Tanzania

Tanzania is located in East Africa, on the Indian Ocean. Its neighbors are Kenya to the north, Mozambique to the south, and Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia and Malawi to the west. Tanzania is approximately twice the geographical size of California. Swahili is the official language. English and Arabic are also spoken. The total population is 37.6 million, 50% of whom are under the age of 18. Tanzania is a predominately rural nation, with over 70% of the population living in villages or rural areas. The three largest cities are Dar es Salaam (on the coast), Arusha (near the Serengeti and Mt. Kilimanjaro) and Mwanza (on Lake Victoria). The mainland of Tanzania is 30% Christian and 35% Muslim. The remaining 35% of the population practice indigenous and animistic beliefs. Zanzibar is more than 99% Muslim.

Tanzania is a peaceful and politically stable nation. It has a national and cultural identity that has unified its citizens since independence, despite Tanzania's ethnic, tribal and religious divisions. First President Julius Nyerere's decision to make Swahili the national language of Tanzania is often credited as the foundation of the relative success Tanzania has enjoyed as a nation in sub-Saharan Africa. Life expectancy at birth is 46 years, and the gross-national-income, per capita, per year is equivalent to $330 USD. There are approximately 2.5 million orphans in Tanzania. In other words, one in eight children between the ages of zero and 18 is an orphan. HIV/AIDS accounts for half the orphans in Tanzania. For more information on the nation of Tanzania, click HERE