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Tanzania Profile |
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Quick Facts About Tanzania
Capital
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name: Dar es Salaam
geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
note: legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meets there on a regular basis
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Country Name
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conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania
conventional short form: Tanzania
local long form: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania
local short form: Tanzania
former: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar
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Dependency Status
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*
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Type of Government
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republic
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Background
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Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early 1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar"s semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers" claims of voting irregularities.
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Branches
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Tanzanian People"s Defense Force (Jeshi la Wananchi la Tanzania, JWTZ): Army, Naval Wing (includes Coast Guard), Air Defense Command (includes Air Wing), National Service (2007)
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Age Structure
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0-14 years: 42.5% (male 8,933,610/female 8,882,560)
15-64 years: 54.6% (male 11,287,390/female 11,578,094)
65 years and over: 2.9% (male 526,053/female 685,188) (2010 est.)
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Languages
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Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages
note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources including Arabic and English; it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages
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Population
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41,892,895
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality, higher death rates, lower population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2010 est.)
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Religions
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mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim
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Internet Users
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520,000 (2008)
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Area - Comparative
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slightly larger than twice the size of California
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Area
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total: 947,300 sq km
land: 885,800 sq km
water: 61,500 sq km
note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar
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Terrain
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plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south
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Climate
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varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands
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Natural Hazards
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flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought
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| Tanzania |
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Source:
CIA World Factbook |
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