Geography of Tanzania
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: 4.23% permanent crops: 1.16% other: 94.61% (2005) |
Irrigated land: | 1,840 sq km (2003) |
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 |