Tanzania Portal
Tanzania Portal

The Tanzania Portal

Flag of Tanzania
Flag of Tanzania
Coat of Arms of Tanzania
Coat of Arms of Tanzania
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Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to the south; Zambia to the southwest; and Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. According to the 2022 national census, Tanzania has a population of around 62 million, making it the most populous country located entirely south of the equator.

Many important hominid fossils have been found in Tanzania. In the Stone and Bronze Age, prehistoric migrations into Tanzania included Southern Cushitic speakers similar to modern day Iraqw people who moved south from present-day Ethiopia; Eastern Cushitic people who moved into Tanzania from north of Lake Turkana about 2,000 and 4,000 years ago; and the Southern Nilotes, including the Datoog, who originated from the present-day South Sudan–Ethiopia border region between 2,900 and 2,400 years ago. These movements took place at about the same time as the settlement of the Mashariki Bantu from West Africa in the Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika areas. In the late 19th century, the mainland came under German rule as German East Africa, and this was followed by British rule after World War I when it was governed as Tanganyika, with the Zanzibar Archipelago remaining a separate colonial jurisdiction. Following their respective independence in 1961 and 1963, the two entities merged in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Tanganyika joined the British Commonwealth and Tanzania remains a member of the Commonwealth as a unified republic.

Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the north-east, where Mount Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, is located. Three of the African Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lie Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, and Lake Tanganyika, the continent's deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish. To the south lies Lake Malawi. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore. The Menai Bay Conservation Area is Zanzibar's largest marine protected area. The Kalambo Falls, located on the Kalambo River at the Zambian border, is the second-highest uninterrupted waterfall in Africa. Tanzania is one of the most visited tourist destinations for safaris.

Tanzania

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people in Tanzania face severe challenges not experienced by non-LGBTQ residents. Homosexuality in Tanzania is a socially taboo topic, and same-sex sexual acts (even in private and consensual) are criminal offences, punishable with life imprisonment. The law also criminalizes heterosexuals who engage in oral sex and anal intercourse. According to the 2007 Pew Global Attitudes Project, 95% of Tanzanian residents believed that homosexuality is a way of life that society shouldn't accept, which was the 7th-highest rate of non-acceptance in the 45 countries surveyed. Meanwhile, an Afrobarometer 2020 poll indicated that only 10% of Tanzanians would be tolerant of someone with a different sexual orientation. This was among the lowest in Africa, but higher than the 2007 poll.

In recent years, Tanzania has become particularly hostile to LGBTQ people. In October 2017, it deported staff of several HIV/AIDS groups on the basis of "promoting homosexuality". Tanzania has a high HIV/AIDS rate and reportedly one million people are infected. The Government has increasingly resorted to homophobic rhetoric, alleging that homosexuality is "un-African". In 2018, a so-called "witch hunt" was declared against gay people in Dar es Salaam, where gay men were forced to endure anal examinations and torture. Tanzania has a poor human rights record. Government respect for freedom of speech and freedom of assembly is declining. Despite this, there have been several Tanzanian human rights campaigners, activists, lawyers and feminists like Maria Sarungi, Fatma Karume, Mwanahamisi Singano, Carol Ndosi, Zara Kay, Khalifa Said, Goodluck Haule and many others who have openly supported LGBTQ rights whilst openly opposing state-sanctioned homophobia and dangerous rhetoric from government officials who have called for further persecution of these marginalized groups. Promoters of anti-LGBTQ campaigns have included the former president Magufuli, Paul Makonda, Ally Hapi, and Hamisi Kigwangalla. (Full article...)

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The following are images from various Tanzania-related articles on Wikipedia.

This month in Tanzanian history

Wildlife of Tanzania - show another

African Wild Dog
African Wild Dog
Credit: Jeff Kubina

The African Wild Dog is a medium-sized canid found only in Africa, especially in savannas and other lightly wooded areas. It is also called the Painted Hunting Dog, African Hunting Dog, the Cape Hunting Dog, the Spotted Dog, or the Painted Wolf in English, Wildehond in Afrikaans, and Mbwa mwitu in Swahili. It is the only species in the genus Lycaon.

Did you know ...

A large, grey tortoise on a grass lawn.


Did you know?


  • ... that Ugandan military commander Isaac Maliyamungu reportedly wept after witnessing how much destruction his country's army had caused in Tanzania?

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Dar es Salaam
Dar es Salaam
Credit: Muhammad Mahdi Karim
A panoramic view of the city of Dar es Salaam. Visible are the Bank of Tanzania twin towers, the PPF Towers, the Mafuta House and the Julius Nyerere Pension Tower, to the right; the Kariakoo area next with the Benjamin Mkapa National Stadium at the back, followed by the slums.

Uganda–Tanzania War - show another

Articles here focus upon aspects of the Uganda–Tanzania War. These are all Good articles that meet a core set of high editorial standards.

The Battle of Karuma Falls was one of the last battles in the Uganda–Tanzania War, fought between Tanzania and Uganda Army troops loyal to Idi Amin on 17 May 1979. Soldiers of the Tanzania People's Defence Force attacked Ugandan forces at the bridge over the Nile River at Karuma Falls. Tanzania's 205th Brigade was tasked with advancing from Masindi to Gulu, taking a route which passed over the Karuma Falls Bridge. The brigade assaulted the crossing on the morning of 17 May with tanks and artillery and one of its battalions ran over the bridge to attack the Ugandan positions. The Ugandans destroyed a TPDF tank, delaying the Tanzanians long enough to board buses and retreat to Gulu. The Tanzanians secured Karuma Falls before capturing Gulu several days later. (Full article...)

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Mount Kilimanjaro, an inactive stratovolcano in north-eastern Tanzania. At 5,895 metres (19,341 feet), Kilimanjaro is Africa's highest mountain and the tallest freestanding mountain in the world. It has three volcanic cones—Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira.


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