The United Republic of Tanzania is the largest country in East Africa and is located south of the Equator. It borders eight countries: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. Tanzania is a portmanteau derived from combining two states, Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The two independent states came together to form the Republic of Tanzania in 1964.
The country was ruled by the Portuguese until the 18th century, the Germans until World War I and later by the British until the country gained independence in 1961. Tanzania was originally inhabited by hunter-gatherer communities with pastoral and agricultural Cushitic speakers migrating from Ethiopia and Somalia. The Bantu-speaking tribes later arrived from West Africa, followed by the Nilotic pastoralists. Today, there are over a hundred ethnic groups, which fall into four major categories, viz. Bantu, Cushite, Nilo-Hamite, and San. The Maasai are the most well-known of these, thanks to the Serengeti.
But fossil evidence of human inhabitation goes back to 2 million years. Archaeologists have found skulls of homo habilis and Paranthropus boisei species, both predecessors of homo sapiens, along with stone tools and pre-historic macroplant species. Humans are believed to have migrated from around the Olduvai Gorge from eastern Africa.
Tanzania has over 22 national parks, many of which are protected ecosystems set aside to preserve the country’s natural resources and wildlife. These national parks cover over 15% of the country’s land area. The most famous among them are the Serengeti National Park, the Tarangire National Park, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Centre. The latter is best known for spotting black rhinos.
The Tanzanians are known to be friendly and welcoming and love to host people. The food is equally interesting. If you’d like to explore this amazing country, check out our Tanzania tour packages.