oa Africa Insight - Tanzania 1990: Economic and political developments

Abstract

Located on the eastern side of the continental landmass, and lying south of the equator between the great lakes of Central Africa and the Indian Ocean, Tanzania has an area of almost a million square kilometres and an estimated population of some 25 million. Although most of the country is made up of plains and plateaux, it is a land of attractive and varied landscape - some on the grandest scale. It boasts both the loftiest and lowest parts of the African continent: Mount Kilimanjaro (5 950 metres above sea-level) and Lake Tanganyika (358 metres below). The mainland, formerly the United Nations Trust Territory of Tanganyika under British trusteeship (and between 1885-1917 part of German East Africa), was granted internal self-government in May 1961. achieving full independence under the leadership of Dr Julius Nyerere on 9 December of that year.