From Mount Kilimanjaro to the Indian Ocean, Tanzania is complete with an array of vast landscapes. With everything from diamonds to mahagony, old "German East Africa" is a tremendous location for abundant resources. Seasoned with the rich customs of the British, German, Catholic and Muslim cultures old "Tanganyika" is a wonderful country to find genuine folklore. What next? Giraffes, monkeys, and hippos? You bet! From tropical Zanzibar to smoldering volcanoes, Tanzania can't be missed.
Tanzania is a 362,800 square mile country on the continent of Africa. It includes the mainland, the coral island of Zanzibar, and Pemba island. This region varies from the dry central plateau to the cool volcanic peak, Mount Kilimanjaro. Mount Kilimanjaro reaches 5,895 meters, this is the highest point in Africa. The bodies of water include the Indian Ocean, Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika, and Lake Nyasa. Originally called German East Africa, this country has an abundance of natural resources. These include: coffee beans, cotton, sisal, cashew nuts, diamonds, cloves, tobacco, tea, phosphates, coal, iron ore, mahagony, camohorwood, gold, and tin.
"Tanganyika," or so it was called in the past, has a recorded history that is rather recent, compared to the history of America. In the 1700s the Portugese constructed what would later become an Arab fort. Around the same time, Muslims erected a house of prayer, where traveling Arabs rested. In the 1800's Germany gained control of Tanzania and named it German East Africa. The Germans were cruel to the Africans and forced them to work on plantations. This caused the Maji Maji rebellion in 1905. In 1918 Britian became the rulers of the country. They named the region Tanganyika. In 1946 Tanzania beacame a US trust territory. The constitution was written on April 25, 1977. However, major revisions were made in October of 1984. On October 14, 1999 Julius Nyerere, Tanzania's first president died at age 77. He was president for 23 years.
Today in Tanzania the national anthem is "God Bless Africa" and the president is Benjamin Mkapa. The shelters include: homes, Roman Catholic missions, hospitals, libraries, the Zanzibar museum, and Anglican churches. Presently 80% of the population is farmers. Eighty-five percent of the annual exports are agricultural items. In Tanzania, primary education is required, however there are not enough schools. Surprisingly enough, 90% of the people over 15 are literate. The national budget in the 1990's was $495 million in revenues, $631 million in expenditures, and $118 million in capitol projects.
The religion in Tanzania differs from the mainland to the islands. On the mainland 40% of the population follows tribal beliefs, and 30% follow Christianity. Most of the islanders are Islamic. The official languages are KiSwahilli and English. Tribal stories, door ornaments, fur decorations, rock paintings, and masks can be commonly found.
Tanzania is a delightful nation with stunning wildlife and contrasts, from Towering Mount Kilimanjaro to its extensive coastline. With such a heavy dependence on farming, Tanzania obviously must rely on the weather. Therefore an event such as global warming may send Tanzania for an economic downfall.
Contributed by: Alison Willman
