Tanzania

Dodoma serves as the political, cultural and economic heart of Tanzania, positioned in Eastern Africa. As the seat of government and often the most populous city, it concentrates the country's main institutions, universities and cultural landmarks. Beyond the capital, major cities include Dar es Salaam, Mwanza, Arusha — each a hub of regional culture, economy and history. Dodoma replaced Dar es Salaam as Tanzania's official capital in 1974 under Julius Nyerere's Ujamaa policy of decentralisation, though the coastal city remains the commercial centre — making Dodoma a planned capital still in the process of acquiring the institutions and population density to justify its designation.

With a population of approximately 63.3M, Tanzania is a vibrant society with a rich mix of traditions and communities. The principal languages spoken are Swahili, English, which reflect the country's cultural heritage and open doors to a wide international community. Internationally, Tanzania is reached via the dialling code +255. Swahili — KiSwahili — originated on Tanzania's coast from centuries of Arab, Persian and Bantu interaction and became the East African lingua franca not through colonial imposition but through trade networks: it is now the first African language to be added to the Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa platforms.

Tanzania spans 947,303 km², in the Eastern Africa subregion of Africa. Geographically centred around 6.0°S, 35.0°E, the country offers a diverse range of landscapes shaped by its location, climate and geology. Road traffic follows the left-hand rule, in line with surrounding Africa convention.

The official currency is the Tanzanian shilling (Sh), used for everyday transactions and commerce throughout the country. Tanzania's economy is shaped by its geography, natural resources and trade relationships. Business and daily life operate under UTC+03:00, aligning the country with its regional neighbours.

The emblematic dish of Tanzania is Ugali na Nyama. Food culture in Tanzania is deeply tied to local identity — shared meals and markets are central to daily life and social gatherings across the country.

Football holds a special place in the heart of Tanzania's national identity. Tanzania's Kilimanjaro Marathon, run at altitude around the base of Africa's highest mountain each March, draws international runners to a course that combines competitive racing with the specific physiological challenge of 900 metres of altitude — and the local runners who dominate it train on the same slopes year-round.

The highest point in Tanzania is Mount Kilimanjaro, rising to 5,895 metres above sea level. Serengeti National Park hosts the largest terrestrial mammal migration on Earth — 1.5 million wildebeest and 250,000 zebra moving in a clockwise annual circuit across 30,000 square kilometres — a phenomenon driven by rainfall patterns that has continued for millions of years and is the defining image of African wilderness.