Background: Shortly after independence 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.

Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S 35 00 E

Map reference: Africa

Area
Comparative: slightly larger than twice the size of California

Coastline: 1424 km

Climate: varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Terrain: plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north south

Natural resources: hydropower tin phosphates iron ore coal diamonds gemstones gold natural gas nickel

Irrigated land: 1500 km² (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: the tsetse fly; flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought

Geography
Note: Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa

Population: 35,306,126
Growth rate: 2.57% (2000 est.)
Below poverty line: 51.1% (1991 est.)

Ethnic groups: mainland - native African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes) other 1% (consisting of Asian European and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab native African mixed Arab and native African

Languages: Kiswahili or Swahili (official) Kiunguju (name for Swahili in Zanzibar) English (official primary language of commerce administration and higher education) Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar) many local languages

Religions: mainland - Christian 45% Muslim 35% indigenous beliefs 20%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim

Population growth rate: 2.57% (2000 est.)

Birth rate: 40.17 births/1000 population (2000 est.)

Death rate: 12.88 deaths/1000 population (2000 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.59 migrant(s)/1000 population (2000 est.)

Environment
Current issues: soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture

Infant mortality rate: 80.97 deaths/1000 live births (2000 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.51 children born/woman (2000 est.)

Government type: republic

Capital: Dar es Salaam

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 UK-administered UN trusteeship); 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

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats - 232 elected by popular vote 37 allocated to women nominated by the president five to members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; members serve five-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives to makeunicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats_232 elected by popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the president, five to members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; members serve five-year terms); note _in addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has 50 seats, directly elected by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held 29 October-19 November 1995 (next to be held NA October 2000)
Election results: National Assembly:percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_CCM 186, CUF 24, NCCR-Mageuzi 16, CHADEMA 3, UDP 3; Zanzibar House of Representatives:percent of vote by party_NA; seats by party_CCM 26, CUF 24

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; High Court, judges appointed by the president

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G- 6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MONUA, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Mustafa Salim NYANG'ANYI
In the us chancery: 2,139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 518-6,647
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 797-7,408
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Charles R. STITH
From the us embassy: 285 Toure Drive, Dar es Salaam (temporary location)
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 9,123, Dar es Salaam
From the us telephone: [255] (51) 666,010 through 666,015
From the us FAX: [255] (51) 666,701

Flag description: 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 overview: Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, which accounts for 56% 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 accounts for 15% 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 1991-98 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 could start by 2002. Recent banking reforms have helped increase private sector growth and investment. Short-term economic progress also depends on curbing corruption.

Real gdp growth rate: 3.8% (1998 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity: $730 (1998 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 56%
Industry: 15%
Services: 29% (1996 est.)

Agriculture products: coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves (Zanzibar), corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats

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

Industrial production growth rate: 0.4% (1995 est.)

Labor force: 13.495 million
By occupation agriculture: 90%
By occupation industry and commerce: 10% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Population below poverty line: 51.1% (1991 est.)

Budget
Revenues: $700 million
Expenditures: $1 billion, including capital expenditures of $N/A (FY98/99 est.)

Fiscal year: 1 July_30 June

Exports: $952 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Commodities: coffee, manufactured goods, cotton, cashew nuts, minerals, tobacco, sisal (1996)
Partners: India 9.8%, Germany 8.9%, Japan 7.8%, Malaysia 6.5%, Rwanda 5.2%, Netherlands 4.7% (1997)

Imports: $1.46 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Commodities: consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial raw materials, crude oil
Partners: South Africa 12.9%, Kenya 9.6%, UK 8.7%, Saudi Arabia 6.6%, Japan 4.9%, China 4.6% (1997)

Debt external: $8.3 billion (1998 est.)

Exchange rates: Tanzanian shillings (TSh) per US$1_668.3 (February 1999), 664.67 (1998), 612.12 (1997), 579.98 (1996), 574.76 (1995), 509.63 (1994)

Electricity
Production: 1.82 billion kWh (1996)
Production by source fossil fuel: 12.09%
Production by source hydro: 87.91%
Production by source nuclear: 0%
Production by source other: 0% (1996)
Consumption: 1.82 billion kWh (1996)
Exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Telephones: 88,000 (1994)

Telephone system: fair system operating below capacity
Domestic: open wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter
International: satellite earth stations_2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $21 million (FY98/99)
Percent of gdp: 0.2% (FY98/99)

Airports: 129 (1998 est.)
With paved runways total: 10
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 2
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 5
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With paved runways under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 119
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 1
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 18
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 65
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 35 (1998 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 982 km

Railways
Total: 3,569 km (1995)
Narrow gauge: 2,600 km 1.000-m gauge; 969 km 1.067-m gauge
Note: the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia (of which 969 km are in Tanzania and 891 km are in Zambia) is not a part of Tanzania Railways Corporation; because of the difference in gauge, this system does not connect to Tanzania Railways

Waterways: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, Lake Nyasa

Merchant marine
Total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,618 GRT/26,321 DWT
Ships by type: cargo 2, oil tanker 2, passenger-cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)

Disputes international: dispute with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)

Illicit drugs: growing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for European and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for Southern Africa