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 ended in 1995 with the first democratic
elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's
semi-autonomous status and popular opposition led to two contentious
elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite
international observers' claims of voting irregularities. The
formation of a government of national unity between Zanzibar's two
leading parties succeeded in minimizing electoral tension in 2010.
Geography
Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and
Mozambique
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
flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought
volcanism: limited volcanic activity; Ol
Doinyo Lengai (elev. 2,962 m) has emitted lava in recent years;
other historically active volcanoes include Kieyo and Meru
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
Geography - note:
Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa and one of only two
mountains on the continent that has glaciers (the other is Mount
Kenya); 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 (Lake Malawi) in the southwest
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
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; it has become the lingua
franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of
most people is one of the local languages
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, higher death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected
(July 2014 est.)
name: Dar es Salaam; note -
legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is
planned as the new national capital, and the National Assembly
now meets there on a regular basis; the executive branch with
all ministries and diplomatic representation remains in Dar es
Salaam
geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39
17 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours
ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent on 9 December
1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became
independent on 10 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united
with Zanzibar on 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of
Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania
on 29 October 1964
several previous; latest adopted 25 April 1977; amended many
times, last in 2012; note - in 2012, the Tanzania
Constitutional Review Commission was formed, and in June 2013,
completed the first draft of a new constitution (2013)
chief of state: President Jakaya
KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005); Vice President Mohammed
Gharib BILAL (since 6 November 2010); note - the president is
both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President
Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005); Vice President
Mohammed Gharib BILAL (since 6 November 2010)
note:Zanzibar elects a
president who is head of government for matters internal to
Zanzibar; Ali Mohamed SHEIN elected to that office on 31
October 2010, sworn in 3 November 2010
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the
president from among the members of the National Assembly
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 on 31 October 2010 (next to be held in 2015); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Jakaya KIKWETE
elected president; percent of vote - Jakaya KIKWETE 61.2%,
Willibrod SLAA 26.3%, Ibrahim LIPUMBA 8.1%, other 4.4%
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (357 seats; 239 members
elected by popular vote, 102 allocated to women nominated by
the president, 5 to members of the Zanzibar House of
Representatives; members serve five-year terms, up to 10
additional members appointed by the president, 1 seat reserved
for the Attorney General); 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 with jurisdiction
exclusive to Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives
has 50 seats; members elected by universal suffrage to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held on 31 October
2010 (next to be held in 2015)
election results: National
Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CCM
259, CHADEMA 48, CUF 34, NCCR-M 4, other 7, Zanzibar
representatives 5; Zanzibar House of Representatives - percent
of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CCM 28, CUF 22
highest court(s): Court of Appeal
of the United Republic of Tanzania (consists of the chief
justice and 14 justices); High Court of the United Republic
for Mainland Tanzania (consists of the principal judge and 30
judges organized into commercial, land, and labor courts);
High Court of Zanzibar (consists of the chief justice and NA
judges)
judge selection and term of office:
Court of Appeal and High Court
justices appointed by the national president after
consultation with the Judicial Service Commission for
Tanzania, a judicial body of high level judges and 2 members
appointed by the national president; Court of Appeal and High
Court judges appointed until mandatory retirement at age 60
but can extended; High Court of Zanzibar judges appointed by
the national president after consultation with the Judicial
Commission of Zanzibar; judge tenure NA
subordinate courts: Resident
Magistrates Courts; Kadhi courts (for Islamic family matters);
district and primary courts
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; the banner combines colors
found on the flags of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; green
represents the natural vegetation of the country, gold its
rich mineral deposits, black the native Swahili people, and
blue the country's many lakes and rivers, as well as the
Indian Ocean
note:adopted 1961; the
anthem, which is also a popular song in Africa, shares the
same melody with that of Zambia, but has different lyrics; the
melody is also incorporated into South Africa's anthem
Tanzania is one of the world's poorest economies in terms of
per capita income, however, it has achieved high overall
growth rates based on gold production and tourism. Tanzania
has largely completed its transition to a liberalized market
economy, though the government retains a presence in sectors
such as telecommunications, banking, energy, and mining. The
economy depends on agriculture, which accounts for more than
one-quarter of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs about
80% of the work force. The World Bank, the IMF, and bilateral
donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's aging
economic infrastructure, including rail and port
infrastructure that are important trade links for inland
countries. Recent banking reforms have helped increase
private-sector growth and investment, and the government has
increased spending on agriculture to 7% of its budget. The
financial sector in Tanzania has expanded in recent years and
foreign-owned banks account for about 48% of the banking
industry's total assets. Competition among foreign commercial
banks has resulted in significant improvements in the
efficiency and quality of financial services, though interest
rates are still relatively high, reflecting high fraud risk.
All land in Tanzania is owned by the government, which can
lease land for up to 99 years. Proposed reforms to allow for
land ownership, particularly foreign land ownership, remain
unpopular. Continued donor assistance and solid macroeconomic
policies supported a positive growth rate, despite the world
recession. In 2008, Tanzania received the world's largest
Millennium Challenge Compact grant, worth $698 million, and in
December 2012 the Millennium Challenge Corporation selected
Tanzania for a second Compact. Dar es Salaam used fiscal
stimulus and loosened monetary policy to ease the impact of
the global recession. GDP growth in 2009-13 was a respectable
6-7% per year due to high gold prices and increased
production.
general assessment:
telecommunications services are marginal; system operating
below capacity and being modernized for better service; small
aperture terminal (VSAT) system under construction
domestic: fixed-line telephone
network inadequate with less than 1 connection per 100
persons; mobile-cellular service, aided by multiple providers,
is increasing rapidly and in 2011 exceeded a subscriber base
of 50 telephones per 100 persons; trunk service provided by
open-wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and
fiber-optic cable; some links being made digital
international: country code - 255;
landing point for the EASSy fiber-optic submarine cable system
linking East Africa with Europe and North America; satellite
earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean, 1 Atlantic Ocean)
(2010)
a state-owned TV station and multiple privately owned TV
stations; state-owned national radio station supplemented by
more than 40 privately owned radio stations; transmissions of
several international broadcasters are available (2007)
(Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
are the principal avenues of commerce with neighboring
countries; the rivers are not navigable) (2011)
the International Maritime Bureau reports that shipping in
territorial and offshore waters in the Indian Ocean remain at
risk for piracy and armed robbery against ships, especially as
Somali-based pirates extend their activities south; numerous
commercial vessels have been attacked and hijacked both at
anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores
or cargoes stolen
Tanzania People's Defense Force (Jeshi la Wananchi la
Tanzania, JWTZ): Army, Naval Wing (includes Coast Guard), Air
Defense Command (includes Air Wing), National Service (2007)
dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake
Malawi) and the meandering Songwe River; Malawi contends that
the entire lake up to the Tanzanian shoreline is its
territory, while Tanzania claims the border is in the center
of the lake; the conflict was reignited in 2012 when Malawi
awarded a license to a British company for oil exploration in
the lake
current situation: Tanzania is a
source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and
children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking; the
exploitation of young girls in domestic servitude continues to
be Tanzania's largest human trafficking problem; Tanzanian
boys are subject to forced labor mainly on farms but also in
mines, in the commercial service sector, in the sex trade, and
possibly on small fishing boats; internal trafficking is more
prevalent than transnational trafficking and is usually
facilitated by friends, family members, or intermediaries
offering education or legitimate job opportunities;
trafficking victims from Burundi, Kenya, Bangladesh, Nepal,
Yemen, and India are to work in Tanzania's agricultural,
mining, and domestic service sectors or may be sex trafficked
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List -
Tanzania does not fully comply with the minimum standards for
the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making
significant efforts to do so; law enforcement made modest
anti-trafficking efforts but imposed punishments on offenders
that were inadequate for the seriousness of the crimes
committed; key victim protection provisions of the 2008
anti-trafficking act remain unimplemented; the government
continues to refer child trafficking victims to NGOs for care
but has no procedure for the referral of adult victims; the
national anti-trafficking action plan has not been
implemented; no public awareness campaigns about the dangers
of trafficking are conducted (2013)
targeted by traffickers moving hashish, Afghan heroin, and
South American cocaine transported down the East African
coastline, through airports, or overland through Central
Africa; Zanzibar likely used by traffickers for drug
smuggling; traffickers in the past have recruited Tanzanian
couriers to move drugs through Iran into East Asia
)