All about Tanzania :Tanzania is possibly the most well-known African country. It is the country whose name has become synonymous with Zanzibar, Mount Kilimanjaro, Ngorongoro and the Serengeti. Travelers from all over the world flock to Tanzania to go on safari in some of the best national parks in the world. The country is breathtakingly beautiful, has a welcoming Swahili culture, and has some of the best wildlife in the world.
Tanzania is a country in East Africa, located just south of the Equator. Tanzania became a sovereign state in 1964 after the union of the previously separate states of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Mainland Tanganyika accounts for more than 99 percent of the total area of the combined territories. Mafia Island is administered from the mainland, whereas Zanzibar and Pemba are administered separately. Dodoma, Tanzania’s designated official capital since 1974, is centrally located on the mainland. Dar es Salaam is the country’s largest city and port.
GEOGRAPHY OF TANZANIA
Tanzania is bounded to the north by Kenya and Uganda, to the west by Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and to the south by Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. The Indian Ocean forms its eastern border. It is roughly the same size as Nigeria (945,000 square kilometers). Tanganyika was the name of the country during British colonial rule, but it was changed to Tanzania after independence in 1961. Under the first president, Julius Nyerere, the country merged with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
The country has more than 127 ethnic groups, each with its own language, and Swahili is the official language, although English is widely spoken. The capital is Dodoma, though Dar es Salaam on the coast continues to be the main city.
Geographically, Tanzania is home to several Great Rift Valley-born volcanoes, the most famous of which are Kilimanjaro, Meru, and Oldonyo Lengai. To the northwest are the continent’s largest and deepest lakes, Victoria and Tanganyika. While the eastern shores are hot and muggy, the country’s center is a vast plateau of plains and arable land.
DRAINAGE
Tanzania’s territory is made up of inland water to a degree of about 22,800 square miles (59,000 square kilometers), thanks to its many lakes. The second-largest freshwater lake in the world, Lake Victoria, is not part of the Rift System. Tanzania lacks major rivers, but it serves as the dividing line from which the Nile, the Congo, and the Zambezi rise and flow to the Mediterranean Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Indian Ocean, respectively. The watersheds of these rivers do not intersect because of the central plateau.
SOILS
Tanzania’s continental territory has a greater variety of soils than any other nation in Africa. The most fertile soils are found in the highland regions and are reddish-brown in color. Numerous river basins have rich soils as well, but they are vulnerable to flooding and need drainage control. On the other hand, the interior plateaus’ red and yellow tropical loams have poor to average fertility. High temperatures and little precipitation in these areas promote rapid rates of oxidation, which causes the soil to have a low humus content and a clayey texture rather than the desired crumbly structure found in temperate soils. Additionally, tropical downpours, which are frequently brief but extremely intense, compact the soil, which compromises drainage and depletes the soil of nutrients.
CLIMATE IN TANZANIA
Tanzania is a sizable country with a diverse equatorial climate. In general, the climate is tropical, with hot, humid coastal regions and cool, temperate highlands in the northwest. The northeastern highlands experience temperatures between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius, while the rest of the nation rarely experiences lows below 20. In general, November through February are the hottest months of the year, and May through August are the coolest.
RAINFALL
In Tanzania’s northern and eastern regions, there are also two rainy seasons: the short rains and the long rains. Between October and December, there are the short rains known as Vuli, and between March and June, there are the long rains known as Masika. There is only one rainy season in the country’s south, center, and west, which runs from December to April.
Since it is obvious that the best times to attempt a summit would be during the dry periods from June to October, it has an effect on climbing Kilimanjaro that is caused by the blurring of the traditional dates of the rainy seasons. However, in modern times, longer rains can begin early in September, and rain can still fall in July.
The rainy season in the south, west, and center of the country roughly corresponds with the warm Tanzanian climate, which lasts from mid-December to March. In general, the country experiences colder and drier weather from June to October. On Mount Meru and Mount Kilimanjaro, the nighttime lows are below freezing. Knowing the weather and temperature during the month you plan to climb Kilimanjaro is obviously crucial to your preparation for the mountain, especially your Kilimanjaro packing.
ANNUAL WEATHER PATTERNS
January–February: dry summer season, dry.
MIGRATION SEASONS IN TANZANIA
November–December
In Tanzania’s north, the brief rains have just started. Late in this period, herds of wildebeest from the Maasai Mara arrive on the Serengeti plains and spread out as they continue their migration south.
January–March
The Serengeti’s south and east, which include the north of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area and the south of the Serengeti’s Ndutu area, are now home to the migration herd. The majority of wildebeest calves are born in the window around February during this calving season.
April to May
The animals gradually start to move northward in search of new grazing water. The movement of hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, along with Thomson gazelles and zebra, makes the area west of Seronera and around Moru Kopjes chaotic. When Seronera occurs, some of the migration turns directly north, but the majority usually goes further west.
June
Around the Grumeti River in the Western Corridor, the wildebeest migration slows down and concentrates. While they always serve as a yearly feast for the large crocodiles of the Grumeti River, this river is typically a series of pools and channels rather than a continuous river, so the crossings here are typically not as spectacular as those of the Mara River, further north.
July–October
They move from Maasai Mara in Kenya toward the northeast Serengeti (Bologonja, Ikorongo, and Ikoma Game Reserve). Only animals that can survive for extended periods without surface water and have adapted to the scarce forage—with the exception of predators—remain there. For the animals, crossing the Mara Rivers in the north is the biggest and most difficult task. Numerous animals perish in the water or are caught by crocodiles and eaten, with lions waiting for them on the other side.
November
This crowd of animals surges back to the now-green Serengeti North pastures once the pastures in the North and Maasai Mara have run out, then continues to migrate south. And the cycle repeats itself.
SERENGETI SEASONS:
Late dry season: October to December
TANZANIA CULTURE
Formerly known as Tanganyika (Tanga meaning sail and Nyika meaning arid plain), Tanzania was given this name by a British civil servant in the early 1920s. German East Africa, as it had previously been known, became known as Tanganyika Territory. Tanganyika, Zanzibar, and other offshore islands were united to form what is now known as the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964.
Architecture of Tanzania
Tanzania’s architectural designs reflect Arab, German, and British influence and occupation because it was a former colony of both Germany and Britain. The architectural ruins and buildings of the coastal towns and Zanzibar Island also reflect the long, rich history of the slave trade and the trade in other goods (the Portuguese, Arabs, Indians, and Chinese were also involved in this trade). For instance, Bagamoyo, one of the main hubs of the East African slave trade, has remnants of Arab mosques as well as nineteenth-century stone homes on winding streets. Additionally, there are tombs that contain Chinese ceramics that date to the twelfth century.
The Swahili house, a rectangular building made of either stone with a corrugated roof or earth on a wooden frame with a thatch roof, is an example of a suburban residence. The Indo-Persian culture of the 13th and 14th centuries had a significant influence on this style of house, which can be found all along the coast
National Identity of Tanzania
Politeness, respect, and modesty are virtues that are highly regarded in the community, and Tanzania has a harmonious national culture that is based on these values. Public temper control and emotional restraint are highly prized skills, and this repression extends to displays of affection shared with others. However, it’s normal for boys and men to hold hands in public as a sign of friendship or comradery. There are many factors that have contributed to the national identity of Tanzanians:
Kiswahili language: This is the official language of the country, spoken and revered by all, and it is taught in schools as a required subject. The use of a common language has allowed Tanzanians to resolve the majority of internal conflicts without resorting to violence and keep the country at peace. Tanzanians have strong feelings of national pride and cohesion.
A United Republic was created after Tanganyika and Zanzibar were freed from colonial control.
First President Mwalimu Julius Nyerere’s support for socialism, as endorsed by the 1967 Arusha Declaration, meant that Ujamaa villages were developed as a manifestation of social collectivity, and their fundamental design was based on helping one another and cooperating.
A sense of national identity is influenced by national resources like Mount Kilimanjaro as well as other natural wonders like the Serengeti, the world’s largest caldera, the Ngorongoro crater, and Lake Victoria, the second-largest freshwater lake in the world.
LANGUAGE OF TANZANIA
Tanzania is home to more than 120 different ethnic groups, the largest of which are the Sukuma (over three million), followed by the Chagga, Haya, and Nyamwezi (each with over one million). The use of Kiswahili, a coastal Bantu language with Arabic influences, unites them all.
First President Julius Nyerere encouraged all Tanzanians to communicate in Swahili in his effort to have his people identify as one people, which facilitated trade, political discourse, nationalism, and information.
In addition to their tribal languages, the majority of Tanzanians with post-secondary education also speak English. Always take some basic knowledge of the local language with you when on your Tanzania Safari tour.
FOOD IN TANZANIA
Tanzanians’ favorite foods vary depending on what region they are from. The inhabitants of the North West favor plantains; those of the South West, Ugali; and those living near the coast, rice. A fish, beef, goat, chicken, or mutton stew or fried meat pieces are served with these basic carbohydrates, as well as a variety of vegetables.
Many local specialties, including fried plantains, sweet potatoes, charcoal-roasted maize on the cob, pieces of dried or fried fish, mshikaki, grilled pieces of meat, samosas, and chapatis, are sold when walking along the streets, especially in urban market areas.
SOCIAL STRUCTURE IN TANZANIA
The fundamental family unit is the extended family. The man is typically the head of the household and is in charge of all important decisions. Children are raised all over the country under the strong influence of their parents as well as their near relatives, friends, and neighbors. The rest of the community honors and respects the elders.
The primary responsibilities of women and girls, particularly in rural areas, are to care for the home, raise the family, and work in the fields. Additionally, men tend to farms, take care of their livestock, and make crucial family decisions. However, as development and girl child education increase, all of these roles are gradually changing.
However, these labor divisions are less obvious in urban areas. The stability of the nuclear family and the extended family is under a lot of pressure because of the market economy. Wealthy, educated family members are frequently asked to provide funds for the general welfare and education of other family members.
TRADITIONAL MEDICINE IN TANZANIA
Tanzania is well known for the sophisticated indigenous healing systems that are present in almost all of the ethnic groups there. Almost anything can be cured by healing, from complicated chronic and infectious diseases to barrenness and infertility, as well as love-related issues, psychological issues, social problems like finding a job or a lover, or even financial breakthroughs. The mganga (medicine man or traditional healer) facilitates all of these. Traditional healers treat the body, mind, and spirit as an integrated system, frequently in the collective sense of the “social body,” based on a holistic approach to health.
RELIGION IN TANZANIA
Tanzania’s two main religions are Islam and Christianity, with Islam being more common in the coastal areas. There are both conventional beliefs and minority religions like Sikhism and Hinduism. The importance of religion is evident in Tanzania, where important holidays like Easter, Christmas, Ramadan, and Eid are celebrated by the entire extended family and community.
MAJOR HOLIDAYS AND FESTIVALS IN TANZANIA
The best places to take in Tanzania’s numerous festivals are Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar. Here are a few well-known annual festivals: Along with the festivals listed below, popular holidays include Christmas, Easter, and Eid. Check your calendar because the date of Eid varies every year.
LAWS IN TANZANIA
We strongly advise checking the UK Foreign Office website for the most recent information on Tanzanian law and order, especially in light of the country’s current cultural, religious, and political climate. It is typically possible to choose the “safest” fallback option if you are unsure of what to do in a particular circumstance. For instance, refraining from making a purchase, taking a photo, etc. Some laws that may be relevant to foreign visitors are:
Address: Level Rosi Street , Arusha Tanzania
Uganda office.
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