MYRT 2

Tea.  Or chai. Tanzanians love their tea time.  Everyday in the late morning a special time is reserved for tea break.  When tea time comes everyone stops what they are doing and faithfully observes the break.  The tea is always the same but very good.  The black tea is served with milk and so incredibly hot that I always wonder how the Tanzanians can drink it straight away. (I have come to the conclusion that their tongues are some how genetically equipped so as to be impervious to hot temperatures.) 

As well as a love for tea, Tanzanians have a very fond appreciation of sugar.  Very fond.  After a Tanzanian receives his/her steaming cup of tea they will immediately add three or four or more heaping spoonfuls of sugar.  Whenever I observe this, the first thing that always comes to mind is ‘saturated solution’.  I’m not sure if Tanzanians are aware of this, but there is a limit as to how much sugar can be dissolved in one cup of tea.  If you take a modest amount to sugar, say two spoonfuls, you will get a strange look that translates into something like ‘crazy American’.  The strange part is that most Tanzanians don’t like sweet things.  They don’t crave desserts or eat candy like Americans but they add enormous quantities of sugar to their tea.  I’m not sure I understand that one.

Tea is often taken with a small food bit such as chapati (a flat bread) or maandazi (think doughnut minus the frosting). 

I have become much attached to the concept of tea time.  First, I like the idea of a second breakfast (though for most Tanzanians it is their breakfast).  Second, it provides a nice break in work.  And third, there is the social component that draws people together.  For these reasons, I think a tea movement should be started in America to instate a tea time in our daily lives.  I have gotten used to tea time and I don’t want to see it end. 

MYRT 1

Today we start with the Mundane Yet Remarkable Thing number one.  This happens to be livestock.  A very mundanely remarkable thing.  What is so remarkable about livestock, you ask?  Well, first think about livestock in America.  What is most likely to come to mind is the classic black-and-white Bessy placidly chewing cud in a serene green pasture surrounded by a white-picket fence.  In Tanzania, there are very few of these kinds of cows.  Instead the predominant breed here is what I like to call the camel-cow.  These cows have humps on their upper backs that remind me of camels.  There are also a fair number of long-horns in some areas of Tanzania. 

The Camel-Cow

Another common livestock in the States is chicken.  But here they wander around in peoples’ backyards instead of being confined to mass cages on industrial farms.  In the beginning we remarked on the  frequency with which we saw these birds (they seem to show up everywhere, from ditches to restaurants to buses), but now this has become commonplace.  Oh, and roosters don’t just crow at sunrise.  They do it whenever they feel like it. 

The two other common livestock are goats and sheep.   These often graze the roadside ditches with cows.  This is the second remarkable thing that has become commonplace.  Livestock here are not restricted to pastures but graze wherever fodder is available which is often on roadsides.  Drive along any road and you’ll eventually see livestock busily munching roadside greens or plodding leisurely across the road. (Naturally, the more of a hurry you’re in, the more leisurely the livestock plod.) Initially we were intrigued by the herds crossing the roads followed by their herder but these days we hardly notice. 

 

Mundane Yet Remarkable Things (MYRT)

As departure looms with less than a month less, I will be using the rest of the days to reflect on my time here.  Over the next three weeks I will be writing short commentaries on things that were once strange, unusual, or fascinating and are no longer out of the ordinary.  These are the every-day things that truly define a culture – how people act, how they talk, how the environment looks and more.  These are the things once seemed exotic and intriguing but now are commonplace.  I aim at posting one commentary each day or at least every other day so take a moment from you coffee break and keep updated. 

Bartering 101

In American culture the word shopping conjures up images of gossiping teenage girls clutching designer purses, and soccer moms pushing overflowing grocery carts through the isles of Cub-Foods with Junior sitting up front, screaming for a box of Coco-Puffs.  In Tanzania, shopping is done a little differently.  Sure, girls here, as all over the world, like buying the latest fashions and you can find mothers in any country purchasing food for the dinner table.  It’s the way shopping is done wherein the difference lies.

Many Americans like buying in bulk and keep enough food stashed in the cupboards to last a nuclear disaster.  Refrigeration and stores like Sam’s Club make this possible.  When you don’t have reliable electricity, or no fridge at all, you are less inclined to buy in bulk.  People here more often buy as needed.  You see people in the supermarket buying just a few items - a loaf of bread, a bag of sugar. 

In the States, when you buy something, the price is always greater than you initially think it will be because of taxes.  Here, the price is always lower than the initial value because of bartering.  This fact of life has refreshing and I think switching back to paying full price for vegetables in the State will not be a favorable transition.

Learning to bargain is not an element of most young American’s education.  The only time this skill is used is at summer garage sales, a relatively low percentage of the average shopper’s expenditures.  So naturally, when I first arrived on this wonderful continent I was naïve bargainer.  However, I was a quick study and I can now confidently navigate my way around any marketplace. This isn’t to say it was an easy subject to master.

The most important part to bartering is knowing the true value of the good you want to purchase.  This is very difficult when you are unfamiliar with the prices of the goods.  You may know the average price of a gallon of milk or bag of potato chips in your state, but do you know the prices of these goods in Russia?  Probably not.  So when you first arrive you are very susceptible to anchoring (the belief that the first price mentioned is the closest to reality). 

This problem is further exacerbated by the colour of my skin.  Much as many Americans stereotype Africans as being tall, Africans think all Americans and Europeans are rich.  Consequentially, the moment a mzungu (white person) walks into a market, the prices increase twofold or more.

Upon entering a market, a food market for instance, the first thing you see are the stacks of carrots, pyramids of tomatoes, and other arrangements of fruits and vegetables, the old umbrellas protecting the goods from the sun and the seller, usually a woman, sitting behind her foodstuffs.  The first thing you hear is “Hallo, rafiki!” (Rafiki means friend in Swahili.)  Each vendor vies for your attention hoping to get the gullible mzungu to pay inflated prices.  If you stop to inspect their wares, they will say, “Good price for you, rafiki!” which really means ‘double price’ as any price you are given is nowhere near the real price that would be asked of any native Tanzanian.  Even location within the market can affect price.  On the edges of the market, where most Caucasian tourists buy food, the prices are even higher than those at the heart of the market where fewer mzungus wander. 

This prejudice pervades the culture and becomes irritating when you are continually asked to pay twice or thrice market value.  It is true that many visitors to Tanzania are rich Caucasians going on safari, but this is a poor representation of the American or European pocketbook.  There are also volunteers who are living off only a small stipend.  I even know some Tanzanians who are richer in their own country than my family is in the States. 

Even knowing the real price does not guarantee you a fair transaction. Once you are given the initial price you may ask for half that knowing the seller has given you the mzungu price.  But the seller will want to haggle more and you may still end up paying too much.  It takes tricks like feigning disinterest, pointing out the poor quality of the product, and walking away to get a price worth paying.  This process takes time and having to repeat the procedure becomes tiresome.  However, arriving home with a fair deal is quite satisfying.

Things I Have Learned

My year in Tanzania has taught me many things. Here is a list of some of those things.

• How to barter in the market
• The basics of Swahili
• How to teach
• How to shower in water just above absolute zero
• The rules of tennis
• To cook local fare
• To tolerate internet that moves slower than continental plates
• To adjust to being watched by everyone within eyeshot
• To identify Tanzanian birds
• Patience
• A new culture
• How to play badminton
• To use local public transportation
• To dance
• Fix a flat tire
• Do laundry without a washing machine
• Function without electricity
• Function without water
• De-slug a kitchen (to remove giant slugs from kitchen countertops)
• To eat new foods like passion fruit, ugali and coconuts
• To write on blackboads

Yes, Teacher

Now that you know a little more about schooling in Tanzania, I can tell you more about my adventures as a teacher.  This year, before arriving in Tanzania, I thought perhaps I could volunteer at a school and help tutor or do other things.  What I never expected was that  I would become a teacher. 

Needless to say, when I was offered a position as a teacher I was shocked.  In the States, being a teacher requires taking many classes, student-teaching and passing exams.  I have just finished high school (only a few years ahead of some of my students) and the closest I’ve ever been to teaching is class presentations.  I am more than confidant that this makes me far less than qualified.  That said, I am probably a more normal teacher here than I would be in the States.  The profession of teaching in Tanzania is, for most, a fallback job.  For many of them it is a capital-raising stop to gather enough funds to continue their education at university so they can get the job they really want.  Many teachers here were never interested in teaching and are only teachers for the money (though being a teacher here doesn’t pay well either).  I find this point shocking when  I think about it because teaching is a profession that truly requires passion.  A good teacher is one who loves his/her job, not one who is just in it for the money. 

And so I became teacher of Information and Computer Studies.  In my first week I acquired a syllabus.  For many of the topics I was to teach, I was either unfamiliar with or totally unaware of the material.  Only after some serious research was I able to acquaint myself with what I was to teach. 

I have found many challenges in my new profession.  The most obvious is that I’ve had no experience teaching.  This problem is magnified when you are teaching in a different country.  Within your own school system you know how things work.  You know the level of material students are taught at various levels, you know how the marking scheme is laid out, you know how things are done.  Here I’ve had to figure out what my students knew before I could start.

I’ve been teaching Forms I and II which are the Tanzanian equivalent of 8th and 9th graders.  Though you might assume that because there are so many students in a classroom that they are ill-behaved.  On the contrary, Tanzanian students are actually much better than American students.  When a teacher enters the classroom, all of the students rise and say “Good morning/afternoon, teacher” which is then returned by the teacher.  All of the students stand until the teacher tells them to sit and then class can begin.  If a student is called upon, he/she will stand before answering.  Questions addressed to the class will be answered in a chorus “Yes, teacher”.  Students are taught to respect teachers from the start the way we are taught to eat with our mouths closed. 

This respect seems like a great system until you learn how it is enforced.  In Tanzania, punishment is legal and widespread.  Students who misbehave are paddled or caned.  In one instance, I was sitting in the teacher lounge before class when another teacher brought in three boys.  He first caned their hands three times each and then set them hopping out the door and back to their classroom  like frogs.  Just as common, and probably even more effective, is humiliation as a form of punishment.  When the other teachers find out I don’t believe in these types of punishment, they ask, “Then how do you keep them under control?”  To them, this is the only way they know. 

The students seem to like having a mzungu (white person) teacher, though they probably have a harder time understanding me.  My American English with a non-Tanzanian accent has on several occasions confused them.   But I find that as long as I speak slowly, repeat myself and write on the blackboard they seem to understand.  Or at least they say they do.

Unlike in the States where children grow up around computers, many students here have never even touched a computer.  So teaching computers requires starting with the basics of turning on the computer and how to use a mouse.  Now teaching computers, once you know where to start, isn’t an altogether difficult task.  But teaching computers without electricity on the other hand, can be rather challenging.  Two lessons plans per class period are required – one for electricity and one without. And even more challenging than no power is variable power because you never know which version to teach, practical or theoretical.

Even on a good day, one with reliable power, teaching computers can be difficult.  When you have a class of 60+ students and less than 30 working computers, things can be a bit crowded.  Though my school is lucky enough to have computers, all of them are old and a few of them are nonfunctional.  Students have to share machines, often three to one computer, which means each task takes three times as long because every student needs to do the exercise in rotation. 

Assigning homework can be just as difficult at teaching without electricity.  Students here don’t have textbooks for most of their classes (and if they do they share), the library is small, and of course they can’t just hop on the internet to look things up.  Consequently, this means think of out-of-class-work becomes a creative exercise.  And grading that homework is no easy task when you have over 60 per class essays to mark. 

Through grading of homework and exams, observation, and other ways I have noted that Tanzanians excel in rote memorization but are challenged by creative thinking.  Students here can memorize formulas, definitions and lists and hold on to that knowledge for long periods of time but problem solving is not taught.   Though some school-knowledge is valuable in daily life, the most important things you learn in school are not the facts, but what to do with those facts.  If I could leave my students with only one lesson it would be the importance of thinking creatively is. 

Though it has been difficult at times, I am glad to have had this opportunity as a teacher.  I have learned many things about teaching and probably just as many about being a student. 

2 + 2 = 4

This year I have been teaching in a Tanzanian school.  It has been interesting to see how things differ between schooling here and in the States.  Here is a look at some of the things I’ve noticed. 

In Tanzania school years are arranged a bit differently.  You start out at age seven with primary schooling which consists of seven years, called Standards.  These first seven years are mandatory.  After that, if you wish, you progress to a secondary school for four more years.  At this level grades are known as forms and are not required by the government.  And when you’ve completed Form IV, if you have passed your exams you can continue with Forms V and VI.   In these two forms you choose a ‘career-track’ which formulates three major class focuses.  For example, if you wanted to be a doctor you would take the PCB track in which you focus on physics, chemistry and biology.  Once you’ve graduated from that, you are able to go to college or university, which an increasing number of students are doing. 

Unlike in the States, schooling here is not free.  Tuition, books, stationary and uniforms all incur costs that, only some of which is covered by the government. Unfortunately, this means that some families don’t have enough capital to send all their children through school.

Another difference is dress.  All Tanzanian school have strict dress codes and students wear school uniforms.  Depending on the school colours, the uniform is usually wine-red or navy-blue (though any colour is possible) slacks for boys and skirts for girls with a white shirt or blouse.  Shoes are traditionally black Dockers which are meticulously buffed to the teachers’ standards. 

School systems in Tanzania aren’t standardized as they are in the States. Many public schools are gender segregated and there are also many more private schools here.  Most Tanzanian schoolchildren board at their schools.  This is partly due to the fact that many children are sent half way across the country to a school.  This happens because the closest good school may be that far away, the child wants more independence, or for other reasons.  Some families even choose to send their children out of country.

Unlike in the States, here you don’t get to choose your classes until Form VI.  Until then you take the same classes with all your classmates for all four years of secondary school.  For example, at my school those classes would be, Physics, Biology, Kiswahili, English, Computer Studies, Bible Knowledge, Geography, Civics, Commerce, Book-Keeping, Chemistry, and Basic Mathematics.  Class schedules are arranged in typical American university fashion, with certain classes on different days. 

Due to the lack of teaching staff and budget, classes are crowded and often have over 60 students per room.  Your typical classroom has one old pitted chalkboard at the front, bared windows, and rows of wooden desks and benches crowded with students. 

Tanzanians recognize English as an important international language and as so, English is taught from primary school and upon reaching secondary school, all classes are taught in English.  Of course having been a former British colony, Tanzanian teaches proper British English. I particularly love this point of being taught in a second language, though it can be incredibly difficult,  because it helps fluency so much.  I wish my schooling could have been done in such a manner. 

As for similarities, Tanzanian schools, like those in the States, have many standardized tests.  To graduate from Form IV, you must pass standardized exams in all subjects that, I would say, are more rigorous than their American equivalents. 

Another big difference is out-of-class work.  There are no janitors or custodians here.  It is the students that are required to keep the school clean and in order.  Additionally some schools have shamba or farms on which the students plant, weed and harvest maize and other crops. 

PT in TZ

Public transportation is very different here in Tanzania compared to the United States.  In my rural mid-west hometown, we only have two forms of public transportation.   We have a transit bus system which only works in-town and very few people use it.  And we have school buses which are used exclusively by, you guessed it, school children.  Needless to say, neither of these services are very inclusive. 

As you look across America, there are some places with better transportation means, but the overall picture is quite grim.  There are subways underneath New York City, taxis in Washington D.C., trolleys in San Francisco and Greyhound buses that run in between but in smaller cities, it is hard to get around unless you have your own means of transportation.  Americans like to be independent, and in terms of transportation they certainly are. 

In Tanzania, things are just the opposite.  Few citizens own their own cars and most take public transportation. The most common type of transportation is known as the daladala.  These mini busses shuttle passengers to every possible location.  Often painted with nonsensical slogans they are always packed with people.  Tanzanian’s don’t have a culture of ‘personal bubbles’ as Americans do and have no qualms about packing fifteen or more people in a vehicle only slightly larger than a minivan.  And when there isn’t enough room,  people hang on from outside as the daladala zooms down the road. Often pile of bananas, chickens in cages or colorful empty buckets are strapped to the top and back of the vehicle making for a precarious load. 

The next step up in transportation are buses.  These buses are like many buses you might find in any major American metropolis but a few decades older.  In fact, these buses, and many other vehicles for that matter, are imported from Japan, with Japanese writing still intact.  These buses are used within major cities, like Dar es Salaam, and between large cities (for example, between Moshi and Arusha).   Like daladalas these become packed with civilians, especially at key rush-hour times. 

Going up the transportation ladder we reach coach buses.  In Tanzania, there are a wide range of coach buses from luxury to economy.  At the top end, you can find buses with air conditioning and music videos.  At the other end you find hot, noisy dusty coach buses which just get the job done.  Most of these buses travel at high speeds, barely braking for speed bumps.  Many are not aligned properly which causes somewhat alarming sights of large buses cruising down the road diagonally.  These buses sit five across with occasional passengers standing in the aisle between stops.  Additional passengers include squawking chickens who can be particularly noisy when frightened.  When traveling down dirt roads, things can get a bit dirty.  Due to tight quarters windows need to be opened to let in a breeze.  Of course when the bus slows, the cloud of fine red dust catches up the vehicle coating everything in a grimy layer of red.  Additionally, pot-holed roads and incautious drivers create an alarmingly bumpy ride which often involves being entirely dislodged from your seat.  As may be imagined, coach buses are used for long distance travel.

Additionally, Tanzania has a few rail-lines that operate primarily in southern Tanzania and provide transportation to areas that would otherwise only be reachable by air.

If you are interested in private public transportation there are a few options.  Taxis are common and useful for late nights when daladalas are done for the day.  They are much like American taxis but are white instead of yellow and price is negotiated before departure.    Option number two is bajaji which is a small, open-sided, three-wheeled motor car which can accommodate two passengers and a driver.  These, though bumpy, are cheaper and more scenic.  And lastly, you can hire a motorcycle to transport you a short distance. 

All of these options are efficient and inexpensive.  Though you may have to wait a long time for a daladala, in the end it is more cost-effective.  Because of the well designed system in place, public transportation here makes it possible to reach any destination at a reasonable rate. 

Fact Check That (Part 2 of 2)

Welcome back to part two of Getting to Know Tanzania Through Facts and Figures.  This week we continue with facts and figures about the economy of Tanzania.

Despite it’s natural beauty, Tanzania is in the bottom 10% of the world’s economies.  Tanzania’s GDP, in terms of purchasing power (what goods in Tanzania would cost in the USA), is a trivial $57.5 billion in comparison to the United States’ $14.26 trillion. (At the official exchange rate (Tanzania’s GDP converted to US dollars), Tanzania’s GDP is only $22.16 billion.)  Per capita, this is $1,400 (201st*).  Per capita GDP in the States is $46,000 (11th).  The percentage of the population below the poverty line in Tanzania is 36%.  There is nothing surprising about this figure.  The percentage of the population below the poverty line in the United States is 12%.  I find this rather astounding.  How is it the country with the world’s largest and most powerful economy find itself with 36,865,454 people living in poverty? Tanzania only has 14,777,471 people living below the poverty line.  The US has almost two and a half times the amount of people living in poverty that Tanzania does but over 600 times the GDP.  Now it is worth considering what is meant by poverty line.  This metaphorical line is based on many figures and varies considerably country-to-country.  This means what qualifies as poverty in one country may not qualify in another.  Thus is should be noted that poverty in the US is very different from poverty in Tanzania where poverty means living on a dollar a day.

Tanzania’s economy is primarily agriculture, with 40% of the GDP comprised of agricultural activities.  This is rather amazing given that only 4.23% of the land is arable. (18.01% of the United States is suitable for farming).  Additionally, 80% of the labour force works in agriculture and 85% of exports are agricultural goods.  Things grown for mass-market in Tanzania include: coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava, and bananas.  Tanzania exports $2.744 billion in  gold, coffee and cashew nuts, manufactured goods and cotton to mainly India, Japan, and China.

In terms of public debt, Tanzania owes 24.8% of it’s GDP.  Externally, it owes $7.07 billion dollars.  These figures are pennies compared to the debts of America.  In public debt, the United States owes 52.9% of it’s GDP.  This, of course, doesn’t include state and inter-governmental debt.  If it did, add another 30% of the GDP.  In external debt, the United States owes $13.45 trillion.  That make us #1 in terms of debt.  Congratulations us.

Tanzania consumes 32,000bbl/day of oil (112th), all of which is imported. The United States, as the number one consumer of oil, uses 19.5 million bbl/day, of which only 8.514 million bbl/day is produced internally.  In 2008, Tanzania consumed 560.7 million cu m of natural gas (93rd) whereas the US consumed 657.2 billion cu m(1st).  Given these figures, it should come as no surprise that the United States is the largest emitter of carbon dioxide on the planet.  Congratulations again.

Tanzania has a striking number of cell phone lines: 14.723 million.  This figure becomes clearer when you know that many Tanzanians have two or even three different phone lines with different companies.  A more reasonable number is the 179,849 main lines Tanzania posses.  For comparison, the US has 270 million cell phone lines and 150 million land lines. 

Americans love their televisions.  The fact that as of 2006, there were 2,218 different TV broadcasting stations proves this.  Tanzania, on the other hand, has just 3.  The US is also home to 231 million internet users while Tanzania has just 520,000 though this figure is rising.

Ask any Tanzanian and one thing they’ll say about the country is the poor infrastructure.  And indeed, it hasn’t quite the development as the United States.  Of the 78,891 km of roads in Tanzania, 72,083 of them are unpaved. (The United States has more miles of roads than any other country coming in with 6,465,799 km.)  Tanzania also has 125 airports,of which only 9  are paved.  (Again the US has more airports than any other nation with 15,095.)

Another thing Tanzanians will say about their country is it’s history of non-violence.  Tanzanians proud themselves on their passive nature.  Tanzania spends only .2% of its GDP on military (170th of 173).  The US throws 4.06% of its GDP ($578,956,000,000) to its military. Though the US rank appears lower, 28th world-wide, it is the highest among western nations and the countries ahead of it include: Oman, Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Jordan, and Israel among others. (Iceland comes in last at 0.00%. I guess there isn’t a lot of desire for invading frozen islands in the middle of the North Atlantic.)  Additionally, Tanzania has taken in more refugees than any other African nation (480,613) mostly from Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo.  Comparatively the United States accepted 100,159 refugees from around the world in 2004-2005.

Though the USA may have better infrastructure and a longer life expectancy, this does not mean that it is a better place to live.  The United States is shackled with debt and produces an outrageous amount of green house gases.

Hopefully these statistics help give you a better picture of Tanzania and where it stands in the world.

 

* Disassociated numbers in parenthesis indicate rank among the world

Note: All facts and figures compliments of the CIA World Factbook and the math is brought to you by my handy Casio calculator.

Fact Check This (Part 1 of 2)

Recently, I realized that though I have given much commentary on Tanzania’s culture and landscape, I have supplied very few real facts.  This series will come in two parts, the first concerning social facts and the second, economics.  So here is a little commentary, and a lot of facts.

On the 9th of December, 1961, Tanganyika gained independence from British rule.  A few years later, the island of Zanzibar gained similar independence and joined with the mainland to form the United Republic of Tanzania on 26th April, 1964.  Hence the name, Tanzania.

The country of Tanzania is the world’s 31st largest with a total size of 947,300 sq km, roughly two Californias.  In comparison the USA is the 3rd largest nation with 9,826,675 sq km (3/10 the size of the African continent).  Tanzania is bordered by 8 countries and 1424 km of the Indian Ocean.  The country is home to many of the ‘continent’s greatest’ including highest mountain (Mt. Kilimanjaro at 5895 m), and the three of the largest lakes (Victoria, Tanganyika and Nyasa).  Additionally, Lake Victoria is the world’s second largest freshwater lake, and Lake Tanganyika is the world’s second deepest.  Tanzania is also home to part of the Great Rift Valley, Ngorongoro caldera and a plethora of unique flora and fauna.

Lake Victoria

The population of this African nation comes in at 41,048,532 (30th*), much below the USA which weighs in at 307,212,123.  This is only where the difference in population begin.  The median age in Tanzania is 18; in the United States it is 36.7.  The population over 65 consists of a mere 2.9% in Tanzania versus 12.8% in the US.  This statistic is more dramatic when seen from a different angle.  The average life expectancy for a Tanzanian is 52.01 years (206th of 224), 26.1 years less than the average American life expectancy.  It’s a little better for women who get an expected 53.51 years but it’s still much less than the American woman who gets 80.69 years.  Though we complain much about the costs and hassles of health care in the States, we really are getting a good deal.  That said, there are still 48 countries with better life expectancies than the United States.  (If you want to live long, move to Macau, Andorra or Japan.)  Infant mortality in Tanzania is 69.28/1000 live births (25th) – over ten times the rate in the US!  Like many developing nations, Tanzania’s urban population is on the rise.  25% of the population already lives in cities (compared with 82% in America) and that number is increasing at a rate of 4.2%.  The population as a whole is increasing at a rate of 2.04% (55th).

Tanzania, like all of Africa, is facing a HIV/AIDS crisis.  There are 1.4 million (6th) people living with HIV/AIDS in Tanzania alone.  There are 1.2 million infected in the States, but compared with population size, this is a much smaller fraction (6.2% for Tanzania versus 0.6% in the States).  Tanzania is also seventh in terms of HIV/AIDS deaths with 96,000 in 2007.

Tanzanian education, as you may imagine, is lagging.  Literacy is at 69.4% (girls comprising 62.2% and boys 77.5%).  Part of this may be explained by examining education expenditures.  Tanzania spends 2.2% of it’s GDP on education (164th).  In comparison the US spends a little more at 5.3% (57th).  What do these figures translate into?  With a little math you find that Tanzania spends $27.61 on each student.  This figure is an estimate because because it is based on the population below 14 and not all children below 14 go to school and many children above 14 go to school.  Nevertheless it is in the ballpark.  The math for the United States works out at $12,200.86 per student but this figure is bound to be high as it does not factor in any student over the age of 14.  Surprisingly, the majority of the countries with the highest educational spending are those in the South Pacific, with the tiny island of Kiribati coming in first at 17.80%.  On the other hand, the countries with the lowest GDP are the same Pacific island nations.

Tanzania is comprised of mainly three religions. 30% of the population is some denomination of Christian, 35% Muslim and the remaining 35% of believers hold indigenous religious beliefs. The percentage of the Muslim population increases as you head east; the island of Zanzibar is over 99% Muslim.  In comparison, the United States is 78.5% Christian and only 0.6% Muslim (the remaining percentage comprised of other beliefs (4.9%) and unaffiliated/non-believers(16.1%)).  

Tanzania, upon gaining independence, became a republic and choose to develop a legal system based on English common law.  Like the States, suffrage is 18 years and universal.  The current president, Jakaya Kikwete, has been in office since 21 December 2005.  Presidential terms last five years and the next election is coming up in October 2010.  In the last election, Kikwete won with a resounding 80.3%.  Compare this with our last presidential election in which Barak Obama won with 52.4% (a percentage most Americans did not find close).

Tanzania’s flag, as shown, consists of four colours.  The green represents the country’s flora, the yellow for it’s mineral deposits, black for the people and blue for it’s lakes and rivers.

Now that I have given you a multitude of facts, take some time to mull them over and come back next week for part 2.

 

* Disassociated numbers in parenthesis indicate rank among the world

Note: All facts and figures compliments of the CIA World Factbook and the math is brought to you by my handy Casio calculator.