Tanzania

The name “Tanzania” is the result of a merger between the names “Tanganyika” (the name of the British trusteeship corresponding to mainland Tanzania) and “Zanzibar” and was adopted after the union in 1964.

Tanzania, or United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa. It borders Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south, and the Indian Ocean to the east.

It is a federal republic.

Dar es Salaam is the largest city and the capital, although administrative functions are being transferred to Dodoma, a city in the center of the country.

Tanzania is an excellent tourist destination at all times of the year. From the end of June to October the air is fresh and the climate dry; October and November are very pleasant months because the landscape begins to become green thanks to the first short rains; from the end of December to February the temperatures increase but without becoming suffocating; from March to May there is the rainy season, when the landscape becomes lush and very rich.

The population consists of more than 120 different ethnic groups, including the Sukuma, the Nyamwezi, the Hehe-Bena, the Gogo, the Haya, the Makonde, the Chagga and Nyakyusa. Other minority groups include the Pare, the Shambaa and Ngoni. Most Tanzanians are Bantu peoples. Among the Nilotic peoples will include the nomadic Maasai. The population includes Arabs, Indians, Pakistanis, Chinese and European small communities.
No ethnic group prevails over the others, because they consist of a few individuals.

In Tanzania, the two most widely practiced religions are Christian and Muslim, while Zanzibar is a high prevalence of the latter.

The official language is Swahili, but English is the second language used by the Tanzanians.

The dish is ugali, a substantial dough made with cornmeal or cassava served with a sauce.

Traditional music is the Tanzanian Taarab, Swahili culture, with Indian and Arabic influences. Initially, a court musician of the Omani sultans, now played mainly at weddings.
The traditional dance is the ngoma and is characterized by movements executed with considerable fluency and accompanied by intense rhythms. This dance is used to communicate feelings such as gratitude and praise to the ancestors.
The best known form of visual art is the dye-dye in bright colors with themes naive and surreal. The subjects are often stylized animals.
The writer and poet Shaaban Robert (1909-62) is considered the national poet, from his writings: “yangu Maisha (my life).