Geography

At 945,087 sq km (364,875 sq mi), Tanzania is the world's 31st-largest country (after Egypt). It is comparable in size to Nigeria, and about 4 times the size of the UK.

Tanzania is mountainous in the north-east, where Mount Kilimanjaro, Africa's highest peak, and Mount Meru are situated. Kilimanjaro's natural beauty, as well as the fact that it has the highest peak in Africa, attracts thousands of tourists each year.

West of these volcanoes is Serengeti National Park, famous for its annual migration of millions of white bearded wildebeest, as well as its abundance of lions, leopards, elephants rhinoceroses, and buffalo. Close to the park lies Olduvai Gorge, where many of the oldest hominid fossils and artefacts have been found. Other archaeologically important finds include the oldest evidence of hominids' use of wood at the Kalambo Falls, on the border with Zambia.

Further west is Lake Victoria, on the Kenya-Uganda-Tanzania border. This is the largest lake in Africa and is traditionally named as the source of the Nile. Southwest of this, separating Tanzania from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is Lake Tanganyika. This lake is estimated to be the second oldest (and second deepest) lake in the world after Lake Baikal in Siberia, and is known for its unique species of fish.

The centre of Tanzania is a large plateau, with grasslands and national parks to the south, and arable land further north. The new capital, Dodoma, is located here, although much of the government is still located in Dar es Salaam.

The eastern shore of Tanzania is hot and humid, and encompasses Tanzania's largest city and former capital, Dar es Salaam. Just north of Dar es Salaam lies the island of Zanzibar, a semi-automonous territory of Tanzania which is famous for its spices. Its lesser-known sibling Pemba lies further to the north.