About Tanzania

 

She is found in East Africa and bordered by both Kenya and Uganda in the north, Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the west, then Mozambique, Zambia, Malawi in the south and then the Indian ocean in the east. The country derived its name from Tanganyika which was known as the mainland part, and the Zanzibar islands off its east coast.
She is around 945,087 km² and it’s the world's 31st-largest country. In the north east, it’s mountainous and it’s where Mount Kilimanjaro Africa's highest peak is found. Both in the north and west we find two Great Lakes of part of Lake Victoria which is the largest in Africa and then Lake Tanganyika deepest lake in Africa and it’s also known for its unique species of fish. For the central Tanzania, you get a large plateau, with plains and arable land. And the eastern part is described as hot and humid, with the island of Zanzibar lying just offshore.
Tanzania comprises of many large and ecologically significant wildlife parks which include the famous Ngorongoro Crater, Serengeti National Park that is found in the north, both Selous Game Reserve and Mikumi National Park found in the south, and then Gombe National Park in the west.
In 1996 government offices were transferred from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma, making Dodoma the country's political capital. Dar es Salaam remains the principal commercial city.
Because of the fossils of old Stone Age men found in and around Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania, she is regarded as a home to some of the oldest human settlements unearthed by archaeologists.

Tanganyika and neighboring Zanzibar became independent in 1963 under the leadership of Julius Nyerere. The two states emerged and became one country Tanzania on April 26, 1964. During the period of 1848, the German missionary by the name of Johannes Rebmann was the first European to see Mount Kilimanjaro. And in 1858, both John Speke and Richard Burton mapped Lake Tanganyika. Then in 1877, the first Belgian expeditions arrived in Zanzibar.

 

Politics
Both the seat of the president and National Assembly members are elected by the public. One stays in the seat for five years. But the prime minister is elected by the president and he serves as the government's leader in the National Assembly. Also the president selects his cabinet from among National Assembly members. Besides that, the Constitution also empowers him to nominate ten non-elected members of Parliament, who also are eligible to become cabinet members.

 

Regions and districts
She is divided into 26 regions whereby twenty-one are found in the mainland and five are found in Zanzibar and the three are in Unguja then the two in Pemba. The districts are 98 in number with each district having a council which is known as local government authorities. Right now there are 114 councils operating in 99 districts whereby 22 are urban and the 92 are rural.
Tanzania's regions include Arusha, Mara, Dar es Salaam, Morogoro, Ruvuma, Dodoma, Pemba North, Tabora, Mbeya, Iringa, Kagera, Pwani, Zanzibar Central/South, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Manyara, Mtwara, Mwanza, Pemba South, Rukwa, Shinyanga, Singida, Tanga, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar Urban/West

 

Culture and languages
Tanzania is believed to be a home to some of the most incredible tribal diversity in Africa. There are large ethnic groups like the both the Sukuma and the Nyamwezi who have Bantu origins. Then the Groups of Nilotic or related origin includes the nomadic Masai and the Luo, both of which are found in greater numbers in neighboring Kenya. Two small groups speak languages of the Khoisan family peculiar to the people of the Kalahari in southern Africa. Cushitic-speaking peoples, originally from the Ethiopian highlands, reside in a few areas of Tanzania. Other Bantu groups were refugees from Mozambique.
It’s a country of approximately 120 tribal groups and most of these are in small communities because of the changes in land use and the economic draw of city life. For the past few years, cultural tourism has become one of the attractions in Tanzania whereby there have been visits to tribal villages by the tourists.
Part of culture is the Taarab music which is a fusion of pre-Islamic Swahili tunes sung in rhythmic poetic style spiced with general Islamic melodies. It is an extremely lively art form springing from a classical culture, still immensely popular with women, drawing all the time from old and new sources. Taarab forms a major part of the social life of the Swahili people along the coastal areas; especially Zanzibar, Tanga and even further in Mombasa and Malindi along the Kenya coast. Wherever the Swahili speaking people traveled, Tarabu culture moved with them.
The Masaai people stay in the northern regions of the country and are described as Pastoralists who truly love their culture. They depend on protecting and caring for their herds of cattle and finding ample grazing land in their region. Their huts are described as manyatas which are small mud huts with a secure open circle where their cattle and other herd animals stay. Woven thick fence built from the thorn bushes protect the herds from predators like lions. Masaai are temporarily and keep on moving from one place to another looking for good grazing land and water.
The ‘Spice Islands’ on the Tanzanian coast is the home to the Swahili people which is a vibrant mix of Arab, Indian and Bantu origins who historically lived around the Indian ocean. These areas are predominantly Islamic regions and they have old mosques and coral palaces that are found throughout the area. Swahili culture centers around the dhow, a wooden sailing boat powered by the seasonal wind. Because of the water, fishing is the major income earner in small villages throughout the area. Also both the coconut and spice plantations continue to form an important source of export. Tanzania offers a unique glimpse into African life as it has remained for centuries.

 

Weather and Climate
The coldest months occur during the northern hemisphere because Tanzania lies below the equator, but the weather in Tanzania remains pleasant and comfortable thought the whole year. While from June to October temperatures range from about 10°C in the northern highlands to about 23°C on the coast, from June to October both on the plains and the lower-altitude game reserves it’s warm and mild. When you want the most peasant months to visit the coast, then these months are favorable because during the day its sunny and cooling ocean breezes at night.

The driest seasons are between December and March whereby it’s hot and sunny with often not a cloud in the sky. Clear sunny days are the norm in the northern highlands and the heat of mid-day is tempered by the golden light in late afternoon and the especially striking sunsets.
Tanzania’s equatorial climate brings two seasons of rain each year: the masika, or long rains that fall from mid-March to the end of May, and the mvuli, or short rains, that come intermittently throughout November and parts of December, and sometimes stretch into early January. During the long rains, heavy showers fall in the early mornings but usually clear up by mid-day, with the weather often remaining clear and sunny until late afternoon. By evening, impressive cloud formations build, breaking sometime after dark and the rain often continues throughout the night. During the short rains, light showers in the mornings and late afternoons are punctuated by stretches of clear weather and beautiful rays of sunlight. The beginning of both rainy seasons is marked by a change in the winds which historically, marked the time for trading boats to set off on expeditions across the Indian Ocean or return to their native lands.

 

 

Food
There are a variety of cuisines in Tanzania which are both unique and widely varied. Along the coastal regions both spicy foods and coconut milk are common. Regions in Tanzania's mainland also have their own unique foods. Common foods include: Rice, Ugali, Nyama Choma, Chapati , Fish, Mishkaki, Pilau & Biryani, Ndizi-Nyama, Plantains, vegetables as part of diet Bamia/Okra, Mchicha/spinach, Njegere/green peas, Maharage/Beans, Kisamvu/Cassava leaves and so on.
Beverages many people drink African tea and it’s accompanied by with either Chapati or pancakes, or Maandazi and also some take coffee. There are also local beverages depending on the different tribes and regions.E.g. Local Brews: For coastal regions, such as Tanga and Dar-es-salaam, Mnazi/Tembo is widely consumed. Other brews include Wanzuki and Mbege.