Kiruswa's Tanzania Web Page

Pesented to Cs 104 Class: Thursday, October 19, 1995

Instructor: Professor Russell C. Bjork

Gordon College Computer Department

Introduction

Hallo friends and users of the Internet. My name is Steven L. Kiruswa. I am in Gordon College as an Exchange Program senior student from Daystar University in Kenya, East Africa. I am a Tanzanian and I love my country. I went to Kenya three years ago to study Community Development and Business Administration (B.A degree program) so that I can play a more effective role in helping in the development process in my country. I came to Gordon College for a semester under the consortium program which have given me an opportunity to further my skills in this crucial subject on Understanding and Using Computers without which I may not have been exposed to the world of Internet, full of learning and fun.

Therefore, below is an overview of the nature of Tanzania my country which I long to see develop like this great nation of America and other developed countries of the world. You are all welcome to explore its links in the Net and if you like it, crown her.

Geography

Tanzania is located three degrees below the equator in East Africa along the Indian Ocean coast. Its total area covers 945,090 sq km. It has three Islands off its coastline namely: Mafia, Pemba and Zanzibar. Tanzania borders Burundi, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.

The climate of Tanzania varies from tropical to savannah and semi-arid climate which occupy most of the land. The topography comprises of plains, plateaus and highlands in the north and south. Generally, the rains are short and unreliable.

Tanzania is endowed with a fair amount of natural resources though most of it remain unexploited due to lack of expertise and capital. The resources found include: hydropower potential, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstone, gold, natural gas and nickel.

Remarkable natural features include Mt. Kilimanjaro the highest point in Africa with permanent snow at its peak, the great Ngorongoro crater and natinal park, and the great freshwater lake(Vctoria) shared by three countries of East Africa (Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda).

Tanzania also has some of the most attractive national parks in Africa. Such include, Serengeti,Ngorongoro, Mikumi,Seleous, and Manyara where you find animals like giraffes, antelopes, elephants, rhinos, zebras, lions, leopalds, monkeys, guorillas, bufallos and so many other kinds of wild animals rooming freely. The Great Rift Valley passes through Tanzania and a number of lakes lay on its bed namely, Lake Tanganyika, Nyasa, Rukwa and Manyara.

People

Currently, Tanzania's population is estimated at 30 million people. These are people from a diversity of well over 100 ethnic groups who live in harmony regarding themselves as Tanzanians. About 99% of the total population is native blacks and 1% is Europeans, Asians and Arabs. The main religions found in Tanzania are: Christian (45%), Islam (35%), and Indigeneous beliefs (20%). The majotity of people live in rural areas called villages.Actually ,statistics show that 90% of total population live in rural areas and 10% live in urban centres. Dar es Salaam and Dodoma are the two capital cities where as in every province you find at least one big town.

Kiswahili is the national language and it is widely undrstood and used for communication between ethnic groups. It is also a language of instruction throughout primary (elementery) school education. English is spoken as an official, foreign language for business and higher education.

The education system of Tanzania is unique in character for it prepares individuals for self employment in rural life especially for people whose level of education doesn't go beyond secondary school. Thre are seven years of primary education, four years of ordinary level secondary education, two years of advanced level secondary education and three years of university education for undergraduate degrees. There is also an adult literacy compaign which enables mature citizens who didn't get an opportunity to go to school learn reading, writing, and general education in seven grades.

Government and the political set up

Tanzania is a united repulic. Before 1964, there were two entities called Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The two united to form the United Republic of Tanzania with the federal government. Adminisration-wise, the country is devided int 26 provinces or regions with Regional Commissioners as the government senior top officials.

Politically, Tanzania adopted the multi-party democracy system some five years ago. Besides, it has remained a socialist country which persues African Socialism and non- alignment policy. This means it is open to cooperate with both the east and the west for economic and social prosperity.

Currently, the country is going for its first multi-party democracy general election which will be held on October 29, 1995 (this month)!

Economy

Tanzania is among the poor of the poorest countries of the world. Its economy is largerly dependennt on agriculture which in many areas is regularly affected by unreliable weather changes and climatical conditions. A big portion of the land is semi-arid and receives only short rains annually making most of the year dry.

The litle industry in existance is limited to processing agricultural products and light consumer goods. The country export commodities such as coffee, cotton, tobacco, tea, cashew nuts, siasl and some minerals. It trades with U.K., U.S.A., China, India and other African countries like Kenya, Uganda and South Africa. In turn Tanzania imports basically manufactured goods, machinery and transportation equipment, crude oil and foodstuffs.

Local industries process sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine, diamond and gold mining oil refining, shoes, cement, textiles, wood products and fertilizer.

Therefore, as a whole, Tanzania, being an agricultural country, produces two kinds of crops but not at the self sufficient capacity. The first type is cash crops like coffe, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum, cashew nuts, tobacco, and cloves. The second type is food crops such as corn, wheat, cassava, bananas, sourgham, fruit, and vegetables. Cattle, sheep, and goats are also reared for local consumption.

Transportation

The major means of transportation in Tanzania include, railroads, a few paved and unpaved roads, Inland waterways (lakes), crude oil pipeline, ocean, and airways. Tanzania has several ports and harbours along the coastline towns like Tanga, Dar es Salaam and Lindi, and Inland towns such as Bukoba, Mwanza, and Kigoma where the lakes are situated. Two airports are significantly known namely, Dar es Salaam International Airport and Kilimanjaro International Airport.

In the very remote rural villages, people use bycycles and donkeys for transportation.

Communication

There are four classified communication channels in Tanzania. These are: telephone system, Radio, Newspapers, and TV broadcast stations.

Conclusion

Therefore, with this rather sketchy overview of Tanzania in mind, I would like to direct you to some links available in the Net with more information about Tanzania. All you need to access them is just to click on them: