Tanzania

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Step out into the vast open plains that dominate much of Tanzania and you suddenly feel very, very small. And so you should. You've just joined one of the largest, wildest animal populations in the world. Wildebeest, monkey, antelope, lion, cheetah, crocodile, gazelle, flamingo - you name them, Tanzania's had great White plunderers shoot them. But these days they use cameras rather than guns. An economically poor country troubled by rowdy neighbours and opportunistic colonial powers, Tanzania offers some of the best wildlife spotting opportunities on the continent. Famous parks such as the Serengeti and Mt Kilimanjaro, or the wonderful crater of Ngorongoro, make many drab towns here well worth the stopover. Then there's the country's very sexy appendage - Zanzibar. One of several islands off Tanzania's coast, this former spice centre simply oozes exotica and scented Persian bath water.

Full country name: United Republic of Tanzania
Area: 945,090 sq km (364,879 sq mi)
Population: 36,000,000
Capital city: Dodoma
People: 99% native African (over 100 tribes), 1% Asian, European and Arabic
Languages: Swahili, English, indigenous.
Religion: 40% Christian, 33% Muslim, 20% indigenous beliefs
Government: Republic (multi-party state)

GDP: US$7 billion
GDP per head: US$220
Inflation: 40%
Major industries: Tobacco, sugar, sisal, diamond and gold mining, oil refining, cement, tourism
Major trading partners: India, Germany, Japan, Malaysia, Rwanda, the Netherlands, South Africa, Kenya, U.K., Saudi Arabia, China

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*The above information was obtained from www.lonelyplanet.com and Youth International
wants to acknowlege all due credit to the source of the information.