Map

Background

Tanzania is a country in East Africa. It is bordered by Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. The country’s eastern border is formed by the Indian Ocean. Kilimanjaro, Africa’s highest mountain, is in Tanzania.

The country is divided into 30 administrative regions. Since 1996, the official capital of Tanzania has been Dodoma, where the country’s parliament and some government offices are located. Between independence in the early 1960s and 1996, the main coastal city of Dar es Salaam served as the country’s political capital. Now, it remains Tanzania’s principal commercial city and is the main location of most government institutions, and is the major seaport for the country.

Economy

Tanzania is one of the world’s poorest economies in standing of per capita income. The economy depends on agriculture, which accounts for more than 25% of GDP and provides 85% of exports. The agricultural sector employs about 80% of the country’s work force.

On the other hand, it has realized high overall growth rates based on gold production and tourism. The country has essentially finalized its shift to a liberalized market economy, nonetheless, the government maintains a presence in sectors such as telecommunications, banking, energy, and mining

All land in Tanzania is owned by the government, which can lease land for up to 99 years. Proposed reforms to allow for land ownership, particularly foreign land ownership, remain unpopular.

Despite the global recession, donor support and solid macroeconomic strategies maintained a progressive growth rate in Tanzania. GDP growth in the period of 2009 to 2012 was a decent 6% annually, due to high gold prices and better production.

Health

The mortality rate for children under five years of age was estimated to be 76 out of 1,000 in 2010. In 2012, life expectancy at birth is estimated to be 53 years.

In Tanzania, the leading cause of death in children who survive the neonatal period is malaria. Other leading causes of death in under five years old is pneumonia and diarrhea.

The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a major health issue in Tanzania. In 2009, the prevalence was about 5.6% of the adult population. The coverage of anti-retroviral treatment for people with advanced HIV infection was 30% in 2011, which was 7% below the average for the continent.

Data gathered in 2006 indicated that 55% of the population had sustainable access to improved drinking water sources and 33 percent had sustainable access to improved sanitation.

Major infectious diseases:
Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases: malaria and plague
Water contact disease: schistosomiasis

Malaria Status

Malaria is a major public health problem in Tanzania. Annual malaria fatalities in Tanzania are assessed to be 60,000, with 80% of these deaths among children under five years of age.

About 14 to 18 million clinical malaria cases are reported yearly by public health services, and over 40% of all outpatient visits are due to malaria infections.