Tanzania+Geography

=Geography= toc On this Geography page you will learn about the water, climate, land, plants, and animals of Tanzania. Take a look!
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__**Location**__
 Here is a map of Africa, highlighting Tanzania in red.Tanzania is located in Eastern Africa, along the Indian Ocean. To the north are Uganda and Kenya; to the south are Mozambique, Zambia, and Malawi; and to the west, Burundi, Rwanda, and Congo. What countries surround your country?

Tanzania is a large country, totaling 945, 087 square kilometers with 36,232,074 people! How many people does your country have in it?

In comparison, it is about slightly larger than two Californias put together! That's pretty large! Do you know where California is located?

Tanzania's geography is very special because it has many trademarks like Mount Kilaminjaro, and other national parks, lakes, and mountains! [|(About.com, 2011)]



Tanzania's geography is very special because it has many trademarks like Mount Kilimanjaro, and other national parks, lakes, and mountains!

__**Land**__
Of the 945,087 square kilometers of Tanzania, 886,037 square kilometers are land. That's about 94%!

Located in the north-eastern part of Tanzania is one of the most famous trademarks, Mount Kilimanjaro. The map on the left shows Mount Kilimanjaro as a yellow triangle. Can you find it?

Mount Kilimanjaro is 19,340 feet tall, making it the highest point on the continent of Africa! Kilimanjaro is made up of three volcanic cones called the Mawenzi, Shira, and Kibo. Kibo, the tallest cone, hasn't erupted in over 200 years. When do you think it will erupt next?

Other parts of land in Tanzania include national parks and even an island! West of the mountains is Serengeti National Park. Can you find this by locating one of the yellow squares on the map? This park is most known for the many animals that live there. Check the animals section down below to find out which ones live there.

One other national park is called the Selous National Park. This also has a yellow square on the map. This park is located in south of the center of Tanzania, which is a large plateau. The southern part of this land is all grassy. Why might it be a good idea for the parks to be grassy?

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Zanzibar is an island that is surrounded by the blue waters of the Indian Ocean. This is still apart of Tanzania. People live there and can travel back and forth to the mainland and island by traveling on a 22 mile channel. What do you think people use to travel across the channel and get to Zanzibar? <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">[|(Pearson Education, 2000-2011)] <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">[|(Wikipedia, 2011)]

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__**Water**__
<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Tanzania has four major bodies of water, but other smaller areas of water as well. The four major bodies are: the Indian Ocean, Lake Tanganyika, Lake Nyasa, and Lake Victoria. The Indian Ocean is east of the country, Victoria is in the north, Tanganyika is in the west, and Nyasa is in the south. Shown on the map above are the bodies of water in light blue. Can you find any other areas of water?

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Lake Victoria, also known as the source of the Nile, is the largest lake in Africa. Lake Tanganyika is estimated to be the second oldest, and second deepest, lake in the world! How deep do you think it is?

<span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">The water systems in Tanzania serve as transportation routes for Tanzanians and their surrounding countries. For example, Lake Victoria lies partially in Uganda and Kenya. What other purposes do you think the water systems have? <span style="color: #0000ff; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">[|(Pearson Education, 2000-2011)]

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;"> __**Climate**__
<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">The climate varies from place to place in Tanzania.

<span style="color: #000000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Zanzibar and the coastal areas are hot and humid, and usually have a daily temperature around 86 degrees Fahrenheit. October through March is the hottest time period of the year for Tanzanians. How is this different/same from your country?

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Not all areas are hot and humid. Sea breezes cool the climate in June through September, with temperatures around 77 degrees Fahrenheit. Near Mount Kilimanjaro, temperatures drop even more, dropping to 59 degrees Fahrenheit during the months of May-August. The higher you are on the peaks of Kilimanjaro, the colder the temperature. At night, some temperatures can drop to below freezing. Brrrr!

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Look at the table below to see the climate changes. Also, the graph to the right shows the hours of sunlight, average temperature, and amount of rainfall for each month in Tanzania. Take a look!

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">[|(Kichaos Tanzania Safari, 2011)]
 * = <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Month(s) || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">January-March || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">April-May || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">June-October || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">November-December ||
 * = <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Season || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Dry season || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Rainy season || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Dry season || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Short rain season ||
 * = <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Temperatures || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">84.2°F || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">75.2°F || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">75.2°F || <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">78.8°F ||

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">

<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__Plants__
<span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Throughout the country are a mixture of plants, many of which are local to Tanzania. One popular plant is the Usambara or African Violet. These are grown in Tanzania and sold as a household plant in grocery stores throughout the west. Away from the mountains, much of the country is covered by Miombo, or moist woodland. Here the main plants are called the Brachystegia tree. Other areas of Tanzania are covered in bushland, thickets, grasslands, and savanna. Take a look at the map to the right. How many different plants can you count? <span style="color: #008000; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">[|(Lonely Planet, 2011)]

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__**Animals**__
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Tanzania has a great amount of animals throughout the country. With over 430 species and subspecies among the country, there are more than four million wild animals. West of the mountains is the Serengetic National Park. It is famous for its migration of the wildebeest, lions, leopards, elephants, buffalo, and rhinos. Other animals include zebras, buffaloes, giraffes, hyenas, and wild dogs. Take a look at some pictures of these animals. Do you recognize any of them? <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">[|(Lonely Planet, 2011)]

__<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">References __
<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">__Images__ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://education.ezinemark.com/breathtaking-migration-of-wild-animals-from-tanzania-to-kenya-77367622627f.html <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://www.tanzaniayachts.com/maps.shtml <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://www.world-atlas.biz/tanzania.htm <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://www.africaguide.com/country/tanzania/info.htm <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://education.ezinemark.com/breathtaking-migration-of-wild-animals-from-tanzania-to-kenya-77367622627f.html <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://travel.mongabay.com/tanzania/images/tz_2084.html <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">http://www.ntz.info/gen/b00683.html

__<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Websites __ <span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Category. (n.d.). Geography and map of Tanzania. //Geography home page- geography at About.com//. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from http://geography.about.com/library/cia/blctanzania.htm

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Geography of Tanzania - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (2011, October 30). //Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia//. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geography_of_Tanzania

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Plants in Tanzania - Lonely planet travel information. (n.d.). //Lonely planet travel guides and travel information//. Retrieved December 5, 2011, from http://www.lonelyplanet.com/tanzania/wildlife/plants

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Tanzania: history, geography, government, and culture — infoplease.com. (n.d.). Retrieved December 5, 2011, from http://www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0108028.html?pageno=1

<span style="font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%;">Tanzania safari's: F.A.Q.. (n.d.). //Tanzania safari's.// Retrieved December 5, 2011, from http://www.kichaostanzaniasafaris.com/eng/faq/

<span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Page Created by Nicole Hanna © <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">nlhanna@ilstu.edu <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Created 11/28/2011 <span style="display: block; font-family: 'Comic Sans MS',cursive; font-size: 120%; text-align: center;">Last Modified 12/07/11