Tanzania

In brief

Tanzania is a country in East Africa. Its capital is Dodoma. Dar es Salaam remains the main economic centre. With 70.5 million inhabitants in 2025, it ranks 21st in the world by population, out of the 195 countries recognised by the UN. Its area is 945,087 km². It shares land borders with Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia.

GDP per capita stands at $1,319 (2025), 166th in the world. Life expectancy at birth is 67.2 years (2024). 37% of the population lives in cities.

History of Tanzania

Olduvai Gorge has yielded some of the oldest fossils of human ancestors. On the coast, Swahili cities such as Kilwa flourished in the Middle Ages, and in the 19th century Zanzibar became the seat of an Omani sultanate, a hub of the spice and slave trades. Tanganyika, a German and then British colony, became independent on 9 December 1961 under Julius Nyerere; it united with Zanzibar on 26 April 1964 to form Tanzania. Dodoma has replaced Dar es Salaam as the capital. Samia Suluhu Hassan became the country’s first woman president in 2021.

Geography of Tanzania

Tanzania is home to Kilimanjaro (5,895 m), Africa’s highest peak, Serengeti National Park and the Ngorongoro Crater. It borders Lakes Victoria, Tanganyika and Malawi, and the Indian Ocean, with the Zanzibar archipelago.

Map of Tanzania

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Flag of Tanzania

The flag of Tanzania is blue, green, yellow and black. Its official proportions are 2:3 (height to width).

• Black30%
• Green30%
• Blue29%
• Yellow12%

Share of the flag’s surface taken by each colour.

What the flag stands for

A green and a blue triangle separated by a black diagonal edged in yellow. It combines the colours of Tanganyika and Zanzibar: green for the land, blue for the ocean and lakes, black for the people, yellow for mineral wealth.

Sources: Wikipedia, articles “Tanzania” and “Flag of Tanzania”.

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Fact file

Economy and society