Tanzania joins parts of southern Africa as playing host to some of the oldest archaeological settlements on earth. Its 2 million year old Paranthropus bones and the 3.6 million year old Laetoli footprints near Oduvai gorge have been pivotal to understanding the origins of man. The line prints, preserved in a 15 cm thick layer of volcanic ash belong to three ancient earth inhabitants and are thought to have been a family visiting a watering hole.
Tanzania's next set of inhabitants trace back 10 000 years to the Khoisan peoples, after which Cushitic and then Bantu settlers began to arrive. As the years passed, trade with Arabs and Persians can be seen in the regions language influences. Dutch, English, Spanish and French ships also made frequent use of Zanzibar's port.
Tanzania is set along the eastern coastline of Africa next to the Indian ocean, surrounded by Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Mozambique. This part of Africa provides endless offerings such as Mt. Kilimanjaro, Lake Victoria and the Selous Game Reserve (largest in Africa), to name a few.
The United Republic of Tanzania is named after the union between its Tanganyika and neighboring Zanzibar. After this, Dar es Salaam handed its capitol status to Dodomo however it remains the operative commercial hub.
Zanzibar is texturally known as the Spice Island, and its rich tapestry of culture encompasses the likes of the famous 200year old Swahili coastal trading post, Stone Town, now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This thriving little neighborhood with its endless winding alleyways and unique architectural attributes such as studded carved wooden doors truly appears untouched by time. The town is in itself symbol and monument to Zanzibar's oppression of slavery at the time of its construction.
Tanzania Scuba Diving
Zanzibar's coral reef structures around Unguja and Pemba rank among the top in the world. Visibility averages 20 - 60 m and the water is a tropical 27°c. There are exciting wall dives, night dives and drift dives. In deeper endless coral gardens larger fish such as barracuda, kingfish, tuna and wahoo swim around with Napoleonic wrasse, graceful manta rays and sharks.
Recommended sites in Zanzibar include Morogo Reef, Boribo Reef and Turtles Den from StoneTown, and Mnemba Island's reefs.
The islands of Pemba, Mafia and Dar es Salaam are 'liveboard paradise'. Pemba's surrounding smaller islands each have picturesque coral reefs and drop-offs.
The Island of Masali's Fundu Lagoon is a turtle nesting area. Wreck dives are not in abundance however the Paraportopia steamship in the south is usually surrounded by swarms of fish.
Unguja is sometimes referred to as Zanzibar due to the fact that it falls under the same archipelago as Pemba.
Zanzibar's reefs are usually shallower than Pemba's. Unlike remote Masali, Stone Town harbour plays host to as many as 200 wrecks.
Mafia Island extremely remote due to its location but the reefs are worth the trip with green and Hawksbill turtles breeding at its protected marine reserve.
Morogo Reef's fish life may not be as decadent as Pemban reefs, but its breathtaking coral gardens and sites such as Turtles Den make up for it.
On the North Coast is Mnemba's Leven Banks, the advanced diver lair. The deep Pemba Channel with its powerful currents usher in tuna, trevally, king fish, barracudas, wrasses, big moray eels and large schools of reef fish. Its easternmost Big Wall site marks the start of the channel.
The Institute of Marine Sciences at the University of Dar Es Salaam has been monitoring activities with dolphins on the South Coast of Zanzibar at Kizimkazi due to a growing amount of local fisherman who have begun to take tourists out to swim with the dolphins.
The humpbacked and bottlenose dolphins appear to be flustered by the mounting boating activity and the institute is presently applying and Official Code of Conduct to assist in educating the locals and tourists.
Tanzania's top reef dives include Mesali Island, the Wreck of the Schlammerstadt, Kinasi Pass Wall and Uvinje Gap(Southern wall), all of these being excellent scuba diving sites.
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