Tanzania Fact File
Capital City:
Dodoma – Administrative
Dar es Salaam – Business Capital
Location:
Tanzania, comprised of the mainland and the Zanzibar archipelago, is located in East Africa between 29 and 41 degrees east and between 1 and 12 degrees south. Tanzania borders Kenya to the north. Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, Malawi and Mozambique to the south, and is the largest country in East Africa (943,000 sq km).
Time: Area: Population:
GMT +3 945,000 km2 Approximately 35 million
Ethnic groups:
Mainland – native Africa 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European and Arab): Zanzibar – Arab, native Africa, mixed Arab and native Africa.
Religions:
Mainland – Christian 45%, Muslim 35%, Indigenous beliefs 20%, Zanzibar – more than 99% Muslim.
Language:
Swahili but English is widely spoken.
Local Currency:
The Tanzania shilling (TSHS or TZS), divided into 100 cents, is the national currency.
Foreign currency and credit Cards:
Credit cards (Access, Master cards, Visa, American Express, Euro card and Diners) are accepted by top tourist hotels around the country and in some banks. Branches of the major banks have ATM money machines, Money Link machines etc, Traveller’s cheques in Pounds sterling or US dollars are recommended, though it may be difficult to exchange at banks or in any of the numerous bureaus de change.
Climate:
The weather in Tanzania is tropical along the coast, on the island and in the Selous. It is temperature in the other parks. Temperatures on Mount Kilimanjaro and Meru can drop to below freezing. In broad terms the pattern is as follows: Mid December-March – hot and dry Late March-late- May – hot and wet (referred to as the ‘long rains’) June-late October- warm and dry Late October – mid December – warm and wet (referred to as the ‘short rains’)
Business:
Banking Hours:
Monday to Friday from 8.30 to 12.30 and from 13.00 to 16.00
Saturday from 8.30 to 11.30.
Shops:
Monday to Saturday from 9.00 to 12.00 and 14.00 to 17.00.
(A few exceptions will have longer opening hours and are also open on Sundays.)
Tip: For hotels and restaurants, it is customary to reward good services with a tip at your discretion.
Tanzania Travel can be an incredibly interesting and rewarding experience. Some more interesting facts about the country include:
- At over four times the size of Great Britain, Tanzania is the largest country in Eastern Africa.
- The word Tanzania is derived from the two nations of Tanganyika and Zanzibar which before 1964 were separate. Tanganyika in Kiswahili, the local dialect (Swahili) is translated to mean “sail in the wilderness” and Zanzibar is derived from the Arabic words “Zayn Z’al Barr” which mean “fair is this land”.
- The remains of the earliest humans, including the legendary 2 million year old Homo habilis were found in the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania.
- At 264 square kilometers, the extinct Ngogongoro Crater is the largest complete crater in the world.
- It was in the town of Ujiji near Lake Tanganyika that Stanley first spoke the words ‘Dr. Livingstone I presume?’ A plaque in the town indicates the exact place where Stanley first caught up with Livingstone all those many years ago.
- Tanzania is home to over 100 different tribal groups.
- Lake Manyara National Park is home to the unique tree- climbing lions. These lions climb to the uppermost portions of the enormous Acacia trees in the area, and spend their days languishing on the branches which are some seven or eight meters above the ground.
- Serengeti translates from Maasai as ‘endless plains’ or ‘an extended area’, quite an apt description when one considers the size of the world famous Serengeti National Park.
- Lake Tanganyika in western Tanzania is the world’s second deepest lake.
- Kilimanjaro’s last eruption was over 200 years ago.
- Tanzania is famous for its African Blackwood or Mbingo carvings which are sold at a number of craft and street stalls.
- The Amani Nature Reserve in eastern Tanzania is said to be the only location on earth where African Violets in fact grow wild.
- The Coconut Crab which inhabits the waters off Zanzibar’s Chumbe Island is the largest crab in the world.
- The short Rainy Season in Tanzania is called Vuli, while the long rainy season is called Masika by the local population.
- Tanzania is approximately 3 hours ahead of GMT which means that the time in Dar es Salem is 7 hours ahead of New York and 2 hours ahead of London.
