|
Swahili and English are the official languages,
with English the principal language of commerce.
There are also many local African tongues, reflecting
the tribal diversity of the country. Outside the
cities and towns, far fewer local people speak English
than in comparable areas in Kenya. It's said that
the Swahili spoken on Zanzibar is of a much purer
form than elsewhere, and quite a few travelers head
for the island to learn it. |
|
There's precious little difference between local
food in Kenya and Tanzania - which is not great
news for gourmets. As in Kenya, nyama choma (barbecued
meat) has taken over in a big way, especially in
restaurants with attached bars. But on the coast
and in Zanzibar and Pemba islands, there's a decent
range of traditional Swahili dishes based on seafood.
The national brew is Safari Lager and the local
liquor is a lethal white-rum-style concoction called
konyagi. |
|
Visiting Tanzania can be done on a budget and a
good time can be had by all. Hotels range from fleapits
and brothels to grandiose establishments. The choice
is yours and there's usually plenty to choose from.
On the rougher side, camping sites with facilities
are scarce except in national parks. For a comfortable
enough budget trip, you can get by on US$20 a day.
Around US$100 a day is quite normal for a safari.
With a little sniffing about, good value restaurants
and hotels make it possible to really live it up
for no more than US$30-35 a day. |
| Full
country name: |
United Republic of Tanzania
|
Area:
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945,090 sq km (364,879 sq mi) |
| Population:
|
31,270,820 |
| Capital city:
|
Dodoma
|
| People:
|
99% native African (over 100 tribes), 1%
Asian, European and Arabic |
| Languages: |
Swahili, English, indigenous. |
| Religion:
|
40% Christian, 33% Muslim, 20% indigenous
beliefs |
| Government:
|
Republic (multi-party state) |
| President
|
Benjamin William Mkapa |
| GDP: |
US$7 billion |
GDP per head:
|
US$220 |
Inflation:
|
40% |
| Major industries:
|
Tobacco, sugar, sisal, diamond and gold
mining, oil refining, cement, tourism |
| Major trading partners:
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India, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Rwanda,
the Netherlands, South Africa, Kenya, U.K.,
Saudi Arabia, China |
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