United Republic of Tanzania

The United Republic of Tanzania:
Land of Beauty, Wildlife, and National Parks

Introduction

Located in the eastern part of the African continent, in the area containing the African Great Lakes1, Tanzania faces the Indian Ocean on its eastern border. To the west is the countries of Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The countries located on its southern border are Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique, while on the north are Kenya and Uganda.2

"Mungu ibariki Afrika"3,
"God Bless Africa"4,
"God bless Tanzania"5,
With "Uhuru na Umoja"67,
With "Freedom and Unity"8.

The name of Tanzania is derived from a combination of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, which were united when Tanzania was created.9 Tanganyika is a Swahili word meaning "sail in the wilderness", and is derived from the words tanga and nyika.10 While Zanzibar combines an Arabic word referring to the coast and the name of a group of local inhabitants.11

Vital Statistics12

         Capital: Dodoma
         Largest City: Dar es Salaam
         Official Language: None
                   National Language: Swahili
                   Other Languages: English
         Religion13: Christianity 61.4%
                   Islam 35.2%
                   Indigenous beliefs 1.8%
                   Unaffiliated 1.4%
                   Other 0.2%
                             Some of the other active religious communities are Baha'is14, Buddhists, and Hindus.
         Africa's and Tanzania's Highest Point: Mount Kilimanjaro15
         Africa's and Tanzania's Lowest Point: Lake Tanganyika16

Conservation Areas, National Parks, and Wildlife17

Tanzania has 17 national parks plus the Ngorongoro Conservation Area18. The Ngorongoro Conversation Area (NCA) covers over 3,000 square miles and is designated as a World Heritage Site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. The NCA was recognized, in 1979, as a World Heritage Site for four reasons. First, is the information discovered concerning "human evolution and human-environment dynamics "19. Second, is the Ngorongoro Crater itself. Third, the number of large animals found in this area. Fourth, the contrasts of climates found in the area.

National Parks20

Arusha National Park21
Gombe Stream National Park22
Jozani Chwaka Bay National Park23
Katavi National Park24
Kilimanjaro National Park25
Kitulo National Park26
Mahale Mountains National Park27
Lake Manyara National Park28
Mikumi National Park29
Mkomazi National Park30
Ruaha National Park31
Rubondo Island National Park32
Saadani National Park33
Saanane Island National Park34
Serengeti National Park35
Tarangire National Park36
Udzungwa Mountains National Park37

Wildlife or Fauna38

There are numerous species of birds, mammals, reptiles, insects, and amphibians scattered across Tanzania's national parks and game preserves. Of these there are about nine species that are considered endangered. In addition to the endangered species, there are numerous rare species of animals that are not, as yet, considered endangered. In fact, there are so many rare species of creatures, some have compared Tanzania of equal "biological importance"39 to the Galapagos Islands

Endangered Wildlife40

wild dogs
hawksbill
black rhino
green turtles
olive ridley turtle
leatherback turtles
Pemba flying foxes
Uluguru bushshrikes
red colobus monkeys

Conclusion

Tanzania is beautiful country. It has some fascinating animals and tourist attractions. Some of the tourist attractions are Ngorongoro Crater, Mount Kilimanjaro, and Lake Tanganyika. It is also the home of Jane Goodall's on going Chimpanzee study. Anyone visiting Tanzania needs to take their camera's, and not just the smart phones, to photograph the beauty of this African country.

Word Count: 531

Footnotes
1  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Great_Lakes
2  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania
3  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mungu_ibariki_Afrika
4  English translation of Tanzania's National Anthem.
5  First line of the anthem's second verse.
6  Tanzania's motto.
7  Swahili
8  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania
9  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania#Etymology
10  ibid.
11  ibid.
12  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania
13  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanzania#Religion
14  http://www.bahai.org/national-communities/tanzania
15  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Kilimanjaro
16  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Tanganyika
17  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_of_Tanzania
18  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_of_Tanzania#Ngorongoro_Conservation_Area
19  ibid.
20  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_of_Tanzania#National_parks
21  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arusha_National_Park
22  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gombe_Stream_National_Park
23  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jozani_Chwaka_Bay_National_Park
24  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katavi_National_Park
25  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kilimanjaro_National_Park
26  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kitulo_National_Park
27  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahale_Mountains_National_Park
28  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Manyara_National_Park
29  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikumi_National_Park
30  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mkomazi_National_Park
31  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ruaha_National_Park
32  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubondo_Island_National_Park
33  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saadani_National_Park
34  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saanane_Island_National_Park
35  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serengeti_National_Park
36  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tarangire_National_Park
37  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Udzungwa_Mountains_National_Park
38  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wildlife_of_Tanzania#Fauna
39  ibid.
40  ibid.