Information on Tanzania

Tanzania is east Africa's largest country covering a massive 943,000 square kilometres. It is bordered by Uganda and Kenya to the North, Rwanda, Burundi and Congo to the west and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. Due to its size, Tanzania takes in a wide cross section of habitat types: the Pacific Ocean and it is coastline; the snow capped peaks of Kilimanjaro; and the Great Rift Valley in between.

Best known for its massive numbers of ungulates and their predators, Tanzania is also home to a number of primate species including the endangered chimpanzee. With over a thousand species of bird, Tanzania is home to a number of birds found nowhere else in the world.

Tanzania has more than 120 different tribal groups. The majority of these are of Bantu Origin. The biggest tribes are the Sukuma and the Nyamwezi of the north and the southern shores of Lake Victoria. The Haya have both Bantu and Nilotic origins and inhabit the western shores of Lake Victoria. The Chagga are from the area of the slopes of Kilimanjaro. Due to their location (right on the old trade routes), the Chagga have been the people most exposed to Europeans and, as a result, are the most prosperous of the Tanzanian tribes. The official language is Kiswahili and English. Tanzania's population is around 31 million and its population growth rate is at 3 percent.

Tanzania's main exports are coffee, tea and cotton. Mining is also a major foreign currency earner. Tourism accounts for about 8 percent of GDP.