Destination Tanzania, formerly known as Tanganyika. In 1964, Tanganyika united with the Island of Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanzania, the largest of the East African countries and sadly one of the poorest countries in the world.

Tanzania is located east of Africa's Great Lakes north of Mozambique and south of Kenya, it has a coastline at the Indian Ocean in the east. The nation is bordered by six other African countries: Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia, it also shares maritime borders with the Comoros and Seychelles. It has shorelines at three of the Great Lakes: Lake Victoria, Lake Tanganyika and Lake Nyassa (Lake Malawi).

The country occupies an area of 945,087 km², compared it being about three times the size of Italy or slightly larger than twice the size of California.

Tanzania has a population of 50.1 million people, capital is Dodoma, the largest city, chief port, major economic and transportation hub and de facto capital in Dar es Salaam. Spoken languages are Swahili and English (both official), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar).

Background:
Shortly after independence, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964.

One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s.

Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers' claims of voting irregularities.