TanzaniaGeography
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Location: |
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique | |
Geographic coordinates: |
6 00 S, 35 00 E | |
Map references: |
Africa | |
Area: |
total: 945,087 sq km
land: 886,037 sq km
water: 59,050 sq km
note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar | |
Area - comparative: |
slightly larger than twice the size of California | |
Land boundaries: |
total: 3,861 km
border countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km | |
Coastline: |
1,424 km | |
Maritime claims: |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | |
Climate: |
varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands | |
Terrain: |
plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south | |
Elevation extremes: |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m | |
Natural resources: |
hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel | |
Land use: |
arable land: 4.52%
permanent crops: 1.08%
other: 94.4% (2001) | |
Irrigated land: |
1,550 sq km (1998 est.) | |
Natural hazards: |
flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought | |
Environment - current issues: |
soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and trade, especially for ivory | |
Environment - international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | |
Geography - note: |
Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest
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More about Tanzania:
Introduction
People
Government
Economy
Communications
Transportation
Military
Transnational Issues
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