Tanzania: Country brief

As usual, I will start off my blog with a brief background on Tanzania. I try to do this before I arrive in the country because, believe it or not, I probably know as much (or as little) about Tanzania as my average reader. And while everyone can read the Wikipedia page, I will try to consolidate the pertinent and interesting facts in this post. Hopefully it will provide some context to my future posts!

For starters, Tanzania is in east Africa along the coast. Tanzania is a large country, roughly twice the size of California. The capital is Dodoma, though up until 1996 the capital was Dar es Salaam which also happens to be the largest city. The official languages are English and Swahili though there are over 100 different languages spoken. The population of Tanzania is somewhere around 45 million, making it the 6th most populated country in Africa.

The name "Tanzania" comes from the names of the two states, Tanganyika and Zanzibar, that united in October 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. The majority of the pre-independence colonial period was dominated by German control (1800s), with the British taking over in the early 20th century. Independence was gained from the British at the end of 1961. Julius Nyerere was the first president of the country and remains a cult hero of Pan Africanism, despite many of his failed socialist policies.

Political reform and attempts at democracy were implemented in the 1990s, though it basically remains a one party state. Elections are frequently marred with irregularities, accusations of vote rigging, and general non-democratic behavior. Tanzania is an interesting case study regarding international development, foreign aid dependency and democracy.

The number one question I get is, "Is it pronounced tan-ZANE-ia or tan-zan-EE-a?". The explanation I have received relates to the rules of Swahili. In Swahili the stress is always on the second to last syllables. So "Tan-zan-EE-a" is correct. That being said, I have heard many people say "Tan-ZAHN-e-a". My hypothesis is that people tend to use grammar and vocal inflections of their first language, so perhaps certain people are influenced by their first language.

Hope that gives you enough background on the country...let the life in Tanzania begin!