We cant talk about where is Tanzania without understanding the background. Tanzania was formerly known as Tanganyika. In 1964, Tanganyika united with the Island of Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is the largest of the East African countries. Unfortunately, it is among the poorest countries in the world.
Where is Tanzania origin in terms of the name? The name “Tanzania” was created as a clipped compound of the names of the two states that unified to create the country. This are Tanganyika and Zanzibar.
The name “Tanganyika” is derived from the Swahili words tanga (“sail”) and nyika (“uninhabited plain”, “wilderness”). It creatied the phrase “sail in the wilderness”. It is sometimes understood as a reference to Lake Tanganyika.
The name of Zanzibar comes from “zengi”, the name for a local people (said to mean “black”), and the Arabic word “barr”, which means coast or shore.
This nation now called Tanzania is considered one of the oldest known (continuously inhabited) areas on the planet; fossil remains of humans and pre-human hominids have been found here dating back over two million years.
The first European to reach the coast of East African was Vasco da Gama, an explorer from Portugal in 1498. Arabs from Oman drove the Portuguese out in the early 18th century and claimed the coastal strip.
In the late 19th century, Germany conquered the regions that are now Tanzania, Rwanda, and Burundi, and incorporated them into Tanganyika, a part of German East Africa.
Although the German administration brought cash crops, railroads and roads to Tanganyika, the natives became increasingly resistant.
Where is Tanzania in the continent of Africa?
Now we can confidently answer the question where is Tanzania? Situated in East Africa just south of the equator, mainland Tanzania lies between the area of the great lakes—Victoria, Tanganyika, and Malawi (Niassa)—and the Indian Ocean. It contains a total area of 945,087 sq km (364,900 sq mi), including 59,050 sq km (22,799 sq mi) of inland water. Comparatively, the area occupied by Tanzania is slightly larger than twice the size of the state of California.
It is bounded on the North by Uganda and Kenya, on the East by the Indian Ocean, on the South by Mozambique and Malawi, on the SW by Zambia, and on the W by Zaire, Burundi, and Rwanda, with a total boundary length of 4,826 km (2,999 mi), of which 1,424 km (885 mi) is coastline. Tanzania claims part of Lake Malawi, although its internationally recognized boundary is the eastern shore.
The section of the United Republic known as Zanzibar comprises the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba and all islets within 19 km (12 mi) of their coasts, as well as uninhabited Latham Island, 58 km (36 mi) south of Zanzibar Island. Zanzibar Island lies 35 km (22 mi) off the coast, and Pemba Island is about 40 km (25 mi) to the NE . The former has an area of 1,657 sq km (640 sq mi), and the latter 984 sq km (380 sq mi).
Located in the continent of Africa, Tanzania and covers 885,800 square kilometers of land. The country has 61,500 square kilometers of water. This makes it the 31st largest nation in the world with a total area of 947,300 square kilometers.
Tanzania became an independent state in 1961, after gaining its sovereignty from The United Kingdom. The population of Tanzania is 43,601,796 as of 2012. The nation has a density of 49 people per square kilometer.
The currency of Tanzania is the Tanzanian Shilling (TZS). As well, the people of Tanzania are referred to as Tanzanian. The dialing code for the country is 255 and the top-level internet domain for Tanzanian sites is .tz.
What countries surround Tanzania?
You cannot respond to the question where is Tanzania without talking about her neighbors. Tanzania officially the United Republic of Tanzania is normally referred to as Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzaniain Kiswahili. It is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region.
It is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south; and the Indian Ocean to the east. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, is in northeastern Tanzania.
Tanzania’s population of 51.82 million (2014) is diverse, composed of several ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups.
Tanzania is a presidential constitutional republic, and since 1996, its official capital city has been Dodoma, where the President’s Office, the National Assembly, and some government ministries are located.
Dar es Salaam, the former capital, retains most government offices and is the country’s largest city, principal port, and leading commercial center.