 Geography |
Tanzania covers 937,062 sq. km making it the largest country in Eastern Africa. 884,000 sq.km is landmass and 61,00 sq.km is covered by water, the largest water bodies being Lakes Tanganyika, Victoria, Nyasa and Rukwa.
Location
Tanzania lies on the cost of Africa between latitudes 1°S to 12°S and longitudes 29° 30' east to 40º east.
Neighbouring Countries
Kenya and Uganda to the north, Zambia, Mozambique and Malawi to the South, Rwanda, Burundi and Zaire to the west (the border between Tanzania and Zaire runs through lake Tanganyika) and the Indian Ocean to the east.
Geographical features
Tanzania has clearly defined topographical features:
The islands of Unguja and Pemba lie about 45 km (28 miles) off the coast to the north east of the country approximately 70 minutes by boat and 25 minutes by air.
The Coastal Plain- varying in width between 50 and 200 km and covered in lush tropical vegetation.
The Inland Plateau- this is the most extensive piece of land rising to 1000-1500 metres above sea level. It is covered by forested uplands and marked by two massive scarps of the East African Rift Valley at the bottom of which lies lakes, active volcanoes and the Olduvai Gorge- the cradle of man - where Dr Leakey discovered the remains of the "nutcracker man".
The High Plateau- in the south, the high Plateau extends towards Lake Nyasa and Zambia: in places it forms mountain ranges such as Rungwe and Udizungwa. In the north and Northeast the High Plateau leads to distinct volcanic mountains among which are Mt Meru (4,567m) and Mt Kilimanjaro (19340ft/5895m) Africa's roof top and one of the highest mountains in the world accessible by walking.
Climate
The various in altitude and terrain found in Tanzania create sharp contrasts in climate.
The coastal plains and the islands of Zanzibar experience hot, tropical climate with temperatures reaching 32º C during the hottest months of late January, February and early March, but as low as 18º C in the months of June, July and August.
The southern and northern highlands are characterised by cool climate with temperatures ranging from5º C to 26º C.
Mt Kilimanjaro: the area below 6000ft (1800m) has been cleared for cultivation and is inhabited by farmers. Up to 8850ft (2700m) is temperate forest, which includes the Kilimanjaro National Park. Above this belt the vegetation turns to moorland, dominated by giant heather and tussock grassland, until at about 13,800ft (4200m) where it gives way to the bare alpine desert.
| Beyond 16,000ft (4900m) the ground is devoid of any growth bar the occasional lichen. Mt Kilimanjaro displays the full range of climatic conditions from equatorial to arctic.
Moshi town on the foothill of Mt Kilimanjaro has mean maximum temperatures of 25º C to 33º C in January to March and mean minimum temperatures of 15º C to 19º C in April to August.
At around 13,000ft (4000m) temperatures can be over 15º C if the sun is shining but around freezing point (0 C) at night. Summit temperatures range from around 5º C in the day to between-18º C and-22º C at night. Prevailing winds are from the south and east.
Commonly during the day, the cloud level rises from 7000ft (2100m) in the early morning to 16,500ft (500m) and falls back in the evening whilst the peak of the mountain remains shrouded in hovering clouds with occasional spells that allow the cap to gleam. The best time of the year to catch a full view of the massive, snow-capped, awe inspiring majestic Kilimanjaro is during the dry months of September through March.
 Vegetation and Natural Resources |
| Lush tropical at the coast |
Forest and woodland cover approximately one-third of the land, in the previous 35 years, coverage decreased by an average 0.3% p.a. The rest of the country, apart from urban areas, is savannah and bush.
Yearly timber production in Tanzania in the late 1980s totalled about 24.8 million cu.m (about 876 million cu.ft.), more than 90% of which was used as fuel. Timber includes camphor, podo and African mahogany. More than three-quarters of the annual fishing are caught in inland waters, especially Lake Victoria. Sardines and tuna are caught in the Indian Ocean.
Hydropower potential, gold, diamonds, gemstones, nickel, natural gas, coal, iron ore, phosphates, tin, mica, salt, lead, tungsten, pyrochlore, kaolin and magnesite
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