The United Republic of Tanzania was founded on 25 April 1964 from the union of Tanganyika (formerly a German colony, then granted as a trust territory to the United Kingdom, independent since 9 December 1961 and a republic since 9 December 1962) and Zanzibar (formerly a British protectorate, independent since 10 December 1963 and a republic since 12 January 1964). The country has always been governed by the Party of the Revolution (CCM), until 1985 under the presidency of Julius K. Nyerere, leader of the struggle for independence.
The President of the Republic, who exercises a wide range of government powers, is elected by direct suffrage for a term of five years, as is the National Assembly (264 members elected by popular vote, plus 113 seats reserved for women chosen from the parties in proportion to the votes received, ten of whom are appointed by the President, five members elected by the House of Representatives of Zanzibar and a seat for the Attorney General and for the President of the House). The islands of Zanzibar and Pemba enjoy a large amount of autonomy and have their own political system with a President and a Chamber of Representatives.

Defence and justice.
The legal system is based on British Common Law. The jurisdiction of the International Court of Law is not accepted.

Population by age and gender (% - 2020)
	75+ 60-74 45-59 30-44 15-29 0-14
MALE	AGE	FEMALE

The country has about 240 000 refugees who have fled the surrounding war zones (in particular from Burundi and the Democratic Rep. of the Congo).

Economic situation.
In 2020-21, the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic ended a long period of high growth. The country was particularly affected by the decline in foreign investment, tourism and exports (with the exception of gold, which benefited from the rise in prices).

Primary sector
Agriculture and forests.
Agriculture occupies most of the working population. The land is owned by the state, which rents it out. Foreign investments are aimed at crops for export. Coffee plants (predominantly coffea arabica) thrive on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro (at Moshi), in the area of Bukoba and in the eastern hills, while cotton crops are more common in the region of Lake Victoria. Other important products are tobacco, maize, peanuts, sesame and pulses. The islands of Zanzibar and Pemba are among the main areas in the world producing cloves and clove oil. Subsistence agriculture yields maize, cassava, sweet potatoes, bananas, potatoes and rice. Cedar, ebony and bamboo are among the woods produced.

Secondary and tertiary sector
Minerals.
There are mines extracting gold (at Geita, Lupa near Mbeya, Saragura, Kahama, Buhemba and near Lake Victoria), coal (at Kiwira) and bauxite. Sea salt (in Dar es Salaam), spring water salt (at Uvinza), diamonds (at Mwadui-Luhombo, in the Shinyanga area), gems (at Arusha) and phosphates (at Minjingu) are produced. Off the coast of the island of Songo-Songo, natural gas is extracted (the project has been funded by the World Bank).
Energy and industry.
About one third of the electric energy produced is from hydropower sources; the power stations of Kidatu and Kihansi are exceptionally important. The main activities in the secondary sector concern the processing of sugar, beer, tobacco and rubber and the manufacturing of textiles and paper. There are also a refinery (Dar es Salaam), chemical plants (nitrogenous fertilizers in Dar es Salaam and Tanga), cement works (Dar es Salaam, Tanga, Kilwa Masoko, Mbeya, Mtwara) and plants for the distillation of clove oil. An oil pipeline links Dar es Salaam to the Ndola refinery in Zambia.
Foreign trade.
The country exports agricultural products (coffee, cotton, tobacco, peanuts, tea, pyrethrum, cloves and cocoa) and minerals (gold and diamonds) and imports industrial machinery, motor vehicles, oil and consumer goods.

Principali esportazioni

Tourism. Tourism is constantly expanding, attracting visitors to the beaches of the island of Zanzibar and the national parks (of Kilimanjaro, Serengeti, Lake Manyara and Ngorongoro).

Transport.
Navigation routes over the major lakes are extremely important. The railway between Dar es Salaam and Dodoma and the connection with Uganda and Rwanda are being renovated.