Yearbook 2004
Tanzania. At the beginning of the year, the Zanzibar archipelago began in practice the campaign ahead of the general elections in 2005. For several years, strong political tensions have existed between semi-autonomous Zanzibar and the mainland, and on the islands the suspicion is strong against the dominant mainland party Chama Cha Mapinduzi (Revolutionary Party, CCM).
The total population in Tanzania is 59,734,229 people in 2020. A key issue for the work on establishing new voting lengths was which ones would be considered eligible for voting on Zanzibar. The local strongest party Citizens United Front (CUF) has long accused the CCM of moving mainland residents to the islands to erode CUF’s position. A number of explosive attacks in February and March increased concern over violent confrontations.
The population of Tanzania (55% under the age of 19) has grown at a rate of 2.9%: from 34,569,232 residents at the 2002 census it rose to 44,928,923 residents of the 2012 census; in 2014, according to an estimate by UNDESA (United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs), the residents were 50,757,459. The urban population (31%, but growing strongly) mainly affects the seat of the government, Dar es Salaam (4,364,541 residents in the agglomeration), Mwanza (789,000 residents), the capital Dodoma (410,956 residents, census of the 2012).
The following weigh on life expectancy (61.5 years, 2013): the spread of AIDS / HIV (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome / Human Immunodeficiency Virus), which places Tanzania in 7th place in the world for number of patients (1,400. 000, estimate 2013 UNAIDS, Joint United Nations program on HIV and AIDS); poverty (66% of the population); insecurity in the region. The Tanzania welcomes 253,190 refugees from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo and has recently suffered terrorist actions. With a literacy rate of 71% and GDP per capita at purchasing power parity (PPA) of $ 1941, Tanzania ranks 159 in the Human Development Index. Over the past decade, the economy has grown by 6%, supported by the development of financial services, telecommunications and the tourism sector (1,043,000 admissions; 4% of employment and 4.8% of GDP in 2012), which overall they represent 50% of GDP. Another 28% is based in the agricultural sector (about 70% of the workforce), but vulnerable to recurring droughts. Important is the export (cotton, sisal, tobacco, coffee and gold) and the re-export through the port of Dar es Salaam (21% of GDP). Development prospects concern the extraction of uranium (since 2014) and natural gas (recently discovered offshore fields). Relations with China, India and the United States consolidated.
In October, Zanzibar’s regional parliament marked the islands’ special status by adopting their own flag, the first since the archipelago joined Tanzania in 1964.
General information about Tanzania
Four-fifths of Tanzania is a large highland in East Africa. The UNESCO-protected Serengeti National Park is a dream come true for every nature lover. The Serengeti’s open grasslands, riverside forests and rock islands, shelters, are familiar from numerous television documentaries. At the end of the year, hundreds of thousands of migratory wildebeest, zebras and savannahs and isogels can be seen on the unobstructed savannah. The open terrain favors the predatory technique of the Gebard and the litters are excellent sightings for large numbers of lions. The lofty giraffe is the national animal of Tanzania and there are also several antelopes moving around the landscape, such as impalas, elandas, cones and water antelopes. Acacia and sausage trees enliven the open terrain. The Ngorongoro Conservation Area has been created in an interesting way, when a volcano collapsed a couple of million years ago and a huge boiler-like area formed inside it. Now, thousands of wildlife live at the bottom of this crater, at best up to 25,000 large mammals, the rarest of which is the endangered shrub rhinoceros. Even the densest predator in the world can be found here. Dense mountain forests grow on the southern and southeastern slopes of the crater. Ngorongoro is the homeland of the Maasai people. Protecting nature is also about protecting indigenous peoples and their livestock. Ngorongoro and Tarangire National Park are part of the eastern branch of a large burial ground starting in Turkey and ending in Mozambique. The beautiful Tarangire, partly covered with swamps and partly with trees and shrubs, is known especially for its elephants, but also for its monkey bread trees, which can reach a height of 3,000 years and contain up to 100,000 liters of water. Tanzania’s “safari capital” is Arusha, located next to Mount Meru. The mountain rainforests of Meru are home to several primates such as olive baboons, green barnacles and black and white guarets. Safari trips in Tanzania include overnight stays in comfortable lodge and well-equipped safari tents. See campingship.com for Tanzania travel guide.