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| Home :: About Tanzania |
Discover Tanzania |
| About Tanzania |
 Tanzania can truly claim to be the home of the "safari" since the word is Swahili for a journey. And there's no better place to enjoy the enriching wildlife experience than Tanzania. The country's game viewing experiences are widely regarded as the best in Africa.
It’s the place to sec seemingly endless herds of wildebeest and zebras trekking across the plains on their annual migrations -followed by the zpredators, lion leopard, cheetah and hyena. It's elephant country, boasting some of the largest populations in the World. And it's home to
Chimpanzees, now so rarely seen
in the wild. Tanzania boasts beautiful beaches - hundreds of miles of palm-fringed sands; its lakes are huge and bountiful with fish; its cities are relaxed and friendly; its islands, Zanzibar, Pemba and Mafia, live up to their exotic images. Yet this, the largest country in Eastern Africa, is untouched by the holiday-making hordes of mass tourism.
The Ngorongoro Crater is, the largest crater in the world, a vast amphitheatre teeming with game;
while the snow-capped majesty of
Mount Kilimanjaro - The Roof of Africa - inspired Hemingway to write his novel.
It was in Tanzania that Stanley uttered those famous words, "Dr Livingstone, I presume" when lie tracked down the Scottish explorer after a long trek into the interior.
Indeed, Tanzania was a magnet for several Victorian explorers who made epic journeys of discovery in search of the source of the Nile.
Today's visitors are able to explore the country with none of the hardship but all of the adventure of those early pioneers.
With such a perfect Location, perched on the edge of the African continent, and facing the Indian Ocean, Tanzania’s weather and climate leaves nothing to be desired. Warm and sunny days are followed by cool and balmy nights, and whether you’re on safari on the Serengeti plains or enjoying the tropical beaches of Zanzibar, the temperatures are always welcoming and gentle. Consult Weather and Climate to find out when the best times to visit are, and learn more about the monsoon winds and seasonal rains.
But sun-filled and beautiful days are not all that Tanzania has to offer. On the contrary, the country’s borders hold a vast number of people and tribes whose varied cultures and traditions make up the rich tapestry that is Tanzanian culture. Read on to learn more about the Masaai culture and the customs of the Swahili Coast.
Although Tanzania is a country rich in culture and traditions, it’s history is also one of treasured heritage and pride. From the early days of mankind's history, man has called the land of Tanzania home - its verdant mountains, its scrubland plains. Find out more about our country’s rich history, from the arrival of merchants and traders on the Swahili Coast to the peaceful political climate that exists today.
Tanzanians enjoy a climate of freedom and peace in our daily lives, and value community and togetherness very highly. Religion is an expression of community and culture, and one that binds us all as citizens to our country and to the people around us. Tanzanians practice Christianity, Islam, and traditional African religions in tolerance and understanding.
Religion defines our community and our sense of identity, but culturally, we are all Tanzanians. Our culture and our traditions can be seen in the everything we surround ourselves with and the handicrafts that are the specialties of our country. Visitors to Tanzania will find the section on Shopping immensely useful in helping them decide what to bring back for their friends and loved ones from our amazing country.
A Brief History of Tanzania
The history of Tanzania is filled with stories of struggle and triumph, victory and peace. Below is a brief overview of Tanzania’s history, from the beginning of human settlement and Tribal Habitation to the beginnings of trade and merchant states along the Swahili Coast. Also included is the arrival of colonialism and the advent of independence. The historical overview concludes with political details about the Tanzania of today.
 Tribal Habitation
Tanzania has a long history of human habitation – some of the earliest hominoid fossils in the world were discovered in Olduvai Gorge and show records of hominoid habitation in the region going back at least 3 million years. It is thought that early hunter-gatherer communities inhabited the northern highlands as far back as 10,000 years ago and remained largely isolated until the arrival of Cushitic-speaking tribes from the north, who brought basic agricultural technologies to the area between 3,000 and 5,000 years ago.
More recent migrations of Bantu-speaking tribes from western Africa began around 1000 BC, and with their assimilation came advances in iron and steel production. Ancestors of the Masaai arrived more recently, beginning their migration around the 15th century and continuing to arrive from the area around southern Sudan for another three hundred years. Battles over grazing and agricultural land began as ethnic groups consolidated and appropriated loose borders and tribal regions.
Swahili Coast
Trade routes that led from the heart of the continent to the East African coast gradually gave rise to Swahili culture – a blend of Arab, Indian and Bantu influences that created one of the most developed trade networks in the Indian Ocean.
Although archaeological evidence shows the area was used as a trading port for Greek and Persian ships as early as 400 BC, permanent coastal settlements only developed around 800 AD, when civilizations around the Indian Ocean were wealthy enough to support annual voyages and a high volume of trade.
With large caravans laden with gold, spices, ivory, and slaves departing from Zanzibar, Kilwa, and other less prominent East African ports, Swahili civilization grew and flourished until the 15th century, when trade became more confined to Mombasa and Zanzibar.
Tanzania Today
For most of its early years, Julius Nyerere committed Tanzania to a policy of socialism and self reliance. In the mid-eighties, Nyerere handed power over to Ali Hassan Mwinyi, although the founding father – often called ‘Mwalimu’, or teacher, by Tanzanians to this day – still retained power as the chairman of the revolutionary party.
Gradually, Tanzania’s leaders created a system of multi-party democracy and the first elections were held in the country in 1995, when Benjamin Mkapa was elected president. Today, Mkapa is serving a second five-year term and the political situation of the country remains free and stable. |
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