The current population of the country is around 34 million people, made up of many ethnic groups. There are over 100 tribal groups most of them belonging to the Bantu classification of agricultural peoples. A few tribes belong to the cattle keeping Nilotic and mixed farming Cushitic groups. There is also a very small section of the population claiming Khoisan descent. Over the years, people of Arab, Indian and European origins have also settled in the country, but these are a minority.

Around half the population are Christians, with a considerable population of Moslems concentrated around the coast and Zanzibar. A small number of the population still follows traditional beliefs.

Swahili is the national language and is spoken by almost everyone after their tribal mother tongue. English is second to Swahili and is mainly the language of Commerce, tourism and higher education. Some of the service providers in hotels, banks and restaurants speak other foreign languages such as French, German and Italian.

From the end of the 19th century, the mainland (Tanganyika) was a colony of Germany and the Islands of Zanzibar a British Protectorate. After World War I, the mainland was mandated to the British as a trusteeship under the League of Nations, and later United Nations Organization. Tanganyika gained independence in 1961 under President Julius (Mwalimu) Nyerere. In 1964 Tanganyika and Zanzibar united to become Tanzania.

The commercial capital of Tanzania is Dar es Salaam at the coast and the administrative capital is Dodoma in the central region. Tanzania is a peaceful and stable country with a democratically elected government. The country held its fourth multiparty general election in October 2010.