TANZANIA FACT SHEET
Tanzania, formerly known as Tanganyika, is located on the East Coast of Africa, south of the Equator. It joins Kenya and Uganda in the north, Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi in the west, and Zambia and Mocambique in the south.
Off the mainland lie the islands of Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia in the Indian Ocean. The mainland has a coastline of some 500 miles of palm-fringed beaches, but the major attractions of Tanzania are the national parks teeming with wildlife, Mount Kilimanjaro and Lake Tanganyika, the deepest and longest freshwater lake in Africa.
HISTORY
Tanzania was inhabited by man 14 million years ago according to anthropological studies made by Dr. Louis B. Leakey and his wife Mary at Olduvai Gorge. Research has shown that stone-age man in Tanzania wore clothing, hunted, danced, played musical instruments and were superb artists.
Tanzanians today are the resultant mix of many peoples and cultures. The first outside influence was the arrival of the Arabs about 700 AD. Contact between the Arabs and the local populace gave rise to the poetic Swahili language. Persians arrived around the 10th century bringing with them the Muslim religion. Trade developed in ivory, rhinoceros horns, coconut oil, gold and the notorious slave trade. From AD 1000 to 1500, coastal development was at its zenith and Swahili culture flourished.
Vasco da Gama sighted Tanganyika in 1500 and for the next 200 years Portugal ruled both the mainland and the island of Zanzibar. The Arabs drove the Portuguese out of Zanzibar in 1698. From 1884 until the end of World War 1, both Tanganyika and Zanzibar fell under German colonization; they were then passed to the United Kingdom under a League of Nations mandate.
The country gradually moved toward self-government and finally became independent in 1961, becoming the first East African country to do so. In 1962, Dr. Julius Nyerere became its first president and Tanganyika united with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania in 1964. Ali Hassan Mwinyi, Nyerere’s hand-picked successor, took over as President when Nyerere retired in 1985. In 1995, Tanzania held its first multi-party democratic elections, with the current President being John Magufuli.
ECONOMY
The economy of Tanzania is based on agriculture. The principal foreign exchange earner for Zanzibar, known as the ‘Spice Island’, is cloves and on the mainland it is coffee, cotton and sisal. Tourism is now considered a major growth industry.
Tanzania has experienced severe financial difficulties, due in part to a drought that began in 1979 and lasted several years, to a war with Uganda in 1978 and by limitations of the cumbersome socialist government. The economy is gradually improving with cooperation from the International Monetary Fund and the loosening of the rigid socialism, which officially ended with the first multi-party elections in 1994.
AREAS OF INTEREST
SERENGETI NATIONAL PARK
Tanzania has reserved 12% of the country, a total of 46,000 square miles, for game parks and reserves. This breaks down into 10 national parks and 15 game reserves. The highlight of these parks is the Serengeti National Park, which contains the greatest and most spectacular remaining concentration of plains game in Africa. Its northern boundary meets Kenya’s Masai Mara, but the wildlife knows no borders and the animals travel freely between the two countries. The Migration of plains game is an impressive sight and takes place between June and August when they leave the short grass plains in the south and move towards the Masai Mara in search of water.
MOUNT KILIMANJARO
In 1848 when John Rebman announced to the Royal Geographical Society in London that he has sighted a mountain capped with snow, he was greeted with ridicule. At 19,340 feet, “Kili” is Africa’s highest mountain and has a permanent cap of snow on its peak. An extinct volcano, the mountain can be climbed by most normally fit people; it’s a gradual walk up the slope, taking three days to reach the top and two days for the descent. Guides and porters are required.
NGORONGORO CRATER
This is the largest intact Crater in the world and was an active volcano some 8 million years ago. The cone collapsed and slid back into the volcano, leaving a Crater 12 miles in diameter. Over 30,000 animals, from the smallest gazelle to the elephant, live year round in the Crater.
LAKE MANYARA NATIONAL PARK
Lake Manyara is one of the many in the Great Rift Valley chain of lakes. Because the park contains five different vegetation zones, there is a great diversity of game to be found here, most notably the tree-climbing lions and large herds of elephant and buffalo. At certain times of year, flamingos form a solid line of link for miles along the lakeshore.
OLDUVAI GORGE
Between the Serengeti Park and Ngorongoro Crater lies Olduvai Gorge, made famous by Dr. & Mrs. Leakey, anthropologists who unearthed the remains of homo-sapiens,1-2 million years old.
TARANGIRE NATIONAL PARK
South of Arusha is Tarangire National Park. During the dry season this interesting park has a high density of wildlife. Elephants are particularly abundant here as are herds of zebra, wildebeest and kudu. Massive baobab trees make a scenic background for lion, oryx, eland and giraffe.
RUAHA NATIONAL PARK
In the central/southern region, Ruaha is off the beaten track in unspoilt land. The Great Ruaha River attracts a wide diversity of game and bird species. Because of its remoteness, access is usually by charter plane.
THE SELOUS
The largest game reserve in the world at 55,000 sq. km, the Selous is a vast uninhabited wilderness area crossed by the Rufiji River and its tributaries, which form a network of lakes ideal for boat safaris. Access is usually by charter plane.
ZANZIBAR
The annals of Zanzibar read like a chapter from The Thousand and One Nights and doubtless evoke many exotic images in the minds of travellers. Otherwise known as the Spice Island, it has lured travellers to its shores for centuries – some in search of trade, some in search of plunder and still others in search of an idyllic home. Some, notably the Shirazi Persians and the Omani Arabs, stayed to settle and rule.
It was early in the 19th century under the Omani Arabs that the island enjoyed its most recent heyday, following the introduction of the clove tree in 1818. Not long afterwards, the sultan’s court was transferred from Muscat, near the entrance to the Persian Gulf, to Zanzibar. By the middle of the century Zanzibar had become the world’s largest producer of cloves and the largest slaving entry port on the East Coast. Nearly 50,000 slaves, drawn from as far away as Lake Tanganyika, passed through its market every year.
As a result, Zanzibar became the most important town on the East African coast. All other centres were subject to it and virtually all trade passed through it. However, this changed with the establishment of the European protectorates towards the end of the 19th century and the construction of the Mombasa-Kampala railway. The Omani sultans continued to rule under a British protectorate until 1963, when independence was granted, but were overthrown the following year in a bloody revolution instigated by the Afro-Shirazi Party. This occurred prior to the union with mainland Tanganyika.
TOURIST INFORMATION
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
All visitors to Tanzania must have a valid passport and United States citizens require a visa. This can be obtained before departure from the USA, or upon arrival in Tanzania for US $100 per person.
Yellow fever vaccination is recommended on the mainland and compulsory in Zanzibar. Anti-malaria tablets are strongly urged; you should begin taking them before your arrival.
CURRENCY
The Tanzanian shilling is the main unit of currency. You are not allowed to import or export shillings. Travelers checks are exchangeable and major credit cards are accepted in the larger hotels.
CLIMATE
The climate is tropical on the coast, on the islands and in Selous. It is temperate in the other parks. October to mid-March is the hottest period and from June to September, the coolest. However, the range of temperature is fairly limited and it is always hot (between 80-100F on the coast and between 70-85F in the north). There is light rainfall in November and the long rainy season is from mid-March to the end of May. Nights are generally chilly on the rim of the Ngorongoro Crater.
WHAT TO WEAR
Dress is casual while on safari; cotton is the most comfortable fabric to wear and a sweater and warm jacket should be taken for evenings. A few changes of shorts, long pants and T-shirts would be sufficient for the average week-long safari. Sturdy shoes are recommended.
WHAT TO BUY
Bargaining has developed into an art form and is a way of life here. The woodcarvings are especially good, the most famous being the Makonde Art made of ebony. Masai jewelry and baskets and bright fabrics are readily found in the market areas. In Zanzibar, you can find textiles, carved chests, perfumes, natural lotions and spices. Do not be tempted to buy any ivory or elephant hair jewelry as it is illegal to sell these items in Tanzania, and you are not allowed to bring them into the USA.
Export Tariff for Wooden Curios
Please be advised that when you buy any wooden items in Tanzania (the famous Makonde carving or any other wood carving) that you have to pay as follows and on departure at all airports in Tanzania as well as other entry points:
*Please note that if you fail to pay these fees the items will remain at the Airport.
Payments required for Wood Carvings over the value of $300
Inspection certificate $70
Export Permit Certificate $70
Royalty Fee per 1Kg $2.50
Payments required for Wood Carvings under the value of $300
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SHOPPING HOURS
Monday thru Saturday 8.30am – 12noon and 2-6pm. All lodges have small curio shops and most safaris include a stop at a local market.
LANGUAGE
Swahili and English are the two official languages.
VOLTAGE
240 volts – 50/60 cycles AC
TIPPING
On safari, the general rule is $8 per person per day to your guide. Hotel porters, maids etc are usually given $2 per bag or per day housekeeping.
EXIT REGULATIONS
There is a Departures tax of US $30 per person when flying out of Tanzania, but this is now usually built into your air ticket taxes.
June 2019 ruling on Plastic Bags
The Tanzanian government has officially announced a ban on the entry of all plastic carrier bags according to a press statement from the Vice President’s office.
The May 16, 2019 statement titled: “Notice To Travelers Planning To Visit Tanzania,” said the government was going to set up a special desk at entry points to enforce the measure.
The statement read in part: “The Government of Tanzania wishes to make an official note to travelers planning to travel to Tanzania that from 1st June 2019 all plastic carrier bags, regardless of their thickness will be prohibited from being imported, exported, manufactured, sold, stored, supplied and used in mainland Tanzania.
We are very happy with this measure to, hopefully, alleviate the scourge of the single use carrier bags and the pollution they cause.