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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:
note:includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

• total: 945,087 km²
• land: 886,037 km²
• water: 59,050 km²

Land boundaries:

• total: 3,402 km
• border countries: Burundi 451 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:

• exclusive economic zone: 200 nautical miles
• territorial sea: 12 nautical miles

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: Mount Kilimanjaro 5,895 m

Natural resources: hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel

Land use:

• arable land: 3%
• permanent crops: 1%
• permanent pastures: 40%
• forests and woodland: 38%
• other: 18% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,550 km² (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: the tsetse fly; flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought

Environment - current issues: soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of coral reef threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture

Environment - international agreements:

• party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
• signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

Geography - note: Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa

See also : Tanzania