tanzania

Name: The United Republic of Tanzania (Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania)
Political Capital: Dodoma
Major cities: Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Zanzibar, Arusha, Mbeya, Morogoro, Tanga, Dodoma, Kigoma, Moshi,
Form of Government: Unitary presidential constitutional republic
Political situation : chief of state & head of government: President Jakaya Kikwete(since 21 December 2005), Vice President Mohammed Gharib Bilal (since 6 November 2010), the president is both chief of state and head of government; president and vice president elected on the same ballot by popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held on 31 October 2010 (next to be held in 2015); prime minister appointed by the president; note: Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government for matters internal to Zanzibar; Ali Mohamed Shein sworn in to that office on 3 November 2010
Territorial subdivision: 30 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Geita, Iringa, Kagera, Katavi, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Njombe, Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Singida, Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar Urban/West
Population: 46,912,768 (July 2012 est.)
Urbanization rate: 4.7% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)
Population density: 46.3/km2 
Ethnic groups: mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African
Official religions: mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim
Official language: Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages
note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources including Arabic and English; it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages
Territory surface: 947,300 km2 
Land: 885,800 km2 
Neighboring countries: Burund, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda, Zambia
Climate: varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands
Festivities and work hours: January 1 - New Year,  January 12 - Zanzibar Revolution Anniversary, April 2 - Good Friday, April 5 - Easter Monday, April 7 - Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume Day, April 26 - Union Day, May 1 - Workers Day, July 7 - Saba Saba Day, August 8 - Nane Nane Day, September 10th - Day of Eid El Fitr (subject to changes according to the lunar calendar), October 14 - Nyerere Day, December 9 - Independence Day, December 25th - Christmas, December 26th - Boxing day
Passport and Visa: All foreigners from non-Commonwealth countries are required to have a valid visa unless their countries have agreements with Tanzania under which the visa requirement is waived.
Exemptions: Citizens of Commonwealth countries are not required to obtain visas unless they are citizens of the United Kingdom, Canada, Nigeria, or India.
Local currency: Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
Currency exchange rate: 1 US dollar - 1623.00 TZS / 1 Euro - 2111.52 TZS
GDP (official exchange rate): $27.98 billion (2012 est.)
GDP growth rate: 6.5% (2012 est.)
Inflation: 15.3% (2012 est.)
Unemployment: 11.70%
Transport system: Airports - 106, Pipelines - gas 254 km; oil 888 km; refined products 8 km, Railways - 3,689 km, Roadways - 91,049 km, Waterways - (Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) are the principal avenues of commerce with neighboring countries; the rivers are not navigable), Merchant marine - 94, Ports & Terminals - Dar es Salaam, Zanzibar
Exports: gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton
Imports: consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial raw materials, crude oil

Economy: Tanzania is one of the world's poorest economies in terms of per capita income, however, it has achieved high growth based on gold production and tourism. The economy depends on agriculture, which accounts for more than one-quarter of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs about 80% of the work force. The World Bank, the IMF, and bilateral donors have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's aging economic infrastructure. Continued donor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported a positive growth rate, despite the world recession. In 2008, Tanzania received the world's largest Millennium Challenge Compact grant, worth $698 million. Dar es Salaam used fiscal stimulus and loosened monetary policy to ease the impact of the global recession. GDP growth in 2009-12 was a respectable 6% per year due to high gold prices and increased production.
Primary Sector: Agriculture - coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Secondary sector: Industries - agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine); mining (diamonds, gold, and iron), salt, soda ash; cement, oil refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer
Tertiary sector: financial services, hotel services and tourism,  and telecommunications
Renewable energies: TAREA (Tanzania Renewable Energy Association) was founded in the year 2000. The objective of TAREA is to promote the sustainable development of Renewable Energy in Tanzania Mainland.
TAREA cooperates with all important enterprises in Tanzania, as well as (inter-)national organizations. Biomass, Hydroelectricity, Wind, Solar, Gas; Tanzania promotes the development of the mini hydroelectric sector, biomass technologies (stoves, improving coal production, gasification process, thermo chemical sector), biofuels, solar energy, aeolic energy, mechanical windmills, and the implementation of energy efficiency systems
Investment incentives: The Investment Agency (TIC) operates as the sole support to investors, facilitating information on investments, registering tax, license information. Investment incentives can reach 300.000 USD.