2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 43.7% (male 8,204,593/female 8,176,489) 15-64 years: 53.6% (male 9,906,446/female 10,178,066) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 422,674/female 557,124) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

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

Airports

124 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1

total

11

under 914 m

1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

113 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 62

under 914 m

33 (2006)

Area

land

886,037 sq km

note

includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

total

945,087 sq km

water

59,050 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than twice the size of California

Background

Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early 1960s, 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 Tanzania

Birth rate

37.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$3.001 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

revenues

$2.431 billion

Capital

geographic coordinates

6 48 S, 39 17 E

name

Dar es Salaam

note

legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meets there on a regular basis

time difference

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Coastline

1,424 km

Constitution

25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

Country name

conventional long form

United Republic of Tanzania

conventional short form

Tanzania

former

United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

local long form

Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania

local short form

Tanzania

Currency (code)

Tanzanian shilling (TZS)

Currency code

TZS

Current account balance

$-906 million (2006 est.)

Death rate

16.39 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$4.61 billion (2006 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Michael L. RETZER

embassy

140 Msese Road, Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam

mailing address

P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam

telephone

[255] (22) 2666-010 through 2666-015

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Andrew Mhando DARAJA

telephone

[1] (202) 939-6125

Disputes - international

Tanzania still hosts more than a half-million refugees, more than any other African country, mainly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, despite the international community's efforts at repatriation; disputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant

Distribution of family income - Gini index

38.2 (1993)

Economic aid - recipient

$1.2 billion (2001)

Economy - overview

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for almost half of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area. Industry traditionally featured the processing of agricultural products and light consumer goods. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's out-of-date economic infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. Long-term growth through 2005 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. Continued donor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported real GDP growth of nearly 6% in 2006.

Electricity - consumption

2.383 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

2.562 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

18.9%

hydro

81.1%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Kilimanjaro 5,895 m

lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

Environment - current issues

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

Environment - international agreements

party to

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

Ethnic groups

mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African

Exchange rates

Tanzanian shillings per US dollar - 1,259.54 (2006), 1,128.93 (2005), 1,089.33 (2004), 1,038.42 (2003), 966.58 (2002)

Executive branch

cabinet

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

chief of state

President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

election results

Jakaya KIKWETE elected president; percent of vote - Jakaya KIKWETE 80.3%, Ibrahim LIPUMBA 11.7%, Freeman MBOWE 5.9%

elections

president and vice president elected on the same ballot by popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 14 December 2005(next to be held in December 2010); prime minister appointed by the president

head of government

President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

note

Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government for matters internal to Zanzibar; Amani Abeid KARUME was reelected to that office on 30 October 2005

Exports

$1.831 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton

Exports - partners

China 10.2%, Canada 8.7%, India 7.3%, Netherlands 5.2%, Japan 4.5%, Kenya 4.4%, Germany 4.3% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 797-7408

[255] (22) 2666-701, 2668-501

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June Communications Tanzania

Flag 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 Economy Tanzania

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

43.3%

industry

17.7%

services

39% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$800 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

5.8% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$13.13 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$29.25 billion (2006 est.)

Geographic coordinates

6 00 S, 35 00 E

Geography - note

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 Tanzania

Government type

republic

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

8.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

160,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1.6 million (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

30.1% (1993)

lowest 10%

2.8%

Illicit drugs

growing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African, European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for southern Africa; money laundering remains a problem This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Imports

$3.18 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial raw materials, crude oil

Imports - partners

South Africa 13.1%, China 9.5%, India 7%, UAE 6%, Kenya 5.1%, UK 4.1% (2005)

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

Industrial production growth rate

8.4% (1999 est.)

Industries

agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine); diamond, gold, and iron mining, salt, soda ash; cement, oil refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer

Infant mortality rate

female

87.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

105.64 deaths/1,000 live births

total

96.48 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

5.9% (2006 est.)

International organization participation

ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EADB, FAO, G-6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Internet country code

.tz

Internet hosts

8,609 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

6 (2000)

Internet users

333,000 (2005) Transportation Tanzania

Investment (gross fixed)

19% of GDP (2006 est.)

Irrigated land

1,840 sq km (2003)

Judicial branch

Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court of Appeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court (consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by the president; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts; Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to the higher courts)

Labor force

19.35 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

80%

industry and services

20% (2002 est.)

Land boundaries

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

total

3,861 km

Land use

arable land

4.23%

other

94.61% (2005)

permanent crops

1.16%

Languages

Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (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

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 National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats - 232 elected by popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the president, 5 to members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; members serve five-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has 50 seats, directly elected by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms)

election results

National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CCM 206, CUF 19, CHADEMA 5, other 2, women appointed by the president 37, Zanzibar representatives 5; Zanzibar House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CCM 30, CUF 19; 1 seat was nullified with a rerun to take place soon

elections

last held 14 December 2005 (next to be held in December 2010)

Life expectancy at birth

female

46.37 years (2006 est.)

male

44.93 years

total population

45.64 years

Literacy

definition

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

female

70.7% (2003 est.) Government Tanzania

male

85.9%

total population

78.2%

Location

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

Major infectious diseases

degree of risk

very high

food or waterborne diseases

bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever

vectorborne diseases

malaria, Rift Valley fever and plague are high risks in some locations

water contact disease

schistosomiasis (2007)

Manpower available for military service

males age 18-49

7,422,869 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service

males age 18-49

3,879,630 (2005 est.)

Map references

Africa

Maritime claims

exclusive economic zone

200 nm

territorial sea

12 nm

Median age

female

18 years (2006 est.)

male

17.5 years

total

17.7 years

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 4

registered in other countries

2 (Honduras 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 1) (2006)

total

9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 24,801 GRT/31,507 DWT

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$21.2 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

0.2% (2005 est.) Transnational Issues Tanzania

Military service age and obligation

15 years of age for voluntary military service; 18 years of age for compulsory military service upon graduation from secondary school; conscript service obligation - two years (2004)

National holiday

Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)

Nationality

adjective

Tanzanian

noun

Tanzanian(s)

Natural gas - consumption

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

22.65 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Natural hazards

flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought

Natural resources

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

Net migration rate

-3.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

23,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

0 bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines

gas 254 km; oil 872 km (2006)

Political parties and leaders

Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Party of Democracy and Development) or CHADEMA [Bob MAKANI]; Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM (Revolutionary Party) [Jakaya Mrisho KIKWETE]; Civic United Front or CUF [Ibrahim LIPUMBA]; Democratic Party [Christopher MTIKLA] (unregistered); Tanzania Labor Party or TLP [Augustine Lyatonga MREME]; United Democratic Party or UDP [John CHEYO]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

37,445,392

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 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

36% (2002 est.)

Population growth rate

1.83% (2006 est.)

Ports and terminals

Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, Zanzibar City Military Tanzania

Public debt

30.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 12, FM 11, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios

8.8 million (1997)

Railways

narrow gauge

969 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

total

3,690 km

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

393,611 (Burundi), 150,112 (Democratic Republic of the Congo) (2006)

Religions

mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$2.375 billion (2006 est.)

Roadways

paved

6,808 km

total

78,891 km

unpaved

72,083 km (2003)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.03 male(s)/female

total population

0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Tanzanian People's Defense Force (JWTZ)

Army, Naval Wing, Air Defense Command (includes air wing), National Service

Telephone system

domestic

trunk service provided by open-wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being made digital

general assessment

fair system operating below capacity and being modernized for better service; very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system under construction

international

country code - 255; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Telephones - main lines in use

148,400 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular

1.942 million (2005)

Television broadcast stations

3 (1999)

Televisions

103,000 (1997)

Terrain

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

Total fertility rate

4.97 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Waterways

Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not navigable (2005)