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Discover Tanzania Tanzania is a country of just under one million square kilometres, about twice the size of France. It is bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest, and containing almost one sixth of the fresh water on the entire globe) in the west, and Lake Nyasa (Malawi) in the southwest, the world's 10th largest lake and the home of many species of fish found nowhere else. Its neighbours are Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and D.R.Congo to the west, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. To the east is the 1’424 kilometre (884 miles) long coast of the Indian Ocean. Shortly after independence, in 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of the United Republic of Tanzania. The country ranges in altitud The border between British East Africa (now Kenya) and German East Africa (now Tanzania) was fixed between the two countries in 1890. The border was set to accommodate the whole of Mount Kilimanjaro in the German Sphere of Influence while enabling the port of Mombasa to fall within the British East Africa. The arrangement also encompassed the transfer of Heligoland in the North Sea from Britain to Germany and the agreement that the islands of Zanzibar (now part of Tanzania) and those off Kenya's coast, would fall into the British sphere of influence. Tanzania has much to offer tourists; vast game parks and reserves such as the Selous and the Serengeti, an active volcano (Ol Donyo Lengai), the Ngorongoro crater, white sandy beaches and the coral reefs of the Indian Ocean. The population is about 37 million. The capital is Dodoma, although the largest city and economic hub is Dar es Salaam. Tanzania’s GDP per head is among the lowest in the world but the economy is now growing steadily. Agriculture is the most important sector. Tanzania produces coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum, cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava, bananas, fruits and vegetables. Cattle, sheep and goats are kept by government ministers and smallholders alike.
The official languages spoken in Tanzania are Kiswahili and English. Arabic is widely spoken in Zanzibar and on the coast and many local languages are also spoken. Tanzania is home to more than 130 tribes, but the late President Julius Nyerere and his successors have developed a strong national identity.
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e from sea-level on the Indian Ocean coast to 5’895 metres (19’335 feet), the highest point in Africa and summit of the famous Mount Kilimanjaro (right). There are almost 60'000 square kilometres (37’260 square miles) of lakes and rivers. 
Gold and diamond mining is rapidly gaining in importance with new mines having opened in the past 10 years in the region around Mwanza, South and East of Lake Victoria. The beautiful precious stone Tanzanite (left) is found only in Tanzania, near Arusha. Tourism is growing fast with more than 500,000 visting in 2004 compared with 80,000 in the late 1980’s.The currency is the Tanzanian shilling.