Karibuni Tanzania!

The title says, "Welcome to Tanzania!" in Kiswahili. The name of this blog, Haika Ruwa, means, "Thanks to God" in Kichagga. Kiswahili (also called Swahili) is the national language of Tanzania, a country in eastern Africa. Kichagga is the tribal language of the Chagga people of the Kilimanjaro region.

Information about Tanzania

Tanzania is located just south of the Equator in eastern Africa. Tanzania has an estimated population of over 36 million people and a land area of 364,900 square miles (as a point of comparison Texas has an estimated population of 26 million and an area of 286,600 square miles).

Map source: worldofmaps.net

Tanzania was originally called Tanganyika when it became independent of British rule in 1961. The islands of Zanzibar and Pemba joined with Tanganyika in 1964 to become Tanzania. Serving as president until 1985, Julius K. Nyerere implemented two decades of "African socialism", called ujamaa. A multiparty system was established in 1992 after a constitutional amendment.

Some 80 percent of Tanzanians farm or fish at subsistence levels. Roughly 15% of all secondary school-age children actually attend school. Dar es Salaam is the administrative capital of Tanzania and the location of most foreign embassies, but Dodoma is the location of Tanzania's parliament. Other major cities in Tanzania are Arusha, Mwanza, Moshi, Mtwara and Mbeya.

Tanzania has many famous national parks and geographic locations. Among these are the Serengeti, Ngorongoro crater, and the highest mountain in Africa Mt. Kilimanjaro (19,341 ft.).