TANZANIA. United Republic of Tanzania
A country in East Africa on the coast of the Indian Ocean (the mainland part - Tanganyika) and on the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba. Area - 945.1 thousand km². Capital - Dodoma (about 1.5 million), to which all government organizations are being transferred from the former capital Dar es Salaam; largest cities: Mwanza, Tanga, Mbeya. The largest city of the island part - Zanzibar (over 500 thousand). Administrative-territorial division - 25 regions (20 in the mainland part and 5 in the island part).
Population - 34.6 million (2004); 98.9% - Africans, Bantu ethnic groups; Arabs - 0.6%, Europeans - 0.2%. Official languages - Swahili and English. Religion: more than 50% of the population profess Islam, 25% - Christianity, traditional local beliefs are preserved. Currency - Tanzanian shilling.
It has diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation (established with the USSR on December 11, 1961).
National holiday - April 26 - Union Day (1964).
Tanzania is a republic. The current constitution was adopted in 1977 (with subsequent amendments). The head of state and government is the president (since November 1995 - Benjamin William Mkapa). The president is elected by popular vote for a term of 5 years. Prime Minister - Frederick Sumaye. The highest legislative body is the parliament, consisting of the president of the country and the National Assembly (295 deputies), elected every 5 years by universal direct and secret ballot (some deputies are appointed). The next parliamentary and presidential elections will be held in December 2005.
The island part of the country has a certain autonomy and has its own constitution (since 1979), president, government - Revolutionary Council, and parliament - House of Representatives. The president of Zanzibar, chairman of the Revolutionary Council of Zanzibar - Amani Karume (re-elected in October 2005),
Tanzania is a member of the Commonwealth, headed by Great Britain, and a member of the UN and the African Union (since 2002 - AU).
From 1885 to 1919, Tanganyika was a protectorate within German East Africa, from 1920 - a mandate territory of Great Britain, and from 1946 to 1961 - a trust territory of the UN under British administration. The African National Union of Tanganyika (TANU), founded in 1954, led the struggle for independence of this territory. In 1960, TANU won 70 seats (out of 71) in the advisory National Assembly. On December 9, 1961, Tanganyika achieved independence.
Zanzibar has been an independent sultanate since 1856, and from 1890 - a protectorate of Great Britain. The liberation movement in Zanzibar was led by the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP), founded in 1957. On December 10, 1963, Great Britain granted independence to Zanzibar, transferring power to the sultan. On January 12, 1964, the sultan's regime was overthrown in a coup organized by the ASP. On April 26, 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to create the United Republic of Tanzania.
In 1977, a unifying congress of the two ruling parties - TANU on the mainland and ASP on the island part - decided to dissolve them and create a single ruling Revolutionary Party (in Swahili - Chama Cha Mapinduzi, CCM).
In February 1992, an extraordinary conference of CCM decided to transition Tanzania to a multiparty system. Relevant amendments were made to the country's constitution by parliament in May 1992, and from June 1, Tanzanian authorities officially allowed the formation of new political parties. The CCM won the presidential and parliamentary elections in 1995 (party chairman - B. W. Mkapa).
A total of 16 political parties are registered. Leading opposition parties: National Convention for Construction and Reform (founded in 1992, chairman - A. Mrema), United Civic Front (founded in 1992, leader - S. S. Hamad), United Democratic Party, Party of Democracy and Progress - are represented in parliament.
The trade union association - Trade Union of Tanzania (COTU).
In terms of its economic position, Tanzania is an economically underdeveloped agrarian country, ranking among the 25 least economically developed countries in the world. GDP - 6.2 billion USD (2003-04). Annual income per capita - about 300 USD (2004). The leading sector of the economy, in which 80% of the active population is employed, is agriculture (60% of GDP, 80% of export revenues). Main agricultural crops - coffee, cotton, tea, nuts, cloves, sisal, tobacco, maize, rice, cassava. Livestock farming is low-yield.
Industry is weakly developed (8-9% of GDP). There are enterprises for processing agricultural products, textile factories, and plants for the production of fertilizers, cement, and oil refining.
Tanzania is home to some of the most beautiful reserves in Africa - Ngorongoro, Lake Manyara, Serengeti, and the highest mountain on the continent - Kilimanjaro (5895 m).
Gold, natural gas (0.8 million tons), diamonds, platinum, nickel (40.5 million tons), copper, zinc, cobalt, uranium, lead, tungsten reserves have been discovered in the country, which, according to experts, are suitable for industrial development. Coal, iron ore, as well as small quantities of gold and diamonds, phosphates, gypsum, kaolin, and lead are being mined.
In the mid-1980s, due to a departure from the political course of building socialism with African characteristics in Tanzania, there was a shift towards a market economy, taking into account a number of recommendations from the International Monetary Fund. An agreement was signed with the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development. The inflow of the main part of foreign capital is coordinated by these organizations.
The annual volume of aid reaches 1 billion USD. Among the main donors are Scandinavian countries, Great Britain, Germany, Japan, Italy, and Canada.
Foreign trade turnover in 2003-04 - 3.3 billion USD, imports - 2 billion USD (machines and equipment, fuel, consumer goods); exports - 1.3 billion USD (tea, coffee, tobacco, sisal, as well as a number of industrial goods and mineral raw materials).
External debt as of 2004 - over 8 billion USD.
Roads - 81.9 thousand km, including paved roads - 10.3 thousand km; railways - 3.5 thousand km.
Major seaports: Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, Tanga, Zanzibar; coastal shipping is well developed along the mainland coast, as well as between the mainland and the island part of the country. There are 3 international airports - Dar es Salaam, Arusha (Kilimanjaro), and Zanzibar.
Adult literacy rate - up to 80%. Since 1973, free primary education has existed in the country.
There are 2 universities - in Dar es Salaam and Morogoro. Secondary and higher education are paid.
Major newspapers: "Daily News," "Sunday News" (Sunday edition of "Daily News"), "Uhuru" (organ of CCM), "Mzalendo," "Business Times," "Express," "Majira," "Mfanyakazi." The government information agency "Shihata" was founded in 1976 and is located in Dar es Salaam. There are also more than 30 independent and opposition publications. Radio Tanzania is a government service, founded in 1956, located in Dar es Salaam. Radio Tanzania - Zanzibar is a government service, founded in 1964, located in Zanzibar. Zanzibar Television was founded in 1973, and on the mainland - in 1994.