Welcome to Tanzania.
(pronounced tan-zuh-NEE.uh)- not tan-zany-uh
This East African country might be the quintessential Africa. There is so much to see and do here.
The sprawling Serengeti
Dense jungle and forests
The African Great Lakes
Elephants, Wildebeests, Cheetah and Lions, Zebra, Giraffes, Hyena, and a bit of everything else.
Umbrella trees and Baobabs
Coastline (Indian Ocean) and Islands
Street food, Coffee and Mbege
and much much more.
We will be spending some time in this country.
You are here.
...well, virtually anyway...
The primary languages are Swahili and English.
The predominate religion, Christianity.
The Country's name means to "sail in the wilderness", referring to its large uninhabited plains.
The coastal city of Zanzibar was used in the 1840's for the East African Slave Trade and roughly 90% of its native population was enslaved and shipped elsewhere.
Tanzania was in the hands of the Arabs, Dutch, Germans, British, Portuguese, and French at various times.
...history class must be hell for these kids...
Today is is officially The United Republic of Tanzania, and as of March 2021, has the first female President in this area....ever.
Samia Suluhu Hassan- 6th President of Tanzania
Tanzania covers over 947,000 square miles and incorporates several offshore islands.
Also, three of Africa's Great Lakes fall within Tanzanian borders.
The are three rainy periods here...in short...it rains....a lot.
Climate change has caused periods of intense rain events and flooding in recent years.
There are 21 National Parks, Reserves, one Conservation area and three Marine Parks in Tanzania.
The Tingatinga form of art comes only from Tanzania, and is something we may explore more closely.
Tanzania also has its own film-making industry known as Bongo Movies.
We might even find one and watch it!
Tanzania Overview
https://youtu.be/ul0oMWpieyc
We will start with
The Serengeti
next time...