Tanzania Facts, Religion, Map, Population, Currency, People, language

Tanzania Facts, Religion, Map, Population, Currency, People, language.

Tanzania is a must-visit for any traveler to Africa, as it is home to “the Big Five,” the highest peak in Africa, and countless other monumental experiences.

Tanzania, or Tanganyika, is where you want to go. The United Republic of Tanzania, formed in 1964 when Tanganyika and Zanzibar joined forces, is the largest East African country and, tragically, one of the poorest in the world.

East of Africa’s Great Lakes, between Mozambique and Kenya, Tanzania has a coast on the Indian Ocean. Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia are its land neighbors; the Comoros and the Seychelles are its sea neighbors. Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Nyassa (Lake Malawi) are just a few of the Great Lakes that it borders.

With a total land area of 945,087 km2, the country is slightly greater than twice the size of California and about three times the size of Italy.

The official capital of Tanzania is Dodoma, however the larger and more important city of Dar es Salaam serves as the country’s commercial and transportation hub. Official languages are Swahili and English, with Arabic also commonly spoken.