1996 Edition

Description

divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue

Location

6 00 S, 35 00 E -- Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique Flag ----

Area

comparative area

slightly larger than twice the size of California

land area

886,040 sq km

note

includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

total area

945,090 sq km

Climate

varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Coastline

1,424 km

Environment

current issues

soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture

international agreements

party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification

natural hazards

the tsetse fly and lack of water limit agriculture; flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season

Geographic coordinates

6 00 S, 35 00 E

Geographic note

Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa

International disputes

boundary dispute with Malawi in Lake Nyasa; Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be indefinite since it has been informally reported that the indefinite section of the Zaire-Zambia boundary has been settled

Irrigated land

1,530 sq km (1989 est.)

Land boundaries

border countries

Burundi 451 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km

total

3,402 km

Land use

arable land

5%

forest and woodland

47%

meadows and pastures

40%

other

7%

permanent crops

1%

Location

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Natural resources

hydropower potential, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel

Terrain

plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south

highest point

Kilimanjaro 5,895 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

Age structure

0-14 years: 45% (male 6,536,911; female 6,576,752) 15-64 years: 52% (male 7,360,370; female 7,739,500) 65 years and over: 3% (male 396,128; female 448,809) (July 1996 est.)

Birth rate

41.31 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Death rate

19.47 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)

Ethnic divisions

mainland

native African (95% Bantu, consisting of well over 100 tribes) 99%, Asian, European, and Arab 1%

Infant mortality rate

105.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)

Languages

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 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

Life expectancy at birth

female

43.78 years (1996 est.)

male

40.95 years

total population

42.34 years

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili), English, or Arabic (1995 est.)

female

56.8%

male

79.4%

total population

67.8%

Nationality

adjective

Tanzanian

noun

Tanzanian(s)

Net migration rate

-10.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)

note

the total number of Rwandan and Burundian refugees in Tanzania is about 750,000

Population

29,058,470 (July 1996 est.)

Population growth rate

1.15% (1996 est.)

Religions

mainland

Christian 45%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Sex ratio

all ages

0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years

0.99 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female

Total fertility rate

5.67 children born/woman (1996 est.)

Zanzibar

Arab, mixed Arab and native African, native African

Muslim more than 99%

Administrative divisions

25 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida, Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar Urban/West, Ziwa Magharibi

Capital

Dar es Salaam

note

some government offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital by the end of the 1990s

Constitution

25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

Data code

TZ

Diplomatic representation in US

chancery

2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Mustafa Salim NYANG'ANYI

telephone

[1] (202) 939-6125

Executive branch

cabinet

Cabinet was appointed by the president from the members of the National Assembly

chief of state

President Benjamin MKARA (since 22 November 1995) was elected for a five-year term by popular vote; election last held 29 October-19 November 1995 (next to be held 29 October 2000); results - Benjamin MKARA 62%, MREMA 28%, LIPUMBA 6%, CHEYO 4%; Vice President Omar Ali JUMA (since 22 November 1995); President of Zanzibar Salmin AMOUR (since 27 October 1995); election last held 22 October 1995 (next to be held 22 October 2000); results - Salmin AMOUR 50.2%, HAMAD 49.8%

head of government

Prime Minister Fredrick SUMAYE (since 27 November 1995) was appointed by the president

FAX

[1] (202) 797-7408

[255] (51) 66701

Flag

divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue

Independence

26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent 19 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G- 6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, SADC, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal; High Court

Legal system

based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

unicameral

Name of country

conventional long form

United Republic of Tanzania

conventional short form

Tanzania

former

United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

National Assembly (Bunge)

elections last held 29 October-19 November 1995 (next to be held 29 October 2000); results - percent of total vote by party NA; seats - (274 total, 232 elected) CCM 186, opposition parties 46; of the 42 seats which are not elected some are filled by presidential appointment and others are designated by law for specific officials

National holiday

Union Day, 26 April (1964)

Political parties and leaders

Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM or Revolutionary Party), Ali Hassan MWINYI; Civic United Front (CUF), Seif Sharif HAMAD; National Convention for Construction and Reform (NCCR), Lyatonga (Augustine) MREMA; Union for Multiparty Democracy (UMD), Abdullah FUNDIKIRA; Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), Edwin I. M. MTEI, chairman; Democratic Party (unregistered), Reverend MTIKLA; United Democratic Party (UDP), John CHEYO

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type of government

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission

Ambassador J. Brady ANDERSON

embassy

36 Laibon Road (off Bagamoyo Road), Dar es Salaam

mailing address

P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam

telephone

[255] (51) 66010 through 66015

Agriculture

coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashews, tobacco, cloves (Zanzibar), corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats

Budget

expenditures

$631 million, including capital expenditures of $118 million (1990 est.)

revenues

$495 million

Currency

1 Tanzanian shilling (TSh) = 100 cents

Economic aid

recipient

ODA, $NA

Economic overview

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, which accounts for 58% of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 90% of the work force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 5% of the land area. Industry accounts for 8% of GDP and is mainly limited to processing agricultural products and light consumer goods. The economic recovery program announced in mid-1986 has generated notable increases in agricultural production and financial support for the program by bilateral donors. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's deteriorated economic infrastructure. Growth in 1991-94 has featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial increase in output of minerals, led by gold. Recent banking reforms have helped increase private sector growth and investment.

Electricity

capacity

440,000 kW

consumption per capita

30 kWh (1993)

production

880 million kWh

Exchange rates

Tanzanian shillings (TSh) per US$1 - 558.18 (December 1995), 574.76 (1995), 509.63 (1994), 405.27 (1993), 297.71 (1992), 219.16 (1991)

Exports

$462 million (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities

coffee, cotton, tobacco, tea, cashew nuts, sisal

partners

Germany, UK, Japan, Netherlands, Kenya, Hong Kong, US

External debt

$6.7 billion (1993)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP

purchasing power parity - $23.1 billion (1995 est.)

GDP composition by sector

agriculture

58%

industry

8%

services

34% (1995 est.)

GDP per capita

$800 (1995 est.)

GDP real growth rate

2.7% (1995 est.)

Illicit drugs

growing role in transshipment of Southwest Asian heroin destined for European and US markets

Imports

$1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

commodities

manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, cotton piece goods, crude oil, foodstuffs

partners

Germany, UK, US, Japan, Italy, Denmark

Industrial production growth rate

9.3% (1990)

Industries

primarily agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine), diamond and gold mining, oil refining, shoes, cement, textiles, wood products, fertilizer

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

25% (1994 est.)

Labor force

13.495 million

by occupation

agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 10% (1986 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Branches

Tanzanian People's Defense Force (TPDF; includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary Police Field Force Unit, Militia

Defense expenditures

exchange rate conversion - $69 million, NA% of GDP (FY94/95)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49

6,499,244

males fit for military service

3,765,193 (1996 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 12, FM 4, shortwave 0

Radios

640,000 (1992 est.)

Telephone system

fair system operating below capacity

domestic

open wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter

international

satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones

137,000 (1989 est.)

Television broadcast stations

2 (1987 est.)

Televisions

45,000 (1992 est.) Defense

Airports

total

111

with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

6

with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m

2

with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m

1

with paved runways over 3 047 m

2

with paved runways under 914 m

28

with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m

15

with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m

57 (1995 est.)

Highways

paved

20,572 km (including 50 km of expressways)

total

55,600 km

unpaved

35,028 km (1992 est.)

Merchant marine

ships by type

cargo 3, oil tanker 2, passenger-cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1995 est.)

total

8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 30,371 GRT/41,269 DWT

Pipelines

crude oil 982 km

Ports

Bukoba, Dar es Salaam, Kigoma, Lindi, Mkoani, Mtwara, Musoma, Mwanza, Tanga, Wete, Zanzibar

Railways

narrow gauge

2,600 km 1.000-m gauge; 969 km 1.067-m gauge note:: the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri M'poshi in Zambia is not a part of Tanzania Railways Corporation; 969 km are in Tanzania and 891 km are in Zambia; because of the difference in gauge, this system does not connect to Tanzania Railways

total

3,569 km (1995)

Waterways

Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, Lake Nyasa