Tanzania Travel Podcast with Zawadi Mushi

Location

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

Terrain

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

Climate

Varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Elevation

Highest point

Kilimanjaro (highest point in Africa) 5,895 m

Lowest point

Indian Ocean 0 m

Mean elevation

1,018 m

Area

Total

947,300 sq km

Land

885,800 sq km

Water

61,500 sq km

Size comparison

More than six times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than twice the size of California

Coastline

1,424 km

Land borders

Total

4,161 km

Border countries

Burundi 589 km; Democratic Republic of the Congo 479 km; Kenya 775 km; Malawi 512 km; Mozambique 840 km; Rwanda 222 km; Uganda 391 km; Zambia 353 km

Natural resources

Hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones (including tanzanite, found only in Tanzania), gold, natural gas, nickel

Land use

Agricultural land

44.6% (2023 est.)

Arable land

15.2% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

2.3% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

27.1% (2023 est.)

Forest

50.1% (2023 est.)

Other

5.3% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought

Volcanism: limited volcanic activity; Ol Doinyo Lengai (2,962 m) has emitted lava in recent years; other historically active volcanoes include Kieyo and Meru

Note

Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa and one of only three mountain ranges on the continent that has glaciers (the others are Mount Kenya in Kenya and the Ruwenzori Mountains on the Uganda-Democratic Republic of the Congo border); Tanzania is 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

Population

Total

69,145,464 (2025 est.)

Male

34,597,449

Female

34,548,015

Nationality

Noun

Tanzanian(s)

Adjective

Tanzanian

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

Languages

Languages

Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic, many local languages

Major-language sample(s)

The World Factbook, Chanzo cha Lazima Kuhusu Habari ya Msingi. (Kiswahili)

Religions

Christian 63.1%, Muslim 34.1%, folk religion 1.1%, Buddhist <1%, Hindu <1%, Jewish <1%, other <1%, unspecified 1.6% (2020 est.)

Median age

Total

18.8 years (2025 est.)

Male

18.8 years

Female

19.4 years

Life expectancy

Total population

70.8 years (2024 est.)

Male

69 years

Female

72.6 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

37.4% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

4.89% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

The largest and most populous East African country; population distribution is extremely uneven, but greater population clusters occur in the northern half of country and along the east coast, as shown in this population distribution map

Largest cities

262,000 Dodoma (legislative capital) (2018), 7.776 million DAR ES SALAAM (administrative capital), 1.311 million Mwanza, 800,000 Zanzibar (2023)

Background

Tanzania contains some of Africa’s most iconic national parks and famous paleoanthropological sites, and its diverse cultural heritage reflects the multiple ethnolinguistic groups that live in the country. Its long history of integration into trade networks spanning the Indian Ocean and the African interior led to the development of Swahili as a common language in much of east Africa and the introduction of Islam into the region. A number of independent coastal and island trading posts in what is now Tanzania came under Portuguese control after 1498 when they began to take control of much of the coast and Indian Ocean trade. By 1700, the Sultanate of Oman had become the dominant power in the region after ousting the Portuguese, who were also facing a series of local uprisings. During the next hundred years, Zanzibar -- an archipelago off the coast that is now part of Tanzania -- became a hub of Indian Ocean trade, with Arab and Indian traders establishing and consolidating trade routes with communities in mainland Tanzania that contributed to the expansion of the slave trade. Zanzibar briefly became the capital of the Sultanate of Oman before it split into separate Omani and Zanzibar Sultanates in 1856. Beginning in the mid-1800s, European explorers, traders, and Christian missionaries became more active in the region. The Germans eventually established control over mainland Tanzania -- which they called Tanganyika -- and the British established control over Zanzibar. Tanganyika came under British administration after the German defeat in World War I.

Tanganyika gained independence from Great Britain in 1961, and Zanzibar followed in 1963 as a constitutional monarchy. In Tanganyika, Julius NYERERE, a charismatic and idealistic socialist, established a one-party political system that centralized power and encouraged national self-reliance and rural development. In 1964, a popular uprising overthrew the Sultan in Zanzibar and either killed or expelled many of the Arabs and Indians who had dominated the isles for more than 200 years. Later that year, Tanganyika and Zanzibar combined to form the United Republic of Tanzania, but Zanzibar retained considerable autonomy. Their two ruling parties combined to form the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) party in 1977, which has since won every presidential election. Tanzania held its first multi-party elections in 1995, but CCM candidates have continued to dominate politics. The ruling party has claimed victory in four contentious elections since 1995, despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities. In 2001, 35 people died in Zanzibar when soldiers fired on protestors. John MAGUFULI won the 2015 and 2020 presidential elections, and the CCM won over two-thirds of the seats in Parliament in both elections. MAGUFULI died in 2021 while in office and was succeeded by his vice president, Samia Suluhu HASSAN.

Government

Presidential republic

Capital

Dodoma

Time zone

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

Local name

Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania

Independence

26 April 1964 (Tanganyika united with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar); 29 October 1964 (renamed United Republic of Tanzania); notable earlier dates: 9 December 1961 (Tanganyika became independent from UK-administered UN trusteeship); 10 December 1963 (Zanzibar became independent from UK)

National day

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

Overview

Emerging lower middle-income East African economy; resource-rich and growing tourism; strong post-pandemic recovery from hospitality, electricity, mining, and transit sectors; declining poverty; stable inflation; gender-based violence economic and labor force disruptions

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$3,700 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$3,600 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$3,500 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

3.1% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

3.8% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

4.4% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

2.6% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

2.6% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

2.6% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Tanzanian shillings (TZS) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

2,597.9 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

2,383.043 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

2,303.034 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

2,297.764 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

2,294.146 (2020 est.)

Main industries

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

Agriculture

Maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas, milk, sugarcane, rice, vegetables, beans, sunflower seeds (2023)

Airports

206 (2025)

Railways

Total

4,097 km (2022)

Standard gauge

421 km (2022)

Narrow gauge

969 km (2022) 1.067 m gauge

Broad gauge

2,707 km (2022) 1.000 m guage

Ports

Total ports

8 (2024)

Large

0

Medium

1

Small

3

Very small

4

Ports with oil terminals

4

Key ports

Chake Chake, Dar Es Salaam, Tanga, Zanzibar

Internet domain

.tz

Internet users

Percent of population 29% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

86.8 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

127 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

Water pollution; improper management of liquid waste; indoor air pollution from burning wood or charcoal for cooking and heating; soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; coral reef destruction; illegal hunting and animal trade, especially ivory; loss of biodiversity; solid waste disposal

Fresh water

96.27 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

UNESCO Global Geoparks

Total global geoparks and regional networks

1

Global geoparks and regional networks

Ngorongoro Lengai (2023)