Tanzania is a country in East Africa just south of the Equator, with a population of almost 57.8 million. Uganda and Kenya border its mainland to the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, Mozambique, Malawi, and Zambia to the south and southwest, and Burundi and Rwanda to the west. In 1964, it was declared a sovereign state through the union of Tanganyika and Zanzibar. Its two official languages are Swahili and English. Each of the over 120 different indigenous African peoples speaks the traditional language of their ethnic group.

Tanzania is home to the famed Mt. Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa, with its summit at 19,340 feet (5,895 metres) and the world’s second deepest lake, Lake Tanganyika, at 4,710 feet (1,436 metres) deep. Its spacious wilderness areas include the Serengeti National Park, a safari mecca, and the tropical islands of Zanzibar and Mafia Island, home to whale sharks and coral reefs. Tanzania has the largest animal population globally and is home to the “big five” game (elephant, lion, leopard, buffalo, rhino).

Tanzania is divided into folk religion practitioners, Christians, and Muslims (many of whom live in Zanzibar). The largest religious denomination in Tanzania is Roman Catholic Christianity, followed by Protestant Christianity, Sunni Islam, and Shia Islam.

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For more information about Tanzania, visit Britannica.com