The region where Tanzania is located is known to European tourists as a paradise much south of the equator. The coast of the Indian Ocean, on the banks of which the republic is located, makes it attractive for lovers of a leisurely beach holiday.
Where is Tanzania located?
The United Republic of Tanzania, and this is the official name of this country, has a completely unique location, giving the country a significant advantage in the international tourism market. The republic is located in the southeastern part of the African continent.
To begin with, the country is located on the shores of the warm Indian Ocean. Numerous hotels annually receive hundreds of thousands of tourists from Europe and America.
In addition, the region where Tanzania is located is famous for the so-called Great African Lakes, which are located in the region of the East African Fault.
Great Lakes of Africa
In Africa, where Tanzania is located, there are lakes that are second only to Lake Baikal in area and volume. The largest of them is Victoria, which has worldwide fame. This lake is located on the territory of three states at once: Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda.
Besides the fact that Lake Victoria is the second largest freshwater body in the world, it is also known for the fact that its waters feed the White Nile - one of the great rivers of the world.
Despite the fact that some experts are inclined to attribute only Lake Victoria, Edward and Albert to the Great African Lakes, the full list of lakes located in this region looks like this:
- Victoria.
- Tanganyika.
- Nyasa.
- Rudolf.
- Edward.
- Albert
- Kivu.
In addition to its area and fresh water reserves, the lakes are also notable for the fact that about ten percent of all fish species known to science live in them, many of which are not found in other regions.
Geography and population of the country
The favorable climate of East Africa creates all the necessary conditions for high-productivity agriculture and the formation of surplus products. It is for this reason that there have always been numerous small states in the region, the largest of which were Burundi, Rwanda and Uganda. Today, Tanzania borders with Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, Uganda, Rwanda, Zambia and the Republic of Congo.
Such a number of states is due to the fact that the eastern part of Africa is very diverse in cultural, ethnic and linguistic relations. And these factors were taken into account when drawing the borders of new states formed as a result of the liquidation of the colonial system on the continent.
However, despite such a large number of state entities, each of them is quite densely populated. For example, in Tanzania, according to the UN, more than fifty million people live in one hundred and twenty different ethnic groups, speaking more than one hundred languages.
Nature and climate
The unique natural wealth of the region where Tanzania is located requires a special attitude, which is expressed either in the gentle level of human use, or even in the abandonment of the exploitation of natural resources.
It is worth paying tribute to the government of the republic, which, to the best of its ability, is trying to protect the nature of the country from human pressure. About 38% of the country's territory is reserved for national parks and reserves, of which there are sixteen.
One of the most noteworthy natural monuments of Tanzania, whose coordinates are as follows - 3 ° 12 SJ 35 ° 27 'WD - is Ngorongoro National Park. The name of the park comes from the sound that the bells make on the necks of the cows belonging to the local Masai nomadic tribes.
The national park occupies the territory of a huge crater, which is a caldera type. Today it is the largest of the inactive volcanic craters on Earth. This crater has not been active for so long that the first traces of human activity in its territory appear already three million years ago. The remains of a hominid found on its territory gave a name to a new species - the Olduvai man, discovered in the Olduvai gorge.
Seven Wonders of Africa
In addition to Ngorongoro, the Serengeti region, which shares a border with the Tanzanian Ngorongoro Nature Reserve and the Kenyan Masai Mara Natural Park, also belongs to African natural wonders.
The area of the Serengeti Park is 14,763 square kilometers and for many millennia these vast wastelands, attracting many tourists today, did not have a permanent population. Only a little over a hundred years ago, the nomadic Masai tribes came to the prairie and remained there. The history of the Serengeti conservation zone begins in 1951, when a small private reserve was transformed into a National Park, which in Tanzania was second only to the Selous reserve.
Selus hunting reserve was organized at the beginning of the twentieth century, as it quickly became clear that it represents a region unique in composition of flora and fauna. More than 350 species of birds live in Selous, numerous species of savannah animals and almost 2000 species of plants grow.
Tanzania. Where is Zanzibar located?
Stretching along the east coast of Africa, the archipelago consists of seventy-five islands, some of which belong to the autonomy of Zanzibar, which is included in Tanzania as a Free Republic.
From a geographical point of view, the archipelago is a cluster of islands, the largest of which are Ugunja, Pemba and the Mafia. Ugunja Island is the largest and is often mistakenly called Zanzibar, giving it the name of the entire archipelago.
It is on the western shore of Ugunja island that the largest city of the archipelago is Zanzibar, the number of which is about one hundred and twenty thousand people. It is worth noting that in the period from 2008 to 2009 the city’s population has declined significantly.
In modern conditions, Tanzania, where there are numerous natural monuments, is becoming more attractive for travelers who prefer to combine high-class vacations with visits to national parks, reserves and safaris, which are popular with wealthy hunting enthusiasts. Especially popular are the islands of Tanzania, embodying the dream of a paradise on Earth, surrounded by turquoise water and the hot sun.