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), first under the leadership of Julius K. Nyerere, then of Ali H. Mwinyi, Benjamin W. Mkapa and, until 2015, of Jakata Kikwete.
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 (% - 2018)
	75+ 60-74 45-59 30-44 15-29 0-14
MALE	AGE	FEMALE

The country has about 280 000 refugees who have fled the surrounding war zones (in particular from Burundi and the Democratic Rep. of the Congo).

Economic situation.
Owing to the drop in foreign investments and stagnate exports, the growth rate slowed in 2019 following years of higher levels. The country relies heavily on exports, especially of agricultural products and gold, whose price on the global market has a deep impact on the economy.

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) and in the area of Bukoba. Cotton crops are more scattered (in the areas of Mwanza, Morogoro and Kilosa). Other important products are tobacco, maize, peanuts, sesame and pulses. The islands of Zanzibar and Pemba are 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.
Over half of the electric energy produced is from hydro-electric power 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 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 a refinery at Ndola (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, 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 is being renovated.