Colors and the Meaning of the Tanzania Flag
Tanzania flag was the result of the unification of the Republic of Zanzibar People’s Republic and the Republic of Tanganyika as a state. Starting from the lower left corner of the flag, a thick black stripe extending to the upper right section divides the flag into two and forms a triangle on both sides. The triangle in the upper left part of the flag is green and the triangle in the lower right is shown in blue. The black thick strip is separated from blue and green colors by a thin yellow strip.
Blue, green and black in the flag are common colors of both countries, and the yellow color is also used to symbolize gold because the new country is rich in underground mines. While the green color expresses the country’s fertile lands, the blue color represents the Indian Ocean, the coast of the country. The black color in the middle represents the African people.
History of the Tanzania Flag
In 1916, Britain occupied the majority of German East Africa. Three years later, the British took on the task of leading the Tanganyika District as a member of the League of Nations. The League of Nations was dissolved in 1946 and the United Nations was formed. After World War II, it was transformed into the UN Trust Zone.
In 1954, Tanganyika African National Association (TANU) was founded under the leadership of the African Union of Tanganyika, Julius Nyerere and Oscar Kambona who opposed the British colonial rule. The purpose of the political party was to gain independence for the region. The flag was composed of three horizontal stripes, green, black and yellow. Tanganyika became independent on 9 December 1961.
Sultanate of Zanzibar, a British protectorate until 1963, used a red flag on his island during his reign. The last sultan was overthrown in the Zanzibar Revolution on January 12, 1964, and the Afro-Shirazi Party, the ruling political party of the newly established Zanzibar and Pemba People’s Republic, was inspired by the flag of its party and designed and adopted its national flag. The flag consisted of three horizontal stripes (blue, black and green).
In April 1964, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form a single country. As a result, the flag designs of the two states were combined to form a new national flag.
The flag of Tanzania was adopted on 30 June 1964. The Tanzanian flag was formed from the flags of the Tanganyika and Zanzibar countries, united in April 1964 to form Tanzania. The Tanganyika flag consisted of a black horizontal strip with a yellow edge placed centrally on the green, while the Zanzibar flag was composed of horizontal stripes of blue, black and green color. Tanzania uses the diagonal overlay on its flag to show that these two flags have equal status.
Neighboring Countries of Tanzania
Tanzania, an independent country in the middle-east of Africa, is neighboring Kenya and Uganda in the north, Rwanda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in the west, Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique in the south.
Main Characteristics of Tanzania
Tanzania attracts attention with its wildlife areas. Many people go to the country for safari tour and natural life. The country’s capital is Dodoma. There are two official languages, Swahili and English. The currency of Tanzania is used as the currency.
The tropical climate is dominant. Temperature is temperate with sea breezes. There is plenty of rainfall on the coast of Tanganyika. They use spices and coconut milk in their meals. Wali Wa Nazi and Nyama Choma are popular dishes. The world-famous Tanzanian coffee is very delicious.
| Country | Tanzania |
| Code | TZ (TZA) |
| Calling Code | 255 |
| Capital City | Dodoma |
| Currency | tanzanian shilling (TZS) |
| Emoji Symbol | 🇹🇿 |
| Highest Point | Kibo on Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) |
| Internet TLD | .tz |
| Population(2017) | 58,184,701 |
| Total Area | 945,087 km2 |