Geography of Tanzania

The Tanzania is a country of East Africa, in edge of the Indian Ocean of a surface of 945.087 km ². The countries bordering are in north the Kenya and the Uganda, in the west the Rwanda, the Burundi and the Democratic republic of Congo, and in the south the Zambia, the Malawi and the Mozambique.

Seen coast, the Tanzania form a plate of approximately 1000 m of altitude which extends to the lakes Malawi (old lake Nyassa) and Tanganyika. The part is valley of the Great Rift, which includes/understands the lakes Natron, Eyasi and Manyara, separates the assembly line from north, dominated by the Kilimandjaro, close to the border with the Kenya. The Mounts Livingstone, in the south, dominate the Lac Malawi. The semi-arid climatic conditions in north and the presence of the Tsetse fly (vector of the Disease of the sleep) in the areas centers and western led the population to gather on the circumference of the country.

In the area of Arusha which is an area of the North of Tanzania, one can see the remainders of the Cratère of Ngorongoro.

In the middle of a vast protected area, the collapse of Ngorongoro, there is two million and half of years, left in its place enormous a Caldeira whose diameter reaches 20 km and the surface nearly 300 km ². Located at 2.500 m of altitude, the crater of Ngorongoro is bordered of a rock face whose cliff reach 600 meters. About in the center of the crater, the Lac Makat is dependant on precipitations. He saw his level lowering these last years considerably. The crater of Ngorongoro became famous because it indicates a kind of paradise terrestrial, a equatorial Arche of Noah where the exceptional climatic conditions, born from altitude, make it possible the animals to live all the year. Nourished by the violent ones storms come from south-east, the lake Makat becomes the providence of the animals: the rains pour in the flat-bottomed basin of the water masses which, sometimes, flood it. One sees hippopotamuses then there prélasser while the buffaloes vautrent themselves in mud. It is the night that pink Flemish comes to be installed on the lake to escape the eagles, their predatory. The Olmoti, high of 3.380 m, dominates the green slopes of the crater. It is extinct today under its crown of snow. It belonged to the troop of the volcanos (Oldeani, Sadiman, Lemagrut, Empakaal, etc…) who 20 million years ago, were formed at the same time as Ngorongoro, while the great fracture of the African Rift opened. Subjected to the violent precipitations come from south-east, the Virgin forest of Ngorongoro frequently covers fog, even in the middle of the dry season. And, in this equatorial zone, it happens that one sees trembling of the lichens moussus between the branches of the immense tree trunks. The forest which papers the interior wall of will caldeira goes down while being clairsemant until the Savane S where the herbivores feed. The trees store moisture during the rain season and restore it at the dry season. What explains why the animals (elephants in particular) find all the year their food. At the dry season, it is enough to a storm to set ablaze the steppe. Of Ngorongoro clouds of smoke rise then which give the illusion to attend a kind of " remake" volcanic eruptions which created this landscape at the dawn of times. Fire devours all on its passage and springs on the slopes of will caldeira. But the edge of the crater is traversed head winds which are right of the flames quickly. The carbonized ground will however cover vegetation as of the following wet season.

Physical geography

Situation

The Tanzania is a country of the Southern hemisphere located in East Africa, in edge of the Indian Ocean. It has borders with the Kenya and the Uganda in north, the Rwanda and the Burundi in the North-West, the Democratic republic of Congo in the west, the Zambia and the Malawi in south-west and the Mozambique in the south. Its natural borders as for them are formed by the Indian Ocean in the east, the Kilimandjaro and the Lake Victoria in north, the river Kagera in the North-West, the Lac Tanganyika in the west, the Malawi in south-west and the river Ruvuma in the south.

Relief

Geology

Climate

Tropical along the coast, the climate is more moderate on the high plateaus of the center. The annual average temperatures oscillate between 10° and 30°. Tanzania knows two rainy seasons, a great rain season of at the beginning of March at the beginning of May, then small, of at the beginning of November at mid-December, where precipitations are less abundant. The great dry season extends as for it from May to October, the small season dries energy from January to March.

Precipitations are abundant (750 to 2000 mm per annum) along the coast, in south-east like in the tropical forests bordering the Lake Victoria and the Lac Tanganyika. They are much weaker in the center, with 100 to 500 mm of rain per annum.

Fauna

Flora

Human geography

Subdivisions

See also: Areas of Tanzania, List of the districts of Tanzania

Tanzania is divided into 26 areas they-even divided into 127 districts. Five of these areas located on the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba form the revolutionary Gouvernement of Zanzibar, an autonomous administrative entity.

Human distribution

Economic geography

Infrastructures

Natural resources

See too

External bonds

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