Tanzania: Fact file

Updated March 2010

Name United Republic of Tanzania
Area 945 087 sq km
Capital Dodoma
Major cities Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Tanga, Zanzibar, Mbeya, Arusha, Morogoro, Shinyanga (Frame 2008, 1190)
Boundaries Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Indian Ocean
Population 41.3 million, 2007 (UNDP 2009)
Natural pop growth 3%, 2005-2010 (UNDP 2009)
Urbanisation 18.9%, 1990 (UNDP 2009)
Life expectancy Female 55.8 yrs, male 54.2 yrs, 2007 (UNDP 2009)
Infant mortality 65/1000, 2005 (UN Statistics Division 2010a)
HIV/AIDS prevalence 15-49 yrs: 6.2%; 2007 Mainland est (Tanzania Commission for AIDS 2008, 5)
Adult literacy rate Female 65.9%, male 79.0%; 2007 (UNDP 2009)
Military expenditure 1% of GDP; 2005 (UN Statistics Division 2010b)
Health expenditure 5.1% of GDP; 2005 (UN Statistics Division 2010c)
Legal system English common law, customary and Islamic law (Nyanduga & Manning 2006)
Independence 6 December 1961
GDP US$16.184 billion, 2007 est (IMF 2008)
GDP per capita US$443, 2008 (IMF 2009, 65)
GDP growth rate 7.4%, 2008 (IMF 2009, 62)
Main exports Cashew nuts, coffee, minerals, tobacco, cotton, tea (Murison 2001)
Currency 100 cents = 1 Tanzanian shilling
Unemployment 11.7%, 2007 (NBS 2009)
Inflation rate 10.3%, 2008 (IMF 2009, 66)
External debt ratio 14.3% of GDP, 2008 (IMF 2009, 84)
Roads 85 000 km, 10 300 main (SADC 2007, 252)
Rail 2 605 km regional, 960 km Tanzania-Zambia (SADC 2007, 252, 253)
Airports 11 paved, 3 international (Dar es Salaam, Kilimanjaro, Zanzibar) (Avigation Networks Undated)
Ethnic groups Tanzania has over 120 ethnic groups. The largest, the Sukuma, is 13% of the population, while no other group is more than 5% of the population. Major groups include the Nyamwezi, Chagga, Swahili, Shirazi, Zaramo and the Makonde (East Africa Living Encyclopedia undated)
Languages Official languages Swahili and English; languages with over a million speakers include the Sukuma, Gogo, Nyamwezi, Haya, Makonde and the Ha. Languages with over half a million speakers include Hehe, Nyakyusa-Ngonde, Luguru, Shambala, Bena, Mochi, Nyaturu, Asu, Yao, Mwera and the Iraqw. A further 108 smaller languages are found (Ethnologue.com undated)
Religion Christian 45%, Muslim 35%, African Traditional Religion 20% (Art and Life in Africa 2005)

References

ART AND LIFE IN AFRICA 2005 "Tanzania Information", [www] http://www.uiowa.edu/~africart/toc/countries/Tanzania.html [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

AVIGATION NETWORKS UNDATED "Airports in Tanzania, United Rep.of", [www] http://worldaerodata.com/countries/Tanzania_United_Repof.php [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

EAST AFRICA LIVING ENCYCLOPEDIA UNDATED "Tanzania - Ethnic Groups", African Studies Center, [www] http://www.africa.upenn.edu/NEH/tethnic.htm [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

ETHNOLOGUE.COM UNDATED "Languages of Tanzania" [www] http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=Tanzania [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

FRAME, I 2008 (ed) Africa South of the Sahara 2008, Routledge.

NATIONAL BUREAU OF STATISTICS (NBS) 2009 "National Summary Data Page (NSDP) Economic and Financial Data" [www] http://www.nbs.go.tz/METADATA/NSDF.htm (offline 19 Mar 2010).

IMF 2008 World Economic Outlook Database, April 2008, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2008/01/weodata/index.aspx [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

IMF 2009 Regional Economic Outlook: Sub-Saharan Africa, October, [www] http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/reo/2009/AFR/eng/sreo1009.pdf, [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

NYANDUGA, BT & MANNING, C 2006 "Guide to Tanzanian Legal System and Legal Research", GlobaLex, [www] http://www.nyulawglobal.org/globalex/Tanzania.htm [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

SADC 2007 "United Republic of Tanzania" IN Country Profiles, [www] http://www.sadcreview.com/pdfs07/tanzania2007_08.pdf [PDF document, opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

TANZANIA COMMISSION FOR AIDS 2008 "UNGASS Country Progress Report: Tanzania Mainland" IN 2008 progress reports submitted by countries, UNAIDS, [www] http://data.unaids.org/pub/Report/2008/tanzania_2008_country_progress_report_en.pdf [PDF document, opens in window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

UNDP 2009 "Tanzania (United Republic of) HDI Rank - 151", IN Human Development Report 2009, [www] http://hdrstats.undp.org/en/countries/data_sheets/cty_ds_TZA.html [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010a "Infant mortality rate (per 1,000 births)" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=MExico&d=PopDiv&f=variableID%3A77%3BcrID%3A484 [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010b "Military expenditure (% of GDP)" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=GDP&d=WDI&f=Indicator_Code%3AMS.MIL.XPND.GD.ZS [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

UN STATISTICS DIVISION 2010c "Total expenditure on health as percentage of gross domestic product" IN UNdata, [www] http://data.un.org/Data.aspx?q=Gross+domestic+product&d=WHO&f=inID%3AHSR20 [opens new window] (accessed 19 Mar 2010).

 
 

General

Tanzanian flag

Legal framework

Tanzanian coat of arms

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