Tanzania

United Republic of Tanzania

republicIndependence 26 April 1964

Tanzania as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 84 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalDar es Salaam

Area945,090 sq km

LocationEastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya

Populationas each edition published it

28.7 million July 1995 est. · 25.97m in 1990

Population growth% a year

2.55% 1995 est. · 2.56% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 17.5 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

42.53 years 1995 est. · 44 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

6.15 children per woman 1995 est. · 7.1 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

109 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 107 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$750 1994 est. · $260 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

3% 1994 est. · 4.5% in 1993

Geography

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya | and Mozambique

14 fields

Land useshare of 945,090 sq km

arable land 5%permanent crops 1%meadows and pastures 40%forest and woodland 47%other 7%irrigated 1,530 sq km (1989 est.)

Area

945,090sq km

land area: 886,040 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than twice the size of Californianote: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

Coastline

1,424km

exclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Land boundaries

3,402km

total · Burundi 451 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km

Location

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique

International disputes

boundary dispute with Malawi in Lake Nyasa;
Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be indefinite since it is reported that the indefinite section of the Zaire-Zambia boundary has been settled

Climate

varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Terrain

plains along coast;
central plateau;
highlands in north, south

Natural resources

hydropower potential, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel

Environment

current issues:: soil degradation;
deforestation;
desertification;
destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats;
recent droughts affected marginal agriculture
natural hazards:: the tsetse fly and lack of water limit agriculture; flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season
international agreements:: party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection;
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification

Note

Mount Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa

People

17 fields

Population

28,701,077

(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 2.55% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth

45.25Death

19.81

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years42.53

40.88 · 44.22

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy59%

71% · 48%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over has ability to read and write a letter or message in Kisahili (1988)

Labor force

732,200wage earners

by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 10% (1986 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years:: 47% (female 6,724,575; male 6,676,652)
15-64 years:: 50% (female 7,462,615; male 7,027,551)
65 years and over:: 3% (female 425,211; male 384,473) (July 1995 est.)

Net migration rate

NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

note: in February 1995, a fresh influx of refugees from civil strife in Burundi brought the total number of Burundian refugees in Tanzania to about 60,000;

in addition, since April 1994 more than a half million refugees from Rwanda have taken refuge in Tanzania to escape civil strife in Rwanda

Infant mortality rate

109 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Tanzanian(s)
adjective:: Tanzanian

Ethnic divisions

mainland: native African 99% (consisting of well over 100 tribes), Asian, European, and Arab 1%

Zanzibar

Religions

mainland: Christian 45%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 20%

Zanzibar

Muslim 99% plus

Swahili (official; widely understood and generally used for communication between ethnic groups and is used in primary education), English (official; primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education) note: first language of most people is one of the local languages

Government

Republic; President Ali Hassan MWINYI (since 5 November 1985); Prime Minister Cleopa David MSUYA (since 7 December 1994)

21 fields

Legislature, 168 seatsone dot, one seat

(241 total, 168 elected) CCM 168

Names

conventional long form:: United Republic of Tanzania
conventional short form:: Tanzania
former:: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

Digraph

Type

republic

Capital

Dar es Salaam note: some government offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital by the end of the 1990s

Administrative divisions

25 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, 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/West, Ziwa Magharibi

Independence

26 April 1964;
Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (from UN trusteeship under British administration);
Zanzibar became independent 19 December 1963 (from UK);
Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar;
renamed United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964

National holiday

Union Day, 26 April (1964)

Constitution

25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

Legal system

based on English common law;
judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:: President Ali Hassan MWINYI (since 5 November 1985);
First Vice President Cleopa MSUYA (since 5 December 1994);
Second Vice President and President of Zanzibar Salmin AMOUR (since 9 November 1990) election last held 28 October 1990 (next to be held 29 October 1995);
results - Ali Hassan MWINYI was elected without opposition
head of government:: Prime Minister Cleopa David MSUYA (since 7 December 1994)
cabinet:: Cabinet; appointed by the president from the National Assembly

Legislative branch

unicameral

National Assembly (Bunge)

elections last held 28 October 1990 (next to be held 29 October 1995);
results - CCM was the only party;
seats - (241 total, 168 elected) CCM 168

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal, High Court

Political parties and leaders

Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM or Revolutionary Party), Ali Hassan MWINYI;
Civic United Front (CUF), James MAPALALA;
National Convention for Construction and Reform (NCCR), Lyatonga (Augustine) MREMA;
Union for Multiparty Democracy (UMD), Abdullah FUNDIKIRA;
Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (CHADEMA), Edwin I. M. MTEI, chairman;
Democratic Party (unregistered), Reverend MTIKLA

Member of

ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, FLS, G- 6, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Charles Musama NYIRABU
chancery:: 2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 939-6125

FAX

[1] (202) 797-7408

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Brady ANDERSON
embassy:: 36 Laibon Road (off Bagamoyo Road), Dar es Salaam
mailing address:: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam
telephone:: [255] (51) 66010 through 66015

FAX

[255] (51) 66701

Flag

divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue

Economy

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world.

19 fields

GDP per capita, PPP

$750

(1994 est.)

Real growth rate

(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate 9.3% (1990); accounts for 8% of GDP

Inflation, consumer prices

25%

(1994 est.)

External debt

$6.7billion

(1993)

Budget

Revenues

$495 millionExpenditures

$631 million (1990 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $118 million

Installed generating capacity, 440,000 kW

Electricity production

880 millionElectricity consumption per capita

30 (1993)

Overview

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, which accounts for about 58% of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 90% of the work force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 5% of the land area.

Industry accounts for 8% of GDP and is mainly limited to processing agricultural products and light consumer goods. The economic recovery program announced in mid-1986 has generated notable increases in agricultural production and financial support for the program by bilateral donors.

The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's deteriorated economic infrastructure. Growth in 1991-94 has featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial increase in output of minerals, led by gold. Recent banking reforms have helped increase private sector growth and investment.

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $21 billion (1994 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Exports

$462 million (f.o.b., 1994)

commodities:: coffee, cotton, tobacco, tea, cashew nuts, sisal
partners:: Germany, UK, Japan, Netherlands, Kenya, Hong Kong, US

Imports

$1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1994)

commodities:: manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, cotton piece goods, crude oil, foodstuffs
partners:: Germany, UK, US, Japan, Italy, Denmark

Industries

primarily agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine), diamond and gold mining, oil refining, shoes, cement, textiles, wood products, fertilizer

Agriculture

accounts for about 58% of GDP;
cash crops - coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashews, tobacco, cloves (Zanzibar);
food crops - corn, wheat, cassava, bananas, fruits, vegetables;
small numbers of cattle, sheep, and goats;
not self-sufficient in food grain production

Illicit drugs

growing role in transshipment of Southwest Asian heroin destined for European and US markets

Economic aid

recipient:: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $400 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $9.8 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $44 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $614 million

Currency

1 Tanzanian shilling (TSh) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Tanzanian shillings (TSh) per US$1 - 523.40 (December 1994), 509.63 (1994), 405.27 (1993), 297.71 (1992), 219.16 (1991), 195.06 (1990)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

Transportation

7 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 108 in all

over 3,047 m

2,438 to 3,047 m

1,524 to 2,437 m

914 to 1,523 m

under 914 m

1,524 to 2,438 m

PavedUnpaved

Railroads

total:: 2,600 km;
note - not a part of Tanzania Railways Corporation is the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri M'poshi in Zambia;
969 km are in Tanzania and 891 km are in Zambia;
because of the difference in gauge, this system does not connect to Tanzania Railways
narrow gauge:: 2,600 km 1.000-m gauge

Highways

total:: 81,900 km
paved:: 3,600 km
unpaved:: gravel, crushed stone 5,600 km; improved, unimproved earth 72,700 km

Inland waterways

Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, Lake Nyasa

Pipelines

crude oil 982 km

Ports

Bukoba, Dar es Salaam, Kigoma, Lindi, Mkoani, Mtwara, Musoma, Mwanza, Tanga, Wete, Zanzibar

Merchant marine

total:: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 29,145 GRT/39,186 DWT
ships by type:: cargo 3, oil tanker 1, passenger-cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

103,800 telephones; fair system operating below capacity

local:: NA
intercity:: open wire, microwave radio relay, troposcatter
international:: 2 satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

Radio

broadcast stations:: AM 12, FM 4, shortwave 0
radios:: NA

Television

broadcast stations:: 2
televisions:: NA

Defense Forces

Tanzanian People's Defense Force (TPDF; includes Army, Navy, | and Air Force), paramilitary Police Field Force Unit, Militia

3 fields

How to cite ← 1994 edition 1996 edition →

Geography

People

Zanzibar

Zanzibar

Government

Economy

Transportation

Communications

Defense Forces

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