TANZANIA THE COUNTRY

Fancy a little history and geography lesson …. read on, if not skip and move onto the next blog entry.(Source:www.worldmapmaker.com

The Flag (adopted 30 June 1964) (source www.worldflags.com)

Flag: divided diagonally by a double-edged black band from the lower hoist-sidecorner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue.The flag originates from the flags of Tanganyika (green with yellow edged black horizontal stripe centrally placed) and Zanzibar (horizontal striped tricolour of blue, black and green).Tanzania chose a diagonal design to show equal status to both flags.

Meaning: the Green symbolises agriculture and the fertility of land.The Black represents the citizens of Tanzania.The Blue stands for the Indian Ocean and the Yellow represents the country's mineral wealth.

Background: Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early 1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities

Area total: 945,087 sq km land: 886,037 sq km water: 59,050 sq km note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

Land boundariestotal: 3,861 km border countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km

Climate: varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Natural resources: hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel

Population: 41 million (2009)

Nationality: Tanzanian

Ethnic groups:mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African

Religions: mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim

Languages: Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources including Arabic and English; it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages

Government type: republic

Capital:Dodoma

Independence: 26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent 19 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964

National holiday: Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)

Currency:Tanzanian shillings (TZS)

Exchange (TZS) per US dollar - 1 296 (2009)