|
The United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania in Swahili) is a country on the east coast of central Africa. It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda on the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo on the west, and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique on the south. To the east it borders the Indian Ocean.
Tanzania has two capital cities, Dar es Salaam and Dodoma. The government moved some government offices to Dodoma from Dar es Salaam during the 1980s
History
Main article: History of Tanzania
The area was a German colony from the 1880s to 1919, then became a British trust territory from 1919 to 1961. In 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar (which had become independent in 1963) merged to form the nation of Tanzania on April 26, 1964. In 1979, Tanzania declared war on Uganda after Uganda invaded and tried to annex Tanzanian territory in the north of the country. Tanzania not only expelled Ugandan forces, but also invaded Uganda itself, forcing the ouster of Idi Amin. One-party rule came to an end in October 1995 when Tanzania held its first ever multi-party election. Benjamin Mkapa was subsequently sworn in as the new president of the United Republic of Tanzania on 23 November, 1995.
10 killed in 2004 Tsunami
Politics
Main article: Politics of Tanzania
Geography
Main article: Geography of Tanzania
Economy
- Main article: Economy of Tanzania
Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, which accounts for half of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 90% of the work force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area. Industry is mainly limited to processing agricultural products and light consumer goods. The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's deteriorated economic infrastructure. Although it has vast amount of natural resources like gold deposits, beautiful national parks which are underdeveloped and less exploited thus they generate little revenue. Growth in 1991-99 has featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial increase in output of minerals, led by gold. Natural gas exploration in the Rufiji Delta looks promising and production could start by 2002. Recent banking reforms have helped increase private sector growth and investment. Short-term economic progress also depends on curbing corruption and cutting on unnecessary public spending [1] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3719712.stm).
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Tanzania
Regions
Main article: Regions of Tanzania
Tanzania is divided into 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
Culture
Main article: Culture of Tanzania
Tanzanian music has been lacking its identity for quite a long time, this is partly attributed to the influx of musicians from the Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire), who were entering the country as refugees. But in recent years, mainly from the mid-nineties, a new breed of young Tanzanian musicians has emerged.
The Tanzanian artistes have devised a new style going by the name of "Bongo Flava", which is blend of all sorts of melodies, beats, rhythms and sounds. The trend among the Tanzanian music consumers has started changing towards favouring products from their local artists who sing in Swahili, the national language.
The mushrooming of FM music stations and cheap production studios has been a major boost to the music industry in the country. Contemporary artists like Lady Jaydee, Mr Nice and many others command a huge audience of followers in the country and neighbouring countries.
More information about Tanzanian music and events can be found on the various portals that have sprung up recently. Tanzania has an enormously high growth-rate for internet technologies, estimated at up to 500% per year. Because costs for computers are still quite high many users share connections at internet cafes or at work. naomba.com business directory (http://www.naomba.com), Movie and Sports information (http://www.tanzaniadirectory.info), Arusha locality information (http://www.tanzaniayangu.com) all are part of an increasing number of websites dedicated to the region.
Communications
Telecommunication services in Tanzania are often very unreliable. The mobile telephone services are usually available only in urban areas, although there are currently efforts to provide nationwide mobile phone coverage. [2] (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4036503.stm)
mobile phone companies
- Vodacom
- Celtel
- Mobitel
- Zantel
- Tanzania Telecommunications Company
Miscellaneous topics
This article incorporates information from The World Factbook, which is in the public domain.
External links
|
