibar, of which 10 are directly elected, 65 appointed from the mainland, plus 96 directly elected from the mainland; Vice President Aboud Jumbe (President of Zanzibar) and the Revolutionary Council still run Zanzibar except for certain specifically designated union matters

Capital

Dar es Salaam

Communists

a few Communist sympathizers, especially on Zanzibar

Government leaders

President Julius K. NYERERE; Prime Minister Cleopa D. MSUYA

Legal system

based on English common law, Islamic law, customary law, and German civil law system; permanent constitution adopted 1977, replaced interim constitution adopted 1965; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation; legal education at University of Dar es Salaam; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Member of

AFDB, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, ITU, NAM,OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

"Union Day," 26 April

Official name

United Republic of Tanzania

Political subdivisions

25 regions—20 on mainland, 5 on Zanzibar islands

Suffrage

universal over 18 Political party and leaders: Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Revolutionary Party), only political party, dominated by Nyerere and Vice President Jumbe, his top lieutenant; party was formed in 1977 as a result of the earlier union of the Tanganyika African National Union, the sole mainland party, and the Afro-Shirazi Party, the only party in Zanzibar Voting strength (October 1980 national elections): close to 7 million registered voters; Nyerere received 93% of about 6 million votes cast; general elections scheduled for late 1985

Type

republic; single party on the mainland and on Zanzibar

Agriculture

main crops—cotton, coffee, sisal on mainland

main crops—cloves, coconuts

Aid

economic aid commitments from Western (non-US) countries (1970-79), ODA and OOF, $100 million; US, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $200 million

Budget

(1979/80) revenue $890 million, current expenditures $1,110 million, development expenditures $525 million

Electric power

275,000 kW capacity (1980); 964 million kWh produced (1980), 51 kWh per capita

see Mainland (above)

Exchange rate

8.00 Tanzanian shillings=US$1

Exports

$684 million (f.o.b., 1979); coffee, cotton, sisal, cashew nuts, meat, diamonds, cloves, tobacco, tea

$504 million (f.o.b., 1977); cloves and clove products, coconut products

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June

1 July-30 June

GDP

$4.6 billion (1979), $271 per capita; real growth rate, 3.7% (1979)

GNP

$35 million (1967)

Imports

$1,194 million (f.o.b., 1979); manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, cotton piece goods, crude oil, foodstuffs

$723 million (c.i.f., 1977); mainly foodstuffs and consumer goods

Industries

agricultural processing

Major industries

primarily agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine), diamond mine, oil refinery, shoes, cement, textiles, wood products

Major trade partners

exports—China, UK, Hong Kong, India, US; imports—UK, China, West Germany, US, Japan External public debt and ratio: $1.2 billion, 7.3% (1979)

imports—China, Japan, and mainland Tanzania; exports—Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, India, Pakistan

Monetary conversion rate

8.1898 Tanzanian shillings=US$1 (June 1980)

Airfields

95 total, 88 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runway 2,440-3,659 m, 45 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

11 major transport aircraft

Highways

total 34,227 km, 3,588 km paved; 5,529 km gravel or crushed stone; remainder improved and unimproved earth

Inland waterways

1,168 km of navigable streams; several thousand km navigable on Lakes Tanganyika, Victoria, and Malawi

Pipelines

982 km crude oil

Ports

3 major (Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, Tanga)

Railroads

3,555 km total; 960 km 1.067-meter gauge; 2,595 km meter gauge (1.00 m), 6.4 km double track; 962 km Tan-Zam Railroad 1.067-meter gauge in Tanzania

Telecommunications

fair system of open wire, radio relay, and troposcatter; 88,700 telephones (0.5 per 100 popl.); 5 AM and no FM stations, 1 TV station; 1 Indian Ocean satellite station

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 30 June 1981, $179 million; 9% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 4,220,000; 2,421,000 fit for military service