Tanzania Quick Facts

Location: East Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique

Geographic coordinates: 6'00" S, 35'00" E Area: 945,087 sq km including the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

Countries bordering Tanzania: Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia

Climate: varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Terrain: plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m

Population: 35,922,454

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

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

Languages: Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguju (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, and it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages

Capital: Dar es Salaam; note - legislative offices have now been transferred to Dodoma, which is the national capital; the National Assembly now meets there on regular basis

Currency: Tanzanian shilling (TZS)