Tanzania

Fact Sheet :

- Area : 945,087 sq km

- Population : 39,384,223 (July 2007 est.)

- Capital : Dar es Salaam

- Languages : Kiswahili or Swahili (official), English (official), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar)

- Currency : Tanzanian shilling (TZS)

- Government type : republic

- Elements of History :

Shortly after independence, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities.

- Climate :

varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands