Eastern Africa · Africa

Tanzania

Discover Tanzania - home to Africa's highest peak, the world's greatest wildlife migration, the spice island of Zanzibar, and some of the oldest evidence of human life.

Where Is Tanzania?

Tanzania is a country in Eastern Africa. Its capital is Dodoma.

Where Tanzania isEastern Africa · Capital Dodoma

Capital Dodoma
Population 70.5M
Area 947,303 km²

Tanzania is East Africa's showpiece, the country that somehow ended up with both the continent's highest mountain and its most famous wildlife spectacle. Kilimanjaro rises to 5,895 meters from flat savanna, snow-capped and improbable near the equator. The Serengeti's Great Wildebeest Migration - two million animals following the rains in an endless loop - is arguably the most dramatic natural event on Earth.

But there's more to Tanzania than safari brochures. Zanzibar, the semi-autonomous island archipelago off the coast, was a hub of the spice and slave trades for centuries and still has the winding alleys, carved wooden doors, and clove-scented air to prove it. Freddie Mercury was born in Stone Town. The Nobel Prize-winning novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah grew up there. Swahili, one of Africa's most widely spoken languages, evolved along this coast. And at Laetoli and Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania is where some of the oldest evidence of human evolution was found - footprints 3.6 million years old, pressed into volcanic ash by our earliest ancestors.

At a glance

Language

Swahili & English

Currency

Tanzanian Shilling (TZS)

Calling Code

+255

Drives On

Left

Internet

.tz

Timezone

EAT (UTC+3)

Script

Latin

Government

Presidential Republic

Independence

1961

By population

Largest cities in Tanzania

Dar es Salaam

Largest city and commercial capital on the Indian Ocean coast, a bustling port whose name means Haven of Peace in Arabic

7,400,000

Mwanza

Second largest city on the shores of Lake Victoria, center of the lake region's fishing and mining industries

1,200,000

Dodoma

Official capital since 1996, centrally located in the semi-arid interior, still growing into its administrative role

750,000

Zanzibar City

Historic Stone Town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site of narrow alleys, carved doors, and Swahili-Arab architecture

600,000

Arusha

Safari capital of northern Tanzania, gateway to Kilimanjaro, the Serengeti, and the Ngorongoro Crater

460,000

Mbeya

Highland city in the Southern Highlands, center of a rich agricultural region growing coffee, tea, and cocoa

385,000

People

Famous people from Tanzania

Julius Nyerere
Politics
First president of Tanzania known as Mwalimu (Teacher), unified the country and promoted Swahili as a national language
Freddie Mercury
Music
Born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town, Zanzibar (1946), became the legendary frontman of Queen and one of rock's greatest vocalists
Abdulrazak Gurnah
Literature
Born in Zanzibar, won the Nobel Prize in Literature (2021) for his novels exploring the effects of colonialism and the refugee experience
Filbert Bayi
Sport
Set a world record in the 1,500 meters in 1974, one of the greatest middle-distance runners of his era
Bi Kidude
Music
Legendary Taarab singer from Zanzibar who performed for over 70 years, a cultural icon of East African music
Bibi Titi Mohammed
Politics
Leading figure in Tanzania's independence movement who mobilized women across the country, one of the most important women in East African history
Siti binti Saad
Music
First East African woman to make commercial recordings in the 1920s, pioneered Taarab music and sang in Swahili

Food

Traditional cuisine of Tanzania

Ugali: Stiff maize porridge that is Tanzania's staple food, torn by hand and used to scoop up meat, fish, and vegetable stews
Nyama Choma: Grilled meat - usually goat or beef - roasted over charcoal and served with salt, lime, and chili, East Africa's ultimate social food
Zanzibar Pizza: Street food specialty unique to Zanzibar - thin dough filled with meat, vegetables, egg, and cheese, folded and fried on a griddle
Pilau: Spiced rice dish cooked with meat and aromatic spices including cardamom, cinnamon, and cloves, reflecting Zanzibar's spice trade heritage
Mishkaki: Marinated meat skewers grilled over charcoal, Tanzania's beloved street food served with tangy chili sauce
Chapati: Unleavened flatbread cooked on a griddle, brought by Indian traders centuries ago and now a Tanzanian breakfast staple
Ndizi Nyama: Stew of meat and plantain bananas cooked in a coconut-based sauce, a comfort food from the coastal regions
Mandazi: Lightly sweetened fried dough triangles flavored with cardamom and coconut milk, eaten as a snack or with morning tea

Nature

Nature and landmarks in Tanzania

Mount KilimanjaroMountain: Africa's highest peak at 5,895 meters, the world's tallest free-standing mountain, snow-capped and visible from over 100 km away
Serengeti National ParkNational Park: Home to the Great Wildebeest Migration where over 2 million animals cross the plains annually, arguably the world's greatest wildlife spectacle
Ngorongoro CraterLandmark: The world's largest unbroken volcanic caldera, a natural amphitheater teeming with wildlife including the Big Five
ZanzibarIsland: Spice island archipelago off the coast with pristine beaches, coral reefs, and the historic Stone Town
Lake VictoriaLake: Africa's largest lake and the world's second largest freshwater lake, shared with Uganda and Kenya
Lake TanganyikaLake: The world's second deepest lake at 1,470 meters and the longest freshwater lake, home to hundreds of endemic fish species
Selous Game ReserveNational Park: One of the largest protected wildlife areas in Africa at 50,000 square kilometers, a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Olduvai GorgeLandmark: Paleoanthropological site where some of the earliest evidence of human ancestors was discovered, known as the Cradle of Mankind

Sport

Sports in Tanzania

Football: Most popular sport in the country, the Taifa Stars are building a competitive presence in East African and continental football
Athletics: Growing middle and long-distance running tradition, with Filbert Bayi's 1974 world record still a source of national pride
Boxing: Regular competitor at Commonwealth Games and African championships, with a growing amateur boxing program

Facts

Did you know?

Mount Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa at 5,895 meters and the tallest free-standing mountain in the world
The Serengeti's Great Wildebeest Migration involves over 2 million animals traveling in a continuous loop, the largest land migration on Earth
Freddie Mercury, lead singer of Queen, was born Farrokh Bulsara in Stone Town, Zanzibar in 1946
The 3.6-million-year-old footprints at Laetoli are the oldest known evidence of upright bipedal walking by human ancestors
Zanzibar was once the world's largest producer of cloves, and the island still smells of spices
Tanzania is home to over 120 ethnic groups, yet Swahili serves as a unifying national language spoken by nearly everyone
The Ngorongoro Crater is the world's largest unbroken volcanic caldera, about 19 km across and 600 meters deep
Lake Tanganyika is estimated to be 9-12 million years old, making it one of the oldest lakes on Earth