19 Facts About Tanzania

Tanzania (/ˌtænzəˈniːə/; Swahili: [tanzaˈni.a]), officially the United Republic of Tanzania (Swahili: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region.

Humanoid bones discovered at Lake Olduvai, specifically the Australopithecus, date back millions of years.

In Olduvai Gorge, the world's oldest known human skull was also discovered.

In the late nineteenth century, Tanzania was invaded and conquered. It was a component of German East Africa. Zanzibar was excluded from the equation because it was ruled by an Arab dynasty from Oman (and from 1890, a British Protectorate).

Germany was effectively defeated after World War I. In 1919, the Paris Peace Conference divided German colonial possessions and awarded them to various Great Powers. Britain obtained German East Africa (i.e., Tanzania).

Prior to independence, the country was known as Tanganyika and was governed as such. It ceased to be a British colony in 1961, and Zanzibar ceased to be a British "protectorate" in 1963. Naturally, the two countries merged.

Tanzania could be the only country with such a name. The "Tan" comes from Tanganyika (which means "sail in the wilderness" in Swahili) and the "Zan" comes from Zanzibar (which means "black coast" in Arabic).

Lake Victoria is Africa's largest lake, the world's largest tropical lake, and the world's second-largest freshwater lake.

Lake Tanganyika is Africa's deepest lake and ranks second in the world in terms of depth, age, and volume (first place goes to Baikal). Lake Malawi has the most fish species of any lake.

The water drops 772 feet in a single, uninterrupted drop from the Kalambo River, making it one of the continent's tallest uninterrupted falls. It's also a significant archaeological site, having been inhabited for over 200,000 years.

There are more languages than in any other East African country.

The British Army in WWII was made up of people from all over the world. Tanganyika was one of many regiments made up of various colonised people.

Tanzania is home to the towering Mount Kilimanjaro. That is the highest point in Africa, at 19,341 feet above sea level.

The floor of Africa's deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika, stretches 1,155 feet below sea level.

Almost 40% of the country is set aside for conservation purposes.

The Serengeti is home to Africa's largest animal population. Around 30 black rhinos, as well as thousands of African buffalo and African bush elephants, play a role.

The Ngorongoro Crater holds the world record for the largest extinct caldera. It is 12 miles in diameter and 102 miles square, and it encompasses the majority of the Ngorongoro Conservation Area.

Dodoma was designated as Tanzania's new capital following a nationwide referendum in 1974. The reasoning was that locating the capital in the country's central region would stimulate economic growth in the region while also centralising the capital.

Tanzania shares its national anthem with South Africa and Zimbabwe.