Tanzania has a rich geography comprised of fascinating glacial mountains, scenic lakes, scintillating rivers and astonishing rift valley features.
Tanzania is mountainous and densely forested in the northeast, where Mount Kilimanjaro raises high above the ground. Three of Africa’s Great Lakes are partly within Tanzania with Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest lakelying in the north, Lake Tanganyika, the continent’s deepest lake, known for its unique species of fish in the west while Lake Nyasa (L. Malawi) lies in the south west. Central Tanzania is a large plateau, with plains and arable land. The eastern shore is hot and humid, with the Zanzibar Archipelago just offshore.
Tanzania is the only country that has both arms of the great East African rift valley passing through it which can be viewed from space. The Ngorongoro crater which is one of the wonders of Africa and shelters multitudes of wildlife is regarded as the world’s largest un broken caldera with 12 miles (19 km) in diameter and covering an area of 102 square miles (264 sq km).
The is caldera 600 meters deep and hosts the most unique ecosystem on Earth, with 20,000 large grazing mammals and the largest concentration of predators on Earth playing a key role in the maintenance of the ecological balance.
The Kalambo water falls in the southwestern region of Rukwa are the second highest in Africa and are located near the southern tip of Lake Tanganyika.
It is important to note that Tanzania is home to Africa’s highest and lowest points: Mount Kilimanjaro, at 5,892 meters (19,331 ft) above sea level, and the floor of Lake Tanganyika, at 352 meters (1,155 ft) below sea level, respectively.