Tanzania is in the eastern, south-central part of Africa,
just south of the equator.
It is bordered by
Uganda and Kenya in the north, the Indian Ocean to the east, then
continuing clockwise, Mozambique, Malawa, Zambia, Congo, Burundi, and Rwanda.
It's geographically quite diverse, including the Serengeti
Plain and snow capped mountains like Mount Kilimanjaro in the north, a large central
plateau with arable land, and Indian Ocean coastline to the east. Then about 50
kms off shore is the Zanzibar archipelago.
With the exception of the city, Dar es Salaam which is on
the coast, the country is mainly rural.
The large scale agriculture involves corn, sweet potatoes, beans or bananas. Tourism
and mining are also key elements to the country's economy. Being largely rural,
only 15% of the population have access to electricity. To say the least, we
don't expect it to feel like home; we expect life to be very different there.
Our research has given us some idea of what to expect.
Tanzania's economy is based on the Tanzanian Shilling, and the conversion rate
is about 1650 shillings to the C$. In addition, there are many local languages
spoken in the Republic, but English is not one of them, though in more
commercial centers there is some use. On the mainland, the largest percentage
of the population is Christian, whereas the islands of Zanzibar are almost exclusively
Muslim. On the archipelago, the strong Muslim influence sets conservative standards
for women's dress, and limits the availability of alcohol. In the country, there
are some concerns regarding Typhoid Fever and Malaria, but Tanzania, unlike
many other African countries is void of Yellow Fever. Our travels have taught us that our research
only goes so far, so in addition, we're expecting the unexpected, and with that,
some adventure.
Africa has been on Marlene's list of travel destinations for
years, so now is our time.
On the first half of our journey, we'll be on safari in the
northeast part of Tanzania. We're not struck on guided activities, but from all
accounts, we expect there will be a sense of adventure. Then for the remainder
of our travels, we'll head off shore to Zanzibar for some general sightseeing
and soak up some island culture.
We hope to have internet access from time to time, and as always,
would like to bring you along through stories of our adventures and
experiences.
We're looking forward to the wilds of Africa, and hope you
are too.
Click here for the Safaris story series: http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2016/10/arusha.html
Click here for the Zanzibar story series:
http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2016/11/getting-to-our-home-in-zanzibar.html
Click here for the Safaris story series: http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2016/10/arusha.html
Click here for the Zanzibar story series:
http://travellingwithsteveandmarlene.blogspot.ca/2016/11/getting-to-our-home-in-zanzibar.html
