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Tanzania lies at an altitude
of over 1,000ft, apart from a coastal strip varying in width from 10 to 40
miles.
Shortly after independence, Tanganyika and
Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule
came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the
country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular
opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the
ruling party won despite international observers' claims of voting
irregularities.
 The greater part of
the country is made up of plateau averaging 3,000 to 4,500ft in height.
Mountains are grouped in various section. The Pare and Usambara ranges are
in the northeast and the Livingstone Mountains in the southwest.
Kilimanjaro (19,340ft) in the north is the highest mountain in Africa. On
the borders are three large lakes; Victoria, the second-largest freshwater
lake in the world, Tanganyika, second only to Lake Baykal as the deepest
in the world; and Lake Malawi. Lakes within Tanzania include Natron,
Eyasi, Manyara and Rukwa.
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