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History
Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania is a country on the east coast of Africa. Tanzania 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. The country is named after Tanganyika its mainland part, and the Zanzibar islands off its east coast. The country has been a member of the Commonwealth since reaching independence (1961). In !964, Tanganyika united with Zanzibar, forming the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, later renamed to the United Republic of Tanzania. In 1996 Tanzania's capital was officially moved from Dar es Salaam to Dodoma although many government offices still remain in the old capital.
Development
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. Tanzania has vast amount of natural resources like gold deposits and beautiful national parks that remain underdeveloped. 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 has already started. Recent banking reforms have helped increase private sector growth and investment.
People and History
More than 37.1 million people live in Tanzania. Kiswahili or Swahili (Kiunguju in Zanzibar) and English are the official languages; Arabic and numerous other local languages are spoken as well. The population is overwhelmingly native African (99%), most of whom are Bantu (95%). Religious practices on the mainland include: Christian (30%), Muslim (35%), and indigenous beliefs (35%).
The history of human habitation in Tanzania goes back almost two million years, and the fossils found at Olduvai Gorge by Louis and Mary Leakey now stand among the most important artifacts of the origins of our species. Artifacts of later Paleolithic cultures have also been found in Tanzania. There is evidence that communities along the Tanzanian coast were engaging in overseas trade by the beginning of the first millennium AD. By 900 AD those communities had attracted immigrants from India as well as from southwest Asia, and direct trade extended as far as China. When the Portuguese arrived at the end of the 15th century, they found a major trade center at Kilwa Kisiwani, which they promptly subjugated and then sacked. The Portuguese were expelled from the region in 1698, after Kilwa enlisted the help of Omani Arabs. The Omani dynasty of the Bu Said replaced the region's Yarubi leaders in 1741, and they proceeded to further develop trade. It was during this time that Zanzibar gained its legendary status as a center for the ivory and slave trade, becoming in 1841 the capital city of the sultan of Oman.
In Tanzania's interior, at about the same time, the cattle-grazing Maasai migrated south from Kenya into central Tanzania. Soon afterward the great age of European exploration of the African continent began, and with it came colonial domination. Tanzania fell under German control in 1886, but was handed over to Britain after WWI.
Administration
Hon: Jakaya Kikwete is the currently president of the Republic of Tanzania and was elected in December 2005.
Economy
Agriculture employs around 80 per cent of the working population. Cash crops are the country's main export earners, although depressed prices have kept Tanzanian revenues at a static level despite increases in production. There is an expanding mineral sector: diamonds are mined commercially, as are other gemstones and gold. Coal, phosphates, gypsum, tin and other ores are also extracted. Reserves of uranium, nickel, silver and natural gas have been located. The Government granted oil and gas exploration in the mid-1990s, and some small projects are under way, such as natural gas from the Rufiji delta.
The industrial sector is small and concentrated in agricultural processing and light consumer goods: sugar processing, brewing, textiles and the manufacture of cigarettes are the most important. The government had pinned much of its hopes on development of its service industries, especially transport and tourism. On the whole, the economy has performed fairly well since the mid-1990s, but Tanzania remains one of the world's poorest countries. GDP growth in 2004 was 6.7 per cent. Tanzania is a recipient of foreign aid from both bilateral and multilateral donors, and some efforts have been made to tackle its large foreign debt.
You can get more Tanzania business information at:
Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture
PO Box 9713, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Tel: (22) 211 9436.
Website: www.tccia.co.tz
Arusha International Conference Centre (AICC)
PO Box 3081, Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: (27) 250 2593/5 or 8008.
Website: www.aicc.co.tz
Facts
Population:
38.4 million (UN estimate 2005).
Capital:
Dodoma. Population: 1,692,025 (2002).
Religion:
Christian, Muslims, Hindu and traditional beliefs.
Communications:k
Telephone:
Country code: 255. IDD is available. In some rural areas, international calls must go through the operator. There are many public call boxes in post offices and main towns. Mobile phone coverage is limited in some rural areas.
Internet:
E-mail can be accessed in Internet cafes in main urban areas.
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