ABOUT TANZANIA

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The Republic of Tanzania is the economic hub of East Africa. Lying just south of the equator, it is bordered by Uganda and Kenya to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia to the south, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Burundi, and Rwanda to the west. Tanzania contains three of Africa's best-known lakes: Victoria in the north, Tanganyika in the west, and Nyasa in the south. Mount Kilimanjaro in the north (5,895 m) is the highest point on the continent.

With a land area of 945,087km², Tanzania is one of Africa's largest countries, equivalent in size to the state of South Australia. It has a population of 39 million, with 2.7 million people living in the national capital of Dar es Salaam.

Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early 1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. It has operated as a stable democracy since that time. The legal system is based on English common law.

Together with tourism, the mining sector is the leading recipient of inward investment and a key foreign exchange earner of the Tanzanian economy. Since 1998, Tanzania has gone from being an insignificant mineral exporter to the third biggest gold producer in Africa, with more than 50 million ounces of gold reserves and resources.

Tanzania also has world class tourist attractions including the plains of the Serengeti, Ngorongoro Crater, snow capped Mount Kilimanjaro (Africa's highest mountain) and the Indian Ocean island of Zanzibar.