As this map illustrates, Tanzania is located on the east coast of Africa just below the equator. With a total area of 945,000 square kilometres and a population of 39 million people, Tanzania is roughly comparable to California. (1)Approximately 43% of the population is less than 15 years of age. The average life expectancy for males at birth is 49.41 years, which puts me frighteningly close to the end of my expected shelf life in Tanzania. In comparison, the average life expectancy for Canadian males is 76.98 years.
HIV/AIDS is a major concern. The rate of infection is a staggering 8.8%, which means that 1.6 million Tanzanians have been infected. Compare this with Canada, whose 56,000 HIV/AIDS cases comprise a mere .3% of the population. A more sobering statistic concerns AIDS-related deaths: where Canada has lost around 1,500 to the disease, Tanzania has suffered an estimated 160,000 deaths due to HIV/AIDS.
The country has eight neighbours: Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. There are over 130 tribal and ethnic groups within the country but, unlike many other African nations, most people identify themselves first as Tanzanians. While there are substantial numbers of Christians and Muslims, there is little of the sectarian violence that has affected countries such as Sudan.I will be staying at an orphanage in the Kinondoni municipality, the northern-most district that makes up Dar Es Salaam. Dar is no longer the administrative capital of Tanzania, but it is still the main commercial centre, thanks in part to one of the world's largest natural harbours. With its population of over 2 million people, is it is also the largest city in the country. Interestingly enough, the area in which I will be staying is far more rural, even though it is only 30 kilometres away from the main urban areas.
(1) Source: CIA World Factbook (https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/tz.html)
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