Tanzania - Government
Based on the etymolgy of Tanzania, it was the country's name is a combination of the first letters of Tanganyika and Zanzibar, the two states that merged to form Tanzania in 1964. The Government system in this country is the presidential republic type and the different Administrative divisions includes: 31 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Geita, Iringa, Kagera, Kaskazini Pemba (Pemba North), Kaskazini Unguja (Zanzibar North), Katavi, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Kusini Pemba (Pemba South), Kusini Unguja (Zanzibar Central/South), Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Mjini Magharibi (Zanzibar Urban/West), Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza, Njombe, Pwani (Coast), Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Simiyu, Singida, Songwe, Tabora, Tanga
National symbols
Uhuru (Freedom) torch, giraffe; national colors: green, yellow, blue, black.
The flag
The National flag of Tanzania has divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the lower triangle is blue; the banner combines colors found on the flags of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; green represents the natural vegetation of the country, gold its rich mineral deposits, black the native Swahili people, and blue the country's many lakes and rivers, as well as the Indian Ocean.
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The National Anthem
| Title | "Mungu ibariki Afrika" (God Bless Africa) |
|---|---|
| Lyric/music | collective/Enoch Mankayi SONTONGA |
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note: adopted 1961; the anthem, which is also a popular song in Africa, shares the same melody with that of Zambia but has different lyrics; the melody is also incorporated into South Africa's anthem
More about the government of Tanzania
| Date of Independence | 26 April 1964 (Tanganyika united with Zanzibar to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar); 29 October 1964 (renamed United Republic of Tanzania); notable earlier dates: 9 December 1961 (Tanganyika became independent from UK-administered UN trusteeship); 10 December 1963 (Zanzibar became independent from UK) |
|---|---|
| National holiday | Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964) |
| Legal system | English common law; judicial review of legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction |
| Constitution | |
| History | Several previous; latest adopted 25 April 1977; note - drafting of a new constitution by the National Assembly in 2014 had stalled, and not until 2021, when President HASSAN expressed the need for broad government reform was there a renewed mandate for a new constitution; a task force drafted and submitted a report in October 2202 with broad government reform recommendations, including a six-pronged approach to a new constitution; the president as recently as mid-2023 reaffirmed her commitment to a new constitution; Tanzania's political opposition in early 2024, called for protests rallying countrywide support for action on this issue |
| Amendments | Proposed by the National Assembly; passage of amendments to constitutional articles including those on sovereignty of the United Republic, the authorities and powers of the government, the president, the Assembly, and the High Court requires two-thirds majority vote of the mainland Assembly membership and of the Zanzibar House of Representatives membership; House of Representatives approval of other amendments is not required; amended several times, last in 2017 |
| Citizenship | |
| Citizenship by birth | no |
| Citizenship by descent only | at least one parent must be a citizen of Tanzania; if a child is born abroad, the father must be a citizen of Tanzania |
| Dual citizenship recognized | no |
| Residency requirement for naturalization | 5 years |
| Executive Branch | |
| Chief of state | President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021) |
| Head of government | President Samia Suluhu HASSAN (since 19 March 2021) |
| Cabinet | Cabinet appointed by the president from among members of the National Assembly |
| Elections/appointments | president and vice president directly elected on the same ballot by simple majority popular vote for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 28 October 2020 (next to be held in October 2025); prime minister appointed by the president |
| Election results | 2020: John MAGUFULI reelected president; percent of vote - John MAGUFULI (CCM) 84.4%, Tundu LISSU (CHADEMA) 13%, other 2.6%; note - President MAGUFULI died on 17 March 2021 and his Vice President, Samia Suluhu HASSAN, assumed the office of the President on 19 March 2021 2015: John MAGUFULI elected president; percent of vote - John MAGUFULI (CCM) 58.5%, Edward LOWASSA (CHADEMA) 40%, other 1.5% |
| Legislative branch | |
| Description | Unicameral National Assembly or Parliament (Bunge) (393 seats; 264 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 113 women indirectly elected by proportional representation vote, 5 indirectly elected by simple majority vote by the Zanzibar House of Representatives, 10 appointed by the president, and 1 seat reserved for the attorney general; members serve 5-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the National Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives or Baraza La Wawakilishi (82 seats; 50 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote, 20 women directly elected by proportional representation vote, 10 appointed by the Zanzibar president, 1 seat for the House speaker, and 1 ex-officio seat for the attorney general; elected members serve a 5-year term) |
| Elections | Tanzania National Assembly and Zanzibar House of Representatives - last held on 28 October 2020 (next to be held in October 2025) |
| Election results | National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CCM 350, Chadema 20, ACT-Wazalendo 4, CUF 3; composition - men 246, women 147, percentage women 37.4% Zanzibar House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CCM 69, ACT-Wazalendo 6, TADEA 1, other 1; composition - men 48, women 29, percentage women 37.7% |
| Judicial branch | |
| Highest court(s) | Court of Appeal of the United Republic of Tanzania (consists of the chief justice and 14 justices); High Court of the United Republic for Mainland Tanzania (consists of the principal judge and 30 judges organized into commercial, land, and labor courts); High Court of Zanzibar (consists of the chief justice and 10 justices) |
| Judge selection and term of office | Court of Appeal and High Court justices appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Service Commission for Tanzania, a judicial body of high level judges and 2 members appointed by the national president; Court of Appeal and High Court judges serve until mandatory retirement at age 60, but terms can be extended; High Court of Zanzibar judges appointed by the national president after consultation with the Judicial Commission of Zanzibar; judges can serve until mandatory retirement at age 65 |
| Subordinate courts | Resident Magistrates Courts; Kadhi courts (for Islamic family matters); district and primary courts |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Elsie Sia KANZA (since 1 December 2021) |
| Chancery | 1232 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 |
| Telephone | [1] (202) 884-1080 |
| FAX | [1] (202) 797-7408 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://us.tzembassy.go.tz/ |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | |
| Chief of mission | Ambassador Michael A. BATTLE Sr. (since 27 February 2023) |
| Embassy | 686 Old Bagamoyo Road, Msasani, P.O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam |
| Mailing address | 2140 Dar es Salaam Place, Washington, DC 20521-2140 |
| Telephone | [255] (22) 229-4000 |
| FAX | [255] (22) 229-4721 |
| Email address and website | [email protected] https://tz.usembassy.gov/ |
| National heritage | |
| Total World Heritage Sites | 7 (3 cultural, 3 natural, 1 mixed) |
| Selected World Heritage Site locales | Ngorongoro Conservation Area (m); Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Songo Mnara (c); Serengeti National Park (n); Selous Game Reserve (n); Kilimanjaro National Park (n); Stone Town of Zanzibar (c); Kondoa Rock-Art Sites (c) |
Key Political parties and their leaders in Tanzania
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International organization participation
All Important Facts about Tanzania
Want to know more about Tanzania? Check all different factbooks for Tanzania below.
