The name “Tanzania” was created as a clipped compound of the names of the two states that unified to create the country: Tanganyika and Zanzibar. It consists of the first three letters of the names of the two states (“Tan” and “Zan”) and the suffix, “ia” to form Tanzania. The name of Zanzibar comes from “zenji”, the name for a local people (said to mean “black”), and the Arabic word “barr”, which means coast or shore.

Following Tanganyika’s independence and unification with Zanzibar leading to the state of Tanzania, President Nyerere emphasized a need to construct a national identity for the citizens of the new country. To achieve this, Nyerere provided what is regarded as one of the most successful cases of ethnic repression and identity transformation in Africa. With over 130 languages spoken within its territory, Tanzania is one of the most ethnically diverse countries in Africa. Despite this obstacle, ethnic divisions remained rare in Tanzania when compared to the rest of the continent. Furthermore, since its independence, Tanzania has displayed more political stability than most African countries, particularly due to Nyerere ethnic repression methods

The United Republic of Tanzania is located in eastern Africa on the Indian Ocean between Mozambique and Kenya and includes the island of Zanzibar. Its largest city, Dar es Salaam, is located along the eastern coast on the Indian Ocean. The capital Dodoma lies west of Dar-es-Salaam. Tanzania covers an area roughly twice the size of California. The terrain includes coastal plains, a central plateau, and highlands in the north and south. It is home to Mt. Kilimanjaro (the highest point in Africa) , Lake Victoria ( the second largest lake in the world), and the Great Rift Valley. The climate varies from tropical along the coast to temperate in the highlands. Natural resources include hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, and nickel. Population is around 55 million people live in Tanzania. Kiswahili or Swahili (Kiunguju in Zanzibar) and English are the official languages; Arabic and numerous other local languages are spoken as well.

Tanzania boasts some of the best national parks in the world. The Serengeti National Park is one of the most famous and best-loved parks, and is home to more than one million species of large mammals. It’s also a World Heritage Site, and has also had the honor of being named a 7th world wonder. The Serengeti is the site of the Great Migration, where wildebeest and zebras make their way across the plains in search of fresh grasslands. It’s also home to great buffalo herds, elephants, giraffe, leopard, impala, and gazelle, as well as the endangered Eastern Black Rhinoceros. Tanzania also features the largest population of elephants; which can be found in the Selous Game Reserve.

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