Many people have remarked in shock or confusion as to why I would leave Washington D.C. to move to Tanzania. While Tanzania may not be the political powerhouse that D.C. is, I’d like to give a little bit of background on the country that a friend accidentally referred to as “Tazmania” when I told her about my move.
- Tanzania is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south, and by the Indian Ocean on the east.
- Formerly its own state, Zanzibar united with Tanganyika to form Tanzania in 1964. Zanzibar is an archipelago located in the Indian ocean.
- The primary language in Tanzania is Swahili, which I will be learning (with some help from a translator) during my time in the country.
- Tanzania is south of the equator. It is the 31st biggest country in the world (in line after Egypt), and it covers an area approximately double the size of California. Much of the Serengeti is in Tanzania.
- The general assumption (for those who make assumptions about Tanzania) is that the capital of the country is Dar Es Salaam. In fact, in 1996, the country’s government offices were transferred from Dar to Dodoma. Dodoma is now the political capital, while Dar has remained the industrial and cultural center of the country.
- Tanzania has been politically stable since 1967.
- More than 80% of the population in Tanzania is rural. The unemployment rate is 67%. The population of the country living below the poverty line is 36%.
Photos of Tanzania:
Mount Kilimanjaro
The Serengeti in Tanzania
Children in Dar Es Salaam
Children and their one-room house
Maria Idehen, a Kiva borrower who mills grain (photo courtesy of Kiva.org)
*Information on this page was derived from Kiva.org, Wikipedia.org, and The Rough Guide to Tanzania, Edition 2, by Jens Finke
