Portal:Tanzania

The Tanzania Portal

Flag of Tanzania Coat of Arms of Tanzania

Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest, Kenya to the northeast, the Indian Ocean to the east, Mozambique and Malawi to the south, Zambia to the southwest, and Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. According to a 2024 estimate, Tanzania has a population of around 67.5 million, making it the most populous African country located entirely south of the equator.

Many important hominid fossils have been found in Tanzania. In the Stone and Bronze Age, prehistoric migrations into Tanzania included Southern Cushitic speakers similar to modern day Iraqw people, who moved south from present-day Ethiopia; Eastern Cushitic people who moved into Tanzania from north of Lake Turkana about 2,000 and 4,000 years ago; and the Southern Nilotes, including the Datoog, who originated from the present-day South Sudan–Ethiopia border region between 2,900 and 2,400 years ago. These movements took place at about the same time as the settlement of the Mashariki Bantu from West Africa in the Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika areas. In the late 19th century, the mainland came under German rule as German East Africa. This was followed by British rule after World War I when it was governed as Tanganyika, with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction. Following their gaining respective independence in 1961 and 1963, the two entities merged in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania.

Tanzania's population comprises about 120 ethnic, linguistic, and religious groups. Christianity is the largest religion in Tanzania, with substantial Muslim and Animist minorities. Over 100 languages are spoken in Tanzania, making it the most linguistically diverse country in East Africa. The country does not have a de jure official language, although the national language is Swahili. English is used in foreign trade, in diplomacy, in higher courts, and as a medium of instruction in secondary and higher education. Arabic is widely spoken in Zanzibar, reflecting its history as a trading center dominated by Arabs.

Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the north-east, where Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, is located. Three of the African Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lie Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, and Lake Tanganyika, the continent's deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish. To the south lies Lake Malawi. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore. The Menai Bay Conservation Area is Zanzibar's largest marine protected area. The Kalambo Falls, located on the Kalambo River at the Zambian border, is the second-highest uninterrupted waterfall in Africa. Tanzania is one of the most visited tourist destinations for safaris. The country is an official member of the United Nations, Group of 77, African Union, East African Community, and the Non-Aligned Movement.

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Geographic-administrative extent of Swahili. Dark: native range (the Swahili coast). Medium green: Spoken by a majority alongside indigenous languages. Light green: Spoken by a minority.

Swahili, also known as Kiswahili, is a Bantu language of the Atlantic–Congo language family, originally spoken by the Swahili people, who are found primarily in Tanzania, Kenya, and Mozambique (along the East African coast and adjacent littoral islands). Estimates of the number of Swahili speakers, including both native and second-language speakers, generally range from 150 million to 200 million. Most native speakers reside in Tanzania and Kenya.

About 40% of Swahili vocabulary consists of Arabic loanwords, including the name of the language itself (سَوَاحِلي sawāḥilī, a plural adjectival form of an Arabic word meaning 'of the coasts'). Swahili also has a significant number of loanwords from Portuguese, English and German. The Arabic loanwords date from the era of contact between Arab slave traders and the Bantu inhabitants of the east coast of Africa, which was also the time period when Swahili emerged as a lingua franca in the region. (Full article...)

List of selected articles

General images -

The following are images from various Tanzania-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1A Tingatinga painting (from Tanzania)
Image 2Tanzanian Ngoma group (from Culture of Tanzania)
Image 3Nkrumah Hall at the University of Dar es Salaam (from Tanzania)
Image 4Tanzanian Embassy in West End, Washington, D.C. (from Tanzania)
Image 5Regions of Tanzania (from Tanzania)
Image 6The Masai giraffe is Tanzania's national animal. (from Tanzania)
Image 7A 1.8-million-year-old stone chopping tool discovered at Olduvai Gorge and on display at the British Museum (from Tanzania)
Image 8Development of life expectancy (from Tanzania)
Image 9Example of a World Food Programme parcel (from Tanzania)
Image 10Researchers (HC) in Southern Africa per million inhabitants, 2013 or closest year (from Tanzania)
Image 11Tanzania map of Köppen climate classification (from Tanzania)
Image 12Nyerere Bridge in Kigamboni, Dar es Salaam (from Tanzania)
Image 13A 1572 depiction of the city of Kilwa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site (from Tanzania)
Image 14The Arusha Declaration Monument (from Tanzania)
Image 15FIB Tanzanian special forces during training (from Tanzania)
Image 16High Court Building in Kigoma (from Tanzania)
Image 17Tanzanian women harvesting tea leaves (from Tanzania)
Image 18One of the main trunk roads (from Tanzania)
Image 19Tanzania's main opposition leader Tundu Lissu was arrested and charged with treason in April 2025 (from Tanzania)
Image 20A Tingatinga painting (from Culture of Tanzania)
Image 21Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan with US President Joe Biden in Washington, D.C., December 2022 (from Tanzania)
Image 22Stamp of British East Africa with portrait of Queen Elizabeth II (from History of Tanzania)
Image 23Historical development of real GDP per capita in Tanzania, since 1950 (from Tanzania)
Image 24Tea fields in Tukuyu (from Tanzania)
Image 25Lemon and ginger tea (from Culture of Tanzania)
Image 26The slave market in Zanzibar, c. 1860 (from Tanzania)
Image 27Battle during the Maji Maji Rebellion against German colonial rule in 1905 (from Tanzania)
Image 28A Tanzanian woman cooks Pilau rice dish wearing traditional Kanga. (from Tanzania)
Image 29Barbecued beef cubes and seafood in Forodhani Gardens, Zanzibar (from Culture of Tanzania)
Image 30The semi-autonomous Zanzibar Archipelago (from Tanzania)
Image 31A Ramadan dinner in Tanzania (from Culture of Tanzania)
Image 32The capital city of Dar es Salaam in 2015 (from Tanzania)
Image 33Zanzibar harbour (from Tanzania)
Image 34Farmers using a rice harvester in Igunga District, Tanzania (from Tanzania)
Image 35Wildebeest migration in the Serengeti (from Tanzania)
Image 36International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda in Arusha (from Tanzania)
Image 37East African Legislative Assembly in Arusha (from Tanzania)
Image 38St. Joseph's Catholic Cathedral, Zanzibar (from Tanzania)
Image 39Louis and Mary Leakey (from History of Tanzania)
Image 40Julius Nyerere demanding political independence for Tanganyika in 1961. (from History of Tanzania)
Image 41National Stadium in Dar es Salaam. (from Culture of Tanzania)
Image 42Tanzanian Ngoma group (from Tanzania)
Image 43The snowcapped Uhuru Peak (from Tanzania)
Image 44A carved door with Arabic calligraphy in Zanzibar (from Tanzania)
Image 45The Hadza live as hunter-gatherers. (from Tanzania)
Image 46Traditional Tanzanian food consisting of pilau kuku (seasoned rice with chicken), mishkaki (grilled meat), ndizi (plantain), maharage (beans), mboga (vegetables), chapati (flatbread) and pili pili (hot sauce) (from Culture of Tanzania)
Image 47Location of Zanzibar within Tanzania (from History of Tanzania)
Image 48National Stadium in Dar es Salaam (from Tanzania)
Image 49Olduvai Gorge site also known as "The Cradle of Mankind" (from History of Tanzania)
Image 50High-backed stool, Kami ethnic group, late 19th century, Musée des Confluences, Lyon (from Culture of Tanzania)

This month in Tanzanian history

1 August 1890: The Sultan of Zanzibar signed an anti-slavery decree.
7 August 1998: The United States embassy in Dar es Salaam was bombed.
8 August 1914: The East African Campaign of World War I began.
9 August 2008: The African Development Bank cancelled $642m of Tanzania's debt.
27 August 1896: The Anglo-Zanzibar War was fought between Zanzibar and the United Kingdom. At approximately 38 minutes, it was the shortest war in history.

... More anniversaries

Wildlife of Tanzania -

Credit: Gaurav-P

Zebras are African equids best known for their distinctive white and black stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals and can be seen in small harems to large herds. In addition to their stripes, zebras have erect, mohawk-like manes. Unlike their closest relatives, horses and asses, zebras have never been truly domesticated.

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Did you know ...

... that Khalid bin Barghash fought a 38-minute war with the British during his two-day rule as Sultan of Zanzibar?

... that the recent persecution of albinos in Tanzania and Burundi is based on the belief that their body parts have magical power and impart prosperity?

... that Kihaule's mouse shrew is named after the medical-entomological technician who collected the type specimen from the Udzungwa Mountains in Tanzania?

WikiProjects

WikiProject Tanzania

WikiProject Africa

Recognised content

Featured Articles: Anglo-Zanzibar War
Zanzibar Revolution

Featured Lists: List of Sultans of Zanzibar

Good Articles: 2008 invasion of Anjouan, Freddie Mercury, Lloyd Mathews

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Moshi is a Tanzanian town with a population of 144,739 (2002 census) in Kilimanjaro Region. The town is situated on the lower slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro, a volcanic mountain that is the highest mountain in Africa. Moshi is home to the Chagga and Maasai tribes and lies on the A 23 Arusha-Himo east-west road connecting Arusha and Mombasa, Kenya. Just to the east of Moshi is the intersection with the B 1 north-south road eventually connecting with Tanga and Dar es Salaam.

Uganda–Tanzania War -

Articles here focus upon aspects of the Uganda–Tanzania War. These are all Good articles that meet a core set of high editorial standards.

The Battle of Karuma Falls was one of the last battles in the Uganda–Tanzania War, fought between Tanzania and Uganda Army troops loyal to Idi Amin on 17 May 1979. Soldiers of the Tanzania People's Defence Force attacked Ugandan forces at the bridge over the Nile River at Karuma Falls. Tanzania's 205th Brigade was tasked with advancing from Masindi to Gulu, taking a route which passed over the Karuma Falls Bridge. The brigade assaulted the crossing on the morning of 17 May with tanks and artillery and one of its battalions ran over the bridge to attack the Ugandan positions. The Ugandans destroyed a TPDF tank, delaying the Tanzanians long enough to board buses and retreat to Gulu. The Tanzanians secured Karuma Falls before capturing Gulu several days later. (Full article...)

List of Uganda–Tanzania War articles

Topics

Selected picture -

Credit: Fanny Schertzer

School children in Arusha, Tanzania. There are four schools in and around Arusha. One, the School of St Jude, provides free education to children from poor local families.

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