Tanzania
Country profile
The people
Total population: 34.6 million
Major languages: English, Swahili
Major religions: Christianity, Islam
Literacy rate: 68%
Life expectancy at birth: male – 44; female – 46
The country
Capital: Dodoma (official), Dar es Salaam (commercial)
Area: 945,087 sq. km (364,900 sq. miles)
Main exports: sisal, cloves, coffee, cotton, cashew nuts, minerals, tobacco
Gross National Income per capita: US$330 compared to $33,630 in the UK (World Bank, 2005)
HIV/AIDS situation
>> Adults and children living with HIV: 1.4 million
>> Women living with HIV: 710,000
>> AIDS-related deaths: 140,000
>> Number of orphans (0-17 years) due to AIDS: 1.1 million
>> Estimated HIV prevalence rate: 9%
>> HIV-infected Tanzanians on antiretrovirals: 7%
The United Republic of Tanzania comprises of Tanzania mainland and Zanzibar.
Tanzania is among the poorest countries in the world. Since the first AIDS cases were discovered in Tanzania, HIV prevalence has been on the increase and was estimated at 8.8% among sexually active adults aged 15 and above at end of 2003. Zanzibar, which has a population of about 1 million inhabitants, has a much lower prevalence rate, estimated at 0.6% in 2002.
Awareness of HIV and AIDS is high (above 80% of people), but changing behaviour takes a long time. High levels of stigma and lack of access to services and information, particularly among young people, are not helping curb the transmission of the HIV virus.
For those already at risk, a staggering 90% of Tanzanians who needed antiretroviral therapy were not yet receiving it by mid-2005.
Source: UNAIDS