1 United Republic of Tanzania GEOGRAPHY, CLIMATE AND POPULATION The United Republic of Tanzania consists of the mainland and Zanzibar, which is made up of the islands Unguja and Pemba. Its total area is 945 090 km2. The country is bordered in the north by Kenya and Uganda, in the east by the Indian Ocean, in the south by Mozambique and in the west by Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Zambia. The Indian Ocean coast is some 1 300 km long, while in the northwest there are 1 420 km of shoreline on Lake Victoria, in the centre-west there are 650 km of shoreline on Lake Tanganyika and, in the southwest, 305 km of shoreline on Lake Malawi. The terrain comprises plains along the coast, a plateau in the central area, and highlands in the north and south. The northeast border with Kenya is dominated by Mt. Meru and Mt. Kilimanjaro. Southwards is the Central Plateau reaching elevations above 2000 m. The mountain range of the Southern Highlands separates the Eastern plateau from the rest of the country. Land cover is dominated by woodland, grassland and bushland which account for about 80 percent of the total land area. Cultivable area is estimated to be 40 million ha, or 42 percent of the total land area. In 2002, 13 percent of the cultivable area was actually cultivated, comprising 4 million ha of arable land and 1.1 million ha under permanent crops (Table 1). The climate varies from tropical along the coast to temperate in the highlands. There are two types of seasonal rainfall distribution: • The unimodal type, where rainfall is usually from October/November to April, found in the central, southern and southwestern highlands; • The bimodal type, comprising two seasons: the short rains (Vuli) fall from October to December, while the long rains (Masika) fall from March to June. This type occurs in the coastal belt, the northeastern highlands and the Lake Victoria Basin. Annual rainfall varies from 500 mm to 1 000 mm over most of the country. The highest rainfall of 1 000 mm to 3 000 mm occurs in the northeast of the Lake Tanganyika basin and in the Southern Highlands. Mean annual rainfall is 1 071 mm. Zanzibar and the coastal areas are hot and humid and average daily temperatures are around 30 °C. October-March is the hottest period. Sea breezes however temper the region’s climate and June-September is coolest with temperatures falling to 25 °C. In the Kilimanjaro area, temperatures vary from 15 °C in May-August to 22 °C in December-March. The total population is 37.7 million (2004), of which 63 percent is rural (Table 1). The population density is 40 inhabitants/km2. The vast majority of the population lives inland, far away from the coastline. Poverty is concentrated in the rural areas; however, urban poverty has accompanied rapid urbanization. The national poverty rate is about 2 Irrigation in Africa in figures – AQUASTAT Survey 2005 TABLE 1 Basic statistics and population Physical areas Area of the country 2002 94 509 000 ha Cultivated area (arable land and area under permanent crops) 2002 5 100 000 ha • as % of the total area of the country 2002 5 % • arable land (annual crops + temp. fallow + temp. meadows) 2002 4 000 000 ha • area under permanent crops 2002 1 100 000 ha Population Total population 2004 37 671 000 inhabitants • of which rural 2004 63 % Population density 2004 40 inhabitants/km2 Economically active population 2004 19 337 000 inhabitants • as % of total population 2004 51 % • female 2004 49 % • male 2004 51 % Population economically active in agriculture 2004 15 214 000 inhabitants • as % of total economically active population 2004 79 % • female 2004 54 % • male 2004 46 % Economy Gross Domestic Product (GDP) 2003 9 900 million US$/yr • value added in agriculture (% of GDP) 2003 43.4 % • GDP per capita 2003 268 US$/yr Human Development Index (highest = 1) 2002 0.407 Access to improved drinking water sources Total population 2002 73 % Urban population 2002 92 % Rural population 2002 62 % 36 percent. In 2002, 92 percent of the urban and 62 percent of the rural population were using improved drinking water sources (Table 1). ECONOMY, AGRICULTURE AND FOOD SECURITY The country’s GDP was US$9.9 billion in 2003, and the value added in agriculture was 43.4 percent of GDP. The agricultural sector continues to lead economic growth, in spite of the recent emergence of the new high-growth sectors of mining and tourism, and it continues to have the highest impact on the levels of overall economic growth. Agriculture provides work for 14.7 million people, or 79 percent of the total economically active population, and 54 percent of agricultural workers are female. Small-scale subsistence farmers comprise more than 90 percent of the farming population, with medium- and large-scale farmers accounting for the rest. The main food crops grown are maize, sorghum, millet, paddy, wheat, sweet potato, cassava, pulses and bananas. Maize is the dominant crop with a planted area of over 1.5 million ha during recent years, followed by paddy with more than 0.5 million ha over recent years. The main agricultural products exported by the United Republic of Tanzania are green coffee, cashew nuts and tobacco that, in 2001, represented about 41 percent of all agricultural exports. The main agricultural products imported are wheat and palm oil. In recent years, the country has not been self-sufficient in cereals, but it is self- sufficient in non-cereals at the national level. However, there is a clear difference in the supply capabilities of staple-food crops among the regions: • In Arusha, Coast, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Mara, Tabora and Tanga, the supply is constantly less than demand; • Iringa, Mbeya, Mwanza, Rukwa, Ruvuma and Shinyanga have attained self- sufficiency or produce surpluses. United Republic of Tanzania 3 Rainfed cropping systems can be classified into three broad categories: • Short rains (Vuli) season from September/October to January/February; • Long rains (Masika) season from February/March to June/July; • A combination of the two (Musumi) from November to June. WATER RESOURCES AND USE Water resources Tanzania has nine major drainage basins that, according to the recipient water body, can be categorized as follows: Draining to the Mediterranean Sea: • The Lake Victoria basin, which is part of the Nile River basin. Draining to the Indian Ocean: • The Pangani River basin; • The Ruvu/Wami River basin; • The Rufiji River basin; • The Ruvuma River and Southern Coast basin; • The Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi) basin, which is part of the Zambezi River basin. Draining to the Atlantic Ocean: • The Lake Tanganyika basin, which is part of the Congo River basin. Rift Valley (endorheic) basins, of which amongst others: • The Lake Eyasi and Bubu depression; Lake Manyara; • The Lake Rukwa basin. River regimes follow the general rainfall pattern. River discharge and lake levels start rising in November-December and generally reach their maximum in March- April with a recession period from May to October/November. Many of the larger rivers have flood plains, which extend far inland with grassy marshes, flooded forests and ox-bow lakes. Total renewable water resources amount to 93 km3/yr (Table 2), of which 84 km3/yr are internally produced and 9 km3/yr are accounted for by the Ruvuma River, which TABLE 2 Water: sources and use Renewable water resources Average precipitation 1 071 mm/yr 1 012 109 m3/yr Internal renewable water resources 84 109 m3/yr Total actual renewable water resources 93 109 m3/yr Dependency ratio 9.7 % Total actual renewable water resources per inhabitant 2004 2 469 m3/yr Total dam capacity 2002 4 196 106 m3 Water withdrawal Total water withdrawal 2002 5 184 106 m3/yr - irrigation 2002 4 425 106 m3/yr - livestock 2002 207 106 m3/yr - domestic 2002 527 106 m3/yr - industry 2002 25 106 m3/yr • per inhabitant 2002 143 m3/yr • as % of total actual renewable water resources 2002 5.6 % Non-conventional sources of water Produced wastewater -106 m3/yr Treated wastewater -106 m3/yr Reused treated wastewater -106 m3/yr Desalinated water produced -106 m3/yr Reused agricultural drainage water - 106 m3/yr 4 Irrigation in Africa in figures – AQUASTAT Survey 2005 TABLE 3 Main dams in Tanzania Name of Dam/reservoir Riverbasin Height Storage capacity Installed hydropower capacity (m) (million m3)(MW) Kidatu Rufiji 40 125 204 Lower Kihansi Rufiji 25 1 180 Mtera Rufiji 45 3 200 80 Nyumba ya Mungu Pangani - 875 8 flows on the border between Tanzania and Mozambique. Renewable groundwater resources are estimated at 30 km3/yr, of which all but 4 km3/yr are considered to be overlap between surface water and groundwater. About 5.7 percent of the total land area of the United Republic of Tanzania is covered by three lakes, which also form the border to neighboring countries: • Lake Victoria, which is part of the Nile River basin, is shared with Kenya and Uganda. Its total area is 68 800 km2, of which 51 percent belong to the United Republic of Tanzania. • Lake Tanganyika, which is part of the Congo River basin, is shared with Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Zambia. Its total area is 32 900 km2, of which 41 percent belong to the United Republic of Tanzania. • Lake Nyasa or Lake Malawi, which is part of the Zambezi River basin, is shared with Malawi and Mozambique. Its total area is 30 800 km2, of which the United Republic of Tanzania claims 5 569 km2 or 18 percent.