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Tanzania's wild places are still gloriously wild. Roads run through them, of course, and they are spotted with campgrounds and lodges. But mostly the wildlife has these places to itself: huge herds of elephants and wildebeests, flocks of flamingos, silent families of giraffes, noisy packs of wild dogs. Lions have no trouble finding lunch; zebras skitter about, worried they'll be lunch; vultures wait to clean up.

The wild remains wild because it is protected. An estimated 28% of Tanzania is designated as national parks and game reserves—from the Serengeti in the north, which sweeps uninterrupted from neighboring Kenya's Masai Mara National Reserve, to Selous in the south, with its long distances and large variety of animals.

No area is more protected, by geography as well as by permit, than the Ngorongoro Crater, whose steep walls create a separate ecosystem with its own representative collection of animals. Combined, the crater, Serengeti and the Masai Mara represent one of the world's most important ecosystems, and it is estimated that some 3 million large animals inhabit this region. Many of them move around the plains of East Africa on the annual wildebeest migration, the largest movement of animals on Earth.

Because these spaces are protected—and because they are so wild—the best way to see them is by guided tour, locally known as safari, which means journey in Swahili. Even the most adventurous traveler will benefit from the guides' expertise: They know where the animals are, and they can take care of entry to the parks quickly and efficiently.

Although most visitors spend their time in the wildlife areas, travelers should make time for Tanzania's other attractions as well. The country boasts Mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest mountain in Africa and the highest mountain in the world that can simply be walked up. There are white-sand beaches on the Indian Ocean along the mainland coast. Then there are the impossibly exotic, evocative islands of the Zanzibar Archipelago, with their intriguing culture, architecture, watersports and wide range of beach accommodations. Tanzania's smaller, lesser-known parks are dedicated to not only big game but forests and mountain ranges, primates and birds, and the marine life along the coast.

The Tanzanian people are friendly and interesting, and there are more than 130 ethnic groups. Culturally, the country is fascinating and incredibly varied. Many of the peoples of the interior—for instance, the pastoralist Maasai and Barabaig, and the hunter-gatherer Hadzabe—still cling proudly to aspects of their traditional lifestyle and animist beliefs.

Despite the many different cultures, Tanzania has had a peaceful history and an enviable political stability compared to some of its neighboring countries.

Geography

Tanzania is located on the east coast of Africa, where it shares borders with eight other countries: Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; and Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south.

Tanzania is mostly highland plateau, which is bisected by the Great Rift Valley, a geological fault. The rift is dotted with volcanoes, most of which are dormant or extinct—notably mounts Kilimanjaro and Meru, respectively the tallest and fifth-tallest peaks in Africa.

In addition, the continent's largest three lakes, Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa-Malawi, all lie partially within Tanzania. Off the eastern coast, in the Indian Ocean, are several islands, including the Zanzibar and Mafia archipelagos. The coast supports a variety of environments, including patches of coastal forest, mangrove swamps and coral reefs.

History

Fossils dating back several million years indicate that some of the world's earliest humans lived in Tanzania. At the Olduvai Gorge, located between the Ngorongoro Crater and the Serengeti, fossils and relics of early humans and prehistoric animals have been unearthed. These include Australopithecus boisei (Nutcracker Man) and Homo habilis (Handy Man), fossilized human remains discovered with stone tools nearby, which are some of the earliest remains of humans ever found. For this reason Tanzania is often dubbed the Cradle of Mankind.

What is now mainland Tanzania was colonized by Germany in the 1880s and then fell under the control of the British in the aftermath of World War I. The British, who ruled the area as a League of Nations protectorate, never expected to stay long and, consequently, did little to improve the country's infrastructure. That set the stage for later difficulties. Tanganyika, the part of the nation on the African mainland, was granted independence in 1961, followed by the island-nation of Zanzibar two years later. In 1964, the two countries merged as the United Republic of Tanzania (a combination of the two names).

Tanzania began independence with high hopes. Julius Nyerere, called Baba wa Taifa ("Father of the Nation" in Kiswahili), became the first president. His idealistic development program was based on an African third way, neither capitalist nor communist. Its goals included decent health care, the establishment of a national language (important in a nation of 130 ethnic groups), increasing international prestige and universal literacy. He improved health conditions somewhat and expanded the usage of Swahili as the national lingua franca, but his economic policies were far less successful.

A declining economy, a bloated and corruption-ridden bureaucracy, the inability to feed a growing population and the failure of one-party democracy have all combined to drag the country deeper into poverty. A war with Uganda—Tanzania won, but it bankrupted itself to do so—and trade disputes with Kenya only made matters worse.

After Nyerere's resignation in 1985, his successor, Ali Hassan Mwinyi, reduced the government's control over the economy, a move intended to attract foreign investment and loans. Benjamin Mkapa, who was elected president in 1995 in the country's first multiparty elections, intensified those efforts. He worked with the World Bank and IMF to implement economic reforms and secure financial aid and debt relief, and was also involved in strengthening regional links with neighboring Kenya and Uganda, and the East Africa Regional Parliament and Court of Justice were opened in Arusha in 2001.

Having served his legal maximum of two presidential terms, Mkapa was succeeded by Jakaya Kikwete in the December 2005 general election, and Kikwete was re-elected in 2010. In 2015, Kikwete was succeeded by John Magufuli.

Tanzania's economy has benefited greatly from mining and mineral resource projects over recent years. Several large scale gold mines have opened in the in the Lake Victoria region since 1998, and Tanzania is now Africa's fourth largest gold producer after South Africa, Ghana and Mali. Additionally, natural gas extraction plants have been operating from the Songo Songo gas fields on the south coast since 2004. Tanzania also ranks among Africa's top earners from tourism.

Snapshot

Tanzania's main attractions are spectacular wildlife, Mount Kilimanjaro, scuba diving, beaches, deep-sea fishing and tribal culture.

Although Tanzania has long been considered East Africa's No. 2 tourist destination, lagging behind Kenya in infrastructure and tourist amenities, that situation is changing as Tanzania puts more emphasis on tourism. There are increasingly more direct flights from international carriers, and there is now an excellent internal air network operated by the domestic carriers that links the out-of-the-way places. Tourism has greatly benefited from road construction in the country, also, and in particular, the coast, the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater are now much more accessible. The wildlife parks and reserves feature a choice of upmarket lodges and tented camps, while on the islands (a geographic feature that Kenya doesn't have) are some of the most romantic and luxurious beach hideaways on the East African coast.

Potpourri

Made famous by the movie The Lion King, the saying hakuna matata s Swahili for "no problem," and seems to be an appropriate response to almost any request in Tanzania.

Cichlids, the colorful tropical fish that live in Lake Tanganyika (some are just a little more than 1 in/3 cm long), are popular for aquariums.

Wildebeest calves are up and running only four minutes after birth—just as well, as they are rich pickings for large scavengers and cats.

The gorgeous purple-flowered trees you see in some towns are jacarandas—not, oddly enough, indigenous to Africa, but a South American transplant.

The difference between the highest and lowest points in Tanzania is 20,518 ft/6,254 m. The highest is the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, the lowest the floor of Lake Tanganyika—these are also the highest and lowest points on the whole of the African continent.