It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to the south; Zambia to the southwest; and Rwanda , Burundi , and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west. According to the national census, Tanzania has a population of around 62 million, making it the most populous country located entirely south of the equator.
Many important hominid fossils have been found in Tanzania. In the Stone and Bronze Age, prehistoric migrations into Tanzania included Southern Cushitic speakers similar to modern day Iraqw people who moved south from present-day Ethiopia; [ 13 ] Eastern Cushitic people who moved into Tanzania from north of Lake Turkana about 2, and 4, years ago; [ 13 ] and the Southern Nilotes , including the Datoog , who originated from the present-day South Sudan—Ethiopia border region between 2, and 2, years ago.
Following their respective independence in and , the two entities merged in to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Today, the country is a presidential constitutional republic with the federal capital located in Government City Dodoma ; [ 17 ] the former capital, Dar es Salaam , retains most government offices and is the country's largest city, principal port, and leading commercial centre. Christianity is the largest religion in Tanzania , with substantial Muslim and Animist minorities.
Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the north-east, where Mount Kilimanjaro , the highest mountain in Africa and the highest single free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, is located. Three of the African Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lie Lake Victoria, Africa's largest lake, and Lake Tanganyika, the continent's deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish. To the south lies Lake Malawi. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore.
The Kalambo Falls , located on the Kalambo River at the Zambian border, is the second-highest uninterrupted waterfall in Africa. The name Tanzania was created as a clipped compound of the names of the two states that unified to create the country: Tanganyika and Zanzibar. The name Tanganyika is derived from the Swahili words tanga "sail" and nyika "uninhabited plain, wilderness", creating the phrase "sail in the wilderness".
