mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim
Christian 80%, indigenous beliefs 20%
Languages
Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety of sources including Arabic and English; it has become the lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of most people is one of the local languages
Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Exports
manufactures 75% (clothing, footwear, road vehicles), wool and mohair, food and live animals (2000)
External Debt
$729,900,000 US
Exchange Rate
maloti (LSL) per US dollar - 7.75 (2008 est.), 7.25 (2007), 6.85 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and Mozambique
Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Area
947,300 km sq
30,355 km sq
Coastline
1,424 km
0 km
Climate
varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands
temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
