Tanzania
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.
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| National motto: Uhuru na Umoja (Swahili) "Freedom and Unity" | |||||
| Official language | Swahili | ||||
| Capital | Dodoma (Dar es Salaam) | ||||
| List of Presidents of Tanzania | Benjamin William Mkapa | ||||
| Prime Minister | Frederick Sumaye | ||||
| Area - Total - water | 945 090 km² 59 050 km² | ||||
| Population - Total (2000) - Density | 35 922 454 20/km² | ||||
| Currency | Tanzanian shilling | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +3h | ||||
| National anthem | Mungu_ibariki_Afrika (God Bless Africa) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .TZ | ||||
| Calling Code | 255 (007 from Kenya and Uganda) | ||||
| Table of contents |
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2 Politics 3 Geography 4 Economy 5 Demographics 6 Regions 7 Culture 8 Miscellaneous topics |
The area was a German colony from the 1880s to 1919. It was British from 1919 to 1961. Shortly after independence, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania on April 26, 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s.
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.
You can find more information about Tanzanian music and events 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, Movie and Sports information, Arusha locality information all are part of an increasing number of websites dedicated to the region.
History
Main article: History of TanzaniaPolitics
Main article: Politics of TanzaniaGeography
Main article: Geography of TanzaniaEconomy
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.Demographics
Main article: Demographics of TanzaniaRegions
Tanzania is divided into 25 regions: Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida, Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar Urban/WestCulture
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.Miscellaneous topics
This article incorporates information from The World Factbook, which is in the public domain.
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