Editing Tanzania (section)

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Tanzania|Zanzibar Archipelago}}
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| image1            = Elephant and Kilimanjaro.jpg
| caption1          = An elephant passing by the snow-capped [[Mount Kilimanjaro]]
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| image2            = Ngorongoro Crater.jpg
| caption2          = [[Ngorongoro Crater]], the world's largest inactive and intact volcanic [[caldera]]
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At {{convert|947403|km2|mi2}},<ref name="BFF">{{cite web|url=http://www.nbs.go.tz/nbs/takwimu/Statistical_Methods_and_Standards/Basic_Facts_and_Figures_on_Human_Settlements_2012_Tanzania_Mainland.zip|title="Basic Facts and Figures on Human Settlements, 2012", National Bureau of Statistics, Tanzania Ministry of Finance, 2013, page 1. Retrieved 10 November 2014}}</ref> Tanzania is the 13th largest country in Africa and the 31st largest in the world, ranked between the larger Egypt and smaller Nigeria.<ref name="Size">{{cite web |url=https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html |title=CIA&nbsp;– The World Factbook&nbsp;– Rank Order&nbsp;– Area |publisher=Cia.gov |access-date=16 October 2014 |archive-date=9 February 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140209041128/https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/rankorder/2147rank.html |url-status=dead}}</ref> It borders Kenya and Uganda to the north; Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west; and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. Tanzania is located on the eastern coast of Africa and has an Indian Ocean coastline approximately {{convert|1424|km|mi}} long.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/009/a0477e/a0477e13.htm|title=Country review: United Republic of Tanzania|date=December 2003|website=Fisheries and Aquaculture Depart, United Nations. (FAO)}}</ref> It also incorporates several offshore islands, including [[Unguja]] (Zanzibar), [[Pemba Island|Pemba]], and [[Mafia Island|Mafia]].<ref name="frame"/>{{rp|page 1245}} The country is the site of Africa's highest and lowest points: [[Mount Kilimanjaro]], at {{convert|5895|m|ft}} above sea level, and the floor of [[Lake Tanganyika]], at {{convert|1471|m|ft}} below sea level, respectively.<ref name="frame"/>{{rp|page 1245}}

[[File:Wildebeest Migration in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania.jpg|thumb|upright=1.05|Wildebeest migration in the [[Serengeti]]]]
Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro is located. Three of [[African Great Lakes|Africa's Great Lakes]] are partly within Tanzania. To the north and west lie [[Lake Victoria]], Africa's largest lake, and [[Lake Tanganyika]], the continent's deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish. To the southwest lies [[Lake Nyasa]]. Central Tanzania is a large plateau, with plains and arable land. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the [[Zanzibar Archipelago]] just offshore.

[[Kalambo Falls]] in the southwestern region of [[Rukwa]] is the second highest uninterrupted waterfall in Africa, and is located near the southeastern shore of Lake Tanganyika on the border with Zambia.<ref name="Kalambo Falls"/> The [[Menai Bay Conservation Area]] is Zanzibar's largest marine protected area.

===Climate===
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map TZA present.svg|thumb|upright=1.75|Tanzania map of Köppen climate classification]]
{{Further|Geography of Tanzania#Climate}}
Climate varies greatly within Tanzania. In the highlands, temperatures range between {{convert|10|and|20|C|F}} during cold and hot seasons respectively. The rest of the country has temperatures rarely falling lower than {{convert|20|C}}. The hottest period extends between November and February ({{convert|25|-|31|C|F|1|disp=or}}) while the coldest period occurs between May and August ({{convert|15|-|20|C|F|disp=or}}). Annual temperature is {{convert|20|°C|°F|1}}. The climate is cool in high mountainous regions.

Tanzania has two major rainfall periods: one is [[Unimodality|uni-modal]] (October–April) and the other is bi-modal (October–December and March–May).<ref name=rain/> The former is experienced in southern, central, and western parts of the country, and the latter is found in the north from [[Lake Victoria]] extending east to the coast.<ref name=rain/> The bi-modal rainfall is caused by the seasonal migration of the [[Intertropical Convergence Zone]].<ref name=rain>{{cite journal |url=https://www.int-res.com/articles/cr2002/20/c020p031.pdf |title=Rainfall variability in Northern Tanzania in the March–May season (long rains) and its links to large-scale climate forcing |journal=Climate Research |volume=20 |pages=31–40 |author=Zorita, Eduardo |author2=Tilya, Faustine F.| date=12 February 2002 |access-date=16 October 2014 |doi=10.3354/cr020031| bibcode=2002ClRes..20...31Z |doi-access=free}}</ref>

Tanzania infrequently experiences land-falling tropical cyclones which can have severe impacts, [[2023–24_South-West_Indian_Ocean_cyclone_season#Tropical_Cyclone_Hidaya|Cyclone Hidaya]] for instance.<ref name="HidayaNews">{{cite web |title=Tanzania counts losses after Cyclone Hidaya swept coastline |url=https://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/tea/news/east-africa/tanzania-counts-losses-after-cyclone-hidaya-4618970 |website=The EastAfrican |language=en |date=10 May 2024}}</ref> There are recorded examples of such cyclones back as far as 1872.<ref name="Msemo2022">{{cite journal |last1=Msemo |first1=Hellen E. |last2=Finney |first2=Declan L. |last3=Mbuya |first3=Samwel I. |title=Forgotten accounts of tropical cyclones making landfall in Tanzania |journal=Weather |date=April 2022 |volume=77 |issue=4 |pages=127–131 |doi=10.1002/wea.3921|bibcode=2022Wthr...77..127M }}</ref>

[[Climate change in Tanzania]] is resulting in rising temperatures with a higher likelihood of intense rainfall events (resulting in flooding) and of dry spells (resulting in droughts).<ref>{{cite web|title=Tanzania|url=https://www.climatelinks.org/countries/tanzania|access-date=27 November 2020|website=Climatelinks|language=en|archive-date=14 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220614161023/https://www.climatelinks.org/countries/tanzania|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Future Climate for Africa|year=2017|title=Future Climate Projections for Tanzania|url=https://futureclimateafrica.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/08/fcfa_tanzania_climatebrief_web.pdf|website=Future Climate for Africa}}</ref> [[Climate change]] is already impacting the sectors in Tanzania of agriculture, water resources, health and energy. Sea level rise and changes in the quality of water are expected to impact fisheries and aquaculture.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tanzania {{!}} UNDP Climate Change Adaptation|url=https://www.adaptation-undp.org/explore/eastern-africa/united-republic-tanzania|access-date=27 November 2020|website=www.adaptation-undp.org|language=en}}</ref>

Tanzania produced a [[National Adaptation Programme of Action|National Adaptation Programmes of Action]] (NAPAs) in 2007 as mandated by the [[United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change]]. In 2012, Tanzania produced a National Climate Change Strategy in response to the growing concern of the negative impacts of climate change and climate variability on the country's social, economic and physical environment.<ref>{{cite web|title=Tanzania: National climate change strategy - National Policy, Plans & Statements - PreventionWeb.net|url=https://www.preventionweb.net/english/policies/v.php?id=59982&cid=0|access-date=27 November 2020|website=preventionweb.net|archive-date=17 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210417211255/https://www.preventionweb.net/english/policies/v.php?id=59982&cid=0|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Wildlife and conservation===
{{Main|Wildlife of Tanzania}}
{{See also|List of protected areas of Tanzania}}
[[File:Mannetjes masaigiraffe in de Serengeti, Tanzania, -12 januari 2013 a.jpg|thumb|The [[Masai giraffe]] is Tanzania's national animal.]]
Tanzania contains around 20% of the species of Africa's enormous warm-blooded animal populace, found over its 21 National parks, reserves, 1 conservation area, and 3 marine parks. Spread over a zone of in excess of 42,000 square kilometres (16,000 sq. mi) and shaping around 38% of the nation's area.<ref>{{cite book |first1=Ridwan |last1=Laher |first2=Korir |last2=SingíOei |title=Indigenous People in Africa.: Contestations, Empowerment and Group Rights |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nZiyAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA57 |date=2014 |publisher=Africa Institute of South Africa |isbn=978-0-7983-0464-1 |page=57}}</ref> Tanzania has 21 national parks,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tanzaniaparks.com/ |title=Home |publisher=Tanzania National Parks |access-date=16 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006085600/http://www.tanzaniaparks.com/ |archive-date=6 October 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref> plus a variety of game and forest reserves, including the [[Ngorongoro Conservation Area]], however the local human population still has an impact on the environment. In western Tanzania, [[Gombe Stream National Park]] is the site of [[Jane Goodall]]'s ongoing study of [[Common chimpanzee|chimpanzee]] behaviour, which started in 1960.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.tanzaniaparks.com/gombe.html |title=Gombe Stream National Park |publisher=Tanzania National Parks |access-date=16 October 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141004004545/http://www.tanzaniaparks.com/gombe.html |archive-date=4 October 2014 |df=dmy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |first1=Laura |last1=Riley |first2=William |last2=Riley |title=Nature's Strongholds: The World's Great Wildlife Reserves |url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_icMuBQhW4vgC |date= 2005 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=978-0-691-12219-9}}</ref>

Tanzania is highly [[Biodiversity|biodiverse]] and contains a wide variety of animal habitats.<ref>{{cite book |author1=S. N. Stuart |first2=Martin |last2=Jenkins |title=Biodiversity in Sub-Saharan Africa and Its Islands: Conservation, Management, and Sustainable Use |url=https://archive.org/details/biodiversityinsu0000stua |url-access=registration |date=1990 |publisher=IUCN |isbn=978-2-8317-0021-2 |page=[https://archive.org/details/biodiversityinsu0000stua/page/204 204]}}</ref> On Tanzania's [[Serengeti]] plain, white-bearded [[wildebeest]] (''Connochaetes taurinus mearnsi''), other [[bovid]]s and zebra<ref>{{cite web |title=Serengeti wildebeest migration |url=https://www.expertafrica.com/tanzania/info/serengeti-wildebeest-migration |access-date=20 March 2019}}</ref> participate in a large-scale annual migration. Tanzania is home to about 130 [[amphibian]] and over 275 reptile species, many of them strictly [[Endemism|endemic]] and included in the [[International Union for Conservation of Nature]]'s Red Lists of countries.<ref>Edoarado Razzetti and Charles Andekia Msuya (2002) [http://www-3.unipv.it/webshi/images/files/tanzie2002.pdf "Introduction"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716094052/http://www-3.unipv.it/webshi/images/files/tanzie2002.pdf |date=16 July 2020}}, ''Field Guide to Amphibians and Reptiles of Arusha National Park''. Tanzania National Parks. p. 11</ref> Tanzania has the largest lion population in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://allafrica.com/stories/201908120146.html|title=Africa: Tanzania Has Largest Number of Lions in Africa, New Report Says|first=Edward Qorro in|last=Arusha|date=12 August 2019|website=allAfrica.com}}</ref>

Tanzania had a 2019 [[Forest Landscape Integrity Index]] mean score of 7.13/10, ranking it 54th globally out of 172 countries.<ref name="FLII-Supplementary">{{cite journal|last1=Grantham|first1=H. S.|last2=Duncan|first2=A.|last3=Evans|first3=T. D.|last4=Jones|first4=K. R.|last5=Beyer|first5=H. L.|last6=Schuster|first6=R.|last7=Walston|first7=J.|last8=Ray|first8=J. C.|last9=Robinson|first9=J. G.|last10=Callow|first10=M.|last11=Clements|first11=T.|last12=Costa|first12=H. M.|last13=DeGemmis|first13=A.|last14=Elsen|first14=P. R.|last15=Ervin|first15=J.|last16=Franco|first16=P.|last17=Goldman|first17=E.|last18=Goetz|first18=S.|last19=Hansen|first19=A.|last20=Hofsvang|first20=E.|last21=Jantz|first21=P.|last22=Jupiter|first22=S.|last23=Kang|first23=A.|last24=Langhammer|first24=P.|last25=Laurance|first25=W. F.|last26=Lieberman|first26=S.|last27=Linkie|first27=M.|last28=Malhi|first28=Y.|last29=Maxwell|first29=S.|last30=Mendez|first30=M.|last31=Mittermeier|first31=R.|last32=Murray|first32=N. J.|last33=Possingham|first33=H.|last34=Radachowsky|first34=J.|last35=Saatchi|first35=S.|last36=Samper|first36=C.|last37=Silverman|first37=J.|last38=Shapiro|first38=A.|last39=Strassburg|first39=B.|last40=Stevens|first40=T.|last41=Stokes|first41=E.|last42=Taylor|first42=R.|last43=Tear|first43=T.|last44=Tizard|first44=R.|last45=Venter|first45=O.|last46=Visconti|first46=P.|last47=Wang|first47=S.|last48=Watson|first48=J. E. M.|display-authors=1|title=Anthropogenic modification of forests means only 40% of remaining forests have high ecosystem integrity – Supplementary Material|journal=Nature Communications|volume=11|issue=1|year=2020|page=5978|issn=2041-1723|doi=10.1038/s41467-020-19493-3|pmid=33293507|pmc=7723057|bibcode=2020NatCo..11.5978G |doi-access=free}}</ref>