Tanzania Geography
What is the terrain and geography like in Tanzania?
Overview
Tanzania, the second largest country in East Africa, is just south of the Equator. The mainland stretches from north to south for 740 miles and from east to west for 760 miles with a 500-mile coastline on the Indian Ocean. It shares borders with Kenya, Uganda, Burundi, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique. Including the islands of Unguja and Pemba that make up Zanzibar, Tanzania's total area is 362,820 square miles (with 20,600 square miles of lakes).
Geography - note
Kilimanjaro is the highest point in Africa and one of only two mountains on the continent that has glaciers (the other is Mount Kenya); bordered by three of the largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) in the southwestTanzania Use of Natural Resources
| Geographic Location | Africa |
| Total Area |
365,753 Square Miles 947,300 Square Kilometers |
| Land Area |
342,007 Square Miles 885,800 Square Kilometers |
| Water Area |
23,745 Square Miles 61,500 Square Kilometers |
| Land Boundaries |
2,399 Miles 3,861 Kilometers |
| Irrigated Land |
712 Square Miles 1,843 Square Kilometers |
| Border Countries | Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km |
| Coastline |
885 Miles 1,424 Kilometers |
| Geographic Coordinates | 6 00 S, 35 00 E |
| Terrain | plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south |
| Highest Point | 5,895 Meters |
| Highest Point Location | Kilimanjaro 5,895 m |
| Lowest Point Location | Indian Ocean 0 m |
| Natural Resources | hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel |
| Time Zone | UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) |
