DNA evidence suggests that Tanzania may be the birthplace of humankind; what archeologists know for sure is that around 100,000 years ago Homo sapiens were living in the area. Naturally, much changed in the following millennia. The more modern development of Kenya saw very different paths taken by the people of the interior and those living along the coast. Sometime around 3,000 to 5,000 years ago, Khoisan speakers from the south were already settled in Tanzania when Cushitic tribes arrived from the northern area that is now Ethiopia. 

Then, around 100 BC, Bantu speaking people settled there after a long migration from their homelands in West Africa. They brought with them agricultural and iron-working skills that allowed them to dominate the native tribes either by displacing or absorbing them. Though Bantu people remain the largest ethnic group in Tanzania today, descendents of the Khoisan and Cushitic tribes still live in Tanzania and practice traditional ways of life. The final tribal migration to the interior was by Nilotic groups that took place from the 15th to 18th centuries. They were pastoralists who lived off of cattle, and are the ancestors of the Maasai found today in Tanzania and Kenya.

Life on the coast developed quite differently. By 400 BC coastal settlements were important ports on trade routes between Asia and the Mediterranean. Arab, Indian and Mediterranean traders slowly mixed with the native population, giving rise to the Swahili culture and language, and the establishment of Islam as the area’s main religion.

The Portuguese were the first Europeans to explore the country in the 15th and 16th centuries as part of the slave trade. They also brought food from their colonies in South America that had a considerable influence on the cuisine found throughout the country today. These explorers were followed later by missionaries, and eventually Tanzania became an official German colony in 1891, though Britain retained control of the Zanzibar Archipelago.

Despite modernization efforts, Germany did little to improve the lives of Tanzanians and met with considerable resistance in a serious of uprisings, eventually giving up the colony after World War I and placing it under the administration of Britain. During the period between wars farmer’s cooperatives formed to promote the nation’s agricultural economy and also served to organize nationalist movements that worked toward gaining independence.

National upset reached a high in the 1950s when many people in the area west of Kilimanjaro were displaced from their lands to make way for European farmers. In 1961 Tanzania finally became independent and chose freedom fighter Julius Nyerere as its first president. Freedom and peace on the Zanzibar Archipelago took longer to establish. Violent uprisings continued even after independence was granted to the islands in 1963, as people resented Nyerere’s attempts to integrate them into mainland Tanzania. The political strife was only subdued after the establishment of a single party state in Zanzibar in the mid-1970s that persists today. 

To stabilize his country, Nyerere began a program of socialism centered on the concept of ujamaa, or familyhood, a program of agricultural collectives organized by village that promoted self-reliance. His social experiment did not go well, nor did the state control to which Nyerere turned when his original vision failed. Today a multi-party system is in place that works slightly better but still reveals underlying political and religious tensions. However, for the most part Tanzania is a tolerant and moderate place where all cultures and perspectives are welcomed, and few believe it will dissolve into the social and political strife seen in many of its neighboring

 There are over 120 tribal groups in Tanzania, as well as Arabs, Asians, and Europeans. Because there are so many, the size of each group is limited and there has never been one dominant ruling tribe. The result is a tranquil society that blends its many cultural entities peacefully and avoids the political problems that occur in other parts of Africa. The relaxed atmosphere is also maintained by everyone’s strict adherence to good manners. 

The family is the core of Tanzanian society. People are more likely to identify themselves as a part of a family or the larger Tanzanian nation than with a particular tribe. The majority of the tribes are Bantu-speaking, but there are also populations of Maasai and Cushitic and Khoisan people. Half of Tanzania’s population is Christian, and around 30-40% is Muslim, concentrated mostly along the coast. Others practice native religions that focus on land and ancestor worship. The easygoing and courteous mood that characterizes Tanzania, coupled with the fact that it is one of the least urbanized countries in Africa, means that visitors can enjoy the wonders of an African safari in an idyllic setting maintained by the warmth of its people.

Tanzania lies south of Kenya along Africa’s eastern shore. It is bordered to the northwest by Uganda and Rwanda, to the west by Burundi and Congo, and by Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The Zanzibar Archipelago, a small island group just offshore in the Indian Ocean, is also a part of Tanzania. 

The coastline is typical of East Africa, with long sandy beaches broken occasionally by dense mangrove swamps. But once you move inland, the land and climate change quickly, rising into a plateau that gets very little rain. Beyond the plateau lie the West Great Rift Valley and a number of large lakes, including massive Lake Victoria. The north of the country is home to the famous Serengeti Plain, with various mountain ranges rising to the northeast. The capital city of Dodoma is centrally located in the interior. 

Tanzania boasts both the highest and the lowest points in all of Africa, from the peak of Mt. Kilimanjaro in the northeast to the frigid depths of Lake Tanganyika on its western border. The majority of Tanzanians live along the country’s perimeter, the central plateau being too dry. The most popular time to visit is between June and October, when the weather is at its coolest and driest, and the animals are on the move in their annual migration. It is hotter from December to February, but also less crowded. From March to May the rains make safari difficult if not impossible in some places, and many beach hotels also close during this season.

 Music and dance are very important parts of Tanzanian culture. Ngoma is the name of the traditional dances that are performed to give praise or to communicate with ancestors, the dancers acting on behalf of an entire community. Drums are an essential accompaniment to the dancing, though variation does exist in which instruments to add to the drums, from xylophones to tambourines and shakers filled with grain. The Sukuma people, who live in Mwanza in the southern Lake Victoria area, often incorporate live snakes and other animals into their dances. The Maasai don’t use drums or other instruments, preferring to accompany the dances only with chanting. Mask dancing ceremonies are an important part of initiation rites of the Makonde and Makua, and are found only in southeast Tanzania.

Woodcarving is another traditional art that flourishes in Tanzania. The Makonde are known throughout East Africa as masters of the craft. Popular objects are ujamaa, large family trees centered around one ancestor, and shetani, figures from the sprit world who are said to inhabit the carvings, giving them supernatural powers. Carvings are typically made from a single piece of dark African hardwood and require an incredible amount of skill. Today the center for traditional carving has moved from the southeast to the Mwenge section of the city Dar es Salaam.

The staple dish of Tanzania is ugali, a thick dough made from either corn or cassava. It is eaten with a variety of sauces made of meat, vegetables, or fish, and makes up the main meal pretty much all the time. Mishikaki are marinated meat kebabs that make tasty and popular street snacks. Because of its role in the spice trade, the best and most exotic foods are found along the coast, especially on the Zanzibar Archipelago, where Arab and Indian flavors dominate the cuisine. Coconut is used liberally to balance all the spice. Fish is a local delicacy around the country’s many lakes. Locally brewed beers are available everywhere, as is Tangawizi, a very popular ginger ale made in Tanzania. Many varieties of beer are available; when you get to Kilimanjaro, try the mbege, a beer made from plantains. Uraka is another special brew made from cashews that is definitely unlike any beer found back home.

 Safari is of course Tanzania’s main draw for foreign travelers—its fabulous Serengeti plains have been seducing visitors for centuries. Today safaris can be done in a number of ways—in cars or vans, on foot, by boat or canoe, and even by hot air balloon. Whatever mode of transport you choose, you’ll have the chance to see the world’s greatest wildlife show. The Big Five—elephant, lion, leopard, rhino, and water buffalo—are all in Tanzania, which is also home to the endangered black rhino. Gazelle, antelope, giraffes, zebras, hyenas, chimpanzees and much more can be found living in the plains and mountains.

The north is historically the most popular area for visitors, and so has a better-developed tourism industry. The south, though seeing more and more travelers, has less to offer in the way of hotels and resources but allows visitors to view the area without much interaction with other people. However, in a country with 12 national parks, 14 wildlife reserves, and a slew of smaller parks and marine reserves, it is never too hard to feel as though it is just you and the animals.

 * Always ask before taking photos of anyone.

* The areas along the coast are principally Muslim, so legs and shoulders should be covered when you are not at the beach. 

* Greetings are very important in Tanzanian culture—it is considered impolite to begin a conversation with someone without a proper greeting. A simple handshake and "Hello, how are you?" are perfectly acceptable, but once you have seen others do it you can pick up on special forms of greeting.

* Don’t eat or pass food with your left hand.

* Insight Guides: Tanzania and Zanzibar, Apa Publications.

* The Tree Where Man Was Born by Peter Matthiessen, reprint edition published by Penguin in 1995.

* Mara-Serengeti: A Photographer’s Paradise by Jonathan Scott, Angela Scott and Caroline Taggart (2001).

* My Serengeti Years: The Memoirs of an African Game Warden by Myles Turner (1988). 

* The Kingdon Field Guide to African Mammals by Jonathan Kingdon, published in 1997 by Princeton University Press.