Tanzania is the largest country in East Africa, covering an area of approximately 945 thousand square kilometers, is located on the east coast of Africa and is bordered to the north by Kenya and Uganda to the west by Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the south by Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the east by the Indian Ocean. The area is almost entirely made up of a plateau, partly semi-desert and other areas covered by savannah and sparse bushes.
Extremely varied geographical conditions of the country was largely due to the existence of different climatic regions. The high altitude of the plateau tempera greatly what would otherwise be a tropical climate.
The Tanzanian population stood at around 37 million people and 95% live in subsistence farming, maize, rye, potatoes.
The area that currently forms the Tanzanian territory comes from the union of Tanganika (the mainland part of the state) with the archipelago of Zanzibar, which united in 1964 thanks to Julius Nyerere to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Previously the area had been a German colony in the years 1880 to 1919, after passing under the administration of the United Kingdom. After independence, the situation was taken in hand by the charismatic Julius Nyerere, who applied a policy of radical socialism: the economy was nationalized and the wealthy classes were taxed heavily in an attempt to redistribute the wealth of the country. The presidency of Nyerere was followed by the rise to power of Benjamin Mkapa and a worsening of the political situation, until now relatively stable, due to the independence from the current population of Zanzibar, as well as from waves of Rwandan refugees fleeing the fighting that raged in their country.
In 1996, the Mkapa government released an official statement, supported by the United Nations, in which he claimed that the Rwandan refugees from Tanzania would have run away, but between extreme episodes of violence and rapes, thousands of people are still present.
In August 1998, terrorists detonated a bomb in the United States embassies in Dar es Salaam and Nairobi, killing more than 250 people and injuring more than 5000 These tensions have not helped the country already destabilized by the ongoing disagreements between the different tribes .
Currently the official name of the state is United Republic of Tanzania of Republican political order led by President Jakaya Kikwete elected December 21, 2005.
The languages most commonly spoken are Swahili and English, the Christian and Muslim religions the most common; the currency is the Tanzanian shilling.
The economy depends largely on agriculture, which accounts for about 60% of GDP, provides 85% of exports and employs 80% of the workforce.
Tanzania is classified by the World Bank among the 10 poorest countries in the world, in spite of the huge endowment of natural resources, a favorable geographical position for access to the international market, a peaceful and politically stable environment and a strong sense of national identity.
Education and training
As in many African countries, education and training was left to the Islamic and Christian religious institutions, which have played an important role in the process of literacy, in fact the first missionary centers devoted themselves to education by establishing good levels of literacy.
Between 1880 and 1919 the area of Tanzania was colonized by the Germans, who introduced many innovations, built railways, roads and cities, and introduced new farming techniques; was favored the formation of local officials providing education niche and then ignoring the literacy of the population.
Subsequent to 1919, when the British government took over, it promoted a clearer policy on education for African communities, promoting a real program of education rather than literacy programs. The Tanzanian education system is therefore Anglo-Saxon and has seven years of compulsory elementary school and six years of secondary school in order to enter university.
The data of the UNICEF show that 83.7% of children enrolled in school late more than 7 years, including those enrolled in elementary school continuing through high school, the percentage drops significantly up to 7% (Tanzania presents the lowest enrollment rate in secondary schools in the world: 1 student in 2500). The universities that have courses lasting between 3 and 4 years are insufficient and are concentrated in a few cities, so the studies are cost intensive. The government grants free membership only to those who have had outstanding results.
The universities with the Faculty of Medicine and Surgery are few and poorly distributed on the territory: Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences in Dar es Salaam (state university with a good selection of graduate schools); Hubert Kairuki Memorial University and International Medical and Technological University, both private and located in Dar es Saalam; Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences in Mwaza, Kristian Medical Center in Mosci
Health Situation
The health system in Tanzania has a classic setting of many African countries and after the Alma Ata Declaration of 1978 has taken the approach of the so-called Primary Health Care, a community health system tends to meet the health needs of the population in an integral manner, taking into account all the factors that impact negatively or positively on it. The public health requirements are the maternal and child health, immunization against the major infectious diseases, diagnosis and treatment of common diseases and emergency services for surgery, traumatology, obstetrics, supply of clean water, health education and health promotion.
The area dell’Ukinga (the district of Makete) is very poor and inhospitable territory (steep mountains, dirt roads that become dangerous during the rainy season). That is why for decades men migrate for seasonal work in the plantations of tea, rice, agave and this phenomenon has contributed to the weakening of the family and the dramatic spread of the epidemic of HIV/AIDS. In the district of Makete have been counted more than 14,000 orphans living alone, with their grandparents or relatives.
The health situation is affected by the insufficient number of doctors and their inadequate training. In addition, many medical functions are assumed by the Clinical Officers and the Assistant Medical Officers, intermediate figures who have attended a course of only three years, and often instead of supporting the doctors are found to replace them.
Another problematic aspect is represented by the significant differences between cities and rural areas, which would require diversified interventions. For example, the regional average of infant mortality under five is 165 per thousand in the villages it reaches 230 per thousand, while in the cities the percentage is significantly lower. Cities offer more services, expatriate personnel, more access and availability of medicines and generally more economic activity (and therefore greater chance of being able to afford the care); to aggravate the situation also adds malnutrition, land-based multiple diseases and more frequent in rural areas.
Epidemiology
Life expectancy at birth is 44%, and the average life expectancy is 47 years (compared to 52 in 1990). The cause of the recent decrease of the values of life expectancy is the spread of HIV / AIDS, which affects mainly the population aged 15-59 years; In fact, there is a rate of 8.8% of the spread of HIV and AIDS. The level of infant mortality is high, however, consistent with the average level of other countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. The increasing spread of HIV / AIDS has contributed significantly to the increase in demand for health care equitably distributed among the population.
Epidemiological data of Tanzania have highlighted the following 10 leading causes of death in Tanzania in 2010:
| Le 10 cause di morte in Tanzania (dati del 2010) | |
| 1. Cancer 15% | 6. HIV 3% |
| 2. Ischemia 13% | 7. Diarrhea 3% |
| 3. Stroke 11% | 8. Trauma 3% |
| 4. Broncopneumopaty 6% | 9. Tubercolosis 2% |
| 5. Infections low air 5% | 10. Malaria 2% |