Cre8tive Play: 2020 Travel the World

I started a Travel the World Series last year. (It should be noted that I did a similar thing in 2018, only it was the 50 states.) For 50 weeks in 2019, I visited a different country (virtually) and shared facts about that country. I then selected one tidbit of information about that week's country as inspiration for a card. Fifty weeks; fifty countries... BUT there are 195 countries in the world so that was just a little over 25% of them. Of course I couldn't stop, so this year I'm continuing with fifty more countries, one per week.

This week's country is...

Tanzania

Tanzania is bordered by the Indian Ocean to the East, Kenya, and Uganda to the North, Burundi, and Rwanda to the north-west, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Zambia to the south-west, and Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique to the south.

In total area comparison, Tanzania is just a little bit more than twice the size of California.

Tanzania has an island called the Mafia. The other two major islands are Zanzibar and Pemba.

Zanzibar, Tanzania is home to the place where the shortest war in the history was fought. The war was fought between the British forces and Khalid bin Barghash. The war lasted between 38 and 45 minutes and the British succeeded.

Dar es Salaam, a city in eastern Tanzania, is the largest city in the country. It’s also the largest Swahili-speaking city in the world.

Tanzania may have untold geographical riches but remains submerged in poverty. In fact it is one of the poorest countries in the world.

Despite being surrounded by three of the largest lakes of the world, water scarcity has turned into a nightmare for rural areas. As of 2009, nearly one-third of the country had no access to clean drinking water.

Only about 7% of the rural regions are blessed with electricity. Then again, only 24% of Tanzania’s urban centers have actual electricity. Droughts are often the cause, as hydroelectricity relies on water. Blackouts are also pretty frequent.

Tanzania is made up of at least 120 tribes, each significant in their own way. Each of them is culturally distinguished by their unique masks, hand-woven baskets, batiks, poetry, items carved out of ebony or rosewood, etc.

Over 120 languages are spoken in Tanzania, which is more languages than in any East African country.

The country is largely dependent on agriculture for employment, accounting for about half of the employed workforce.

Tanzania exports gold, coffee, cotton and cashew nuts.

Tourism is an increasingly promising sector, and a number of new hotels and resorts have been built in recent years.

Tanzania's Mount Kilimanjaro is the tallest mountain in Africa. Geographically speaking, it is a free-standing mountain, which means it's not a part of any mountain range.

Mount Kilimanjaro is a world in itself, with a staggering five different types of climatic zones, from hot tropical forests to arid snowcapped peaks.

Kyle Maynard, who has no legs and no arms, became an inspiration for millions when in 2012 he crawled up to the highest peak of Mount Kilimanjaro without any prosthetics or help.

The beaches of Zanzibar are infamous for a reason. Featuring white sand, blue waters, and swaying palms, they’re regarded as some of the most beautiful beaches in the world.

Tanzania's Lake Tanganyika is the Second Largest Lake in the World.

The Coconut Crab found on Chumbe Island of Zanzibar (the semi-autonomous region of Tanzania) is the largest crab in the world.

Tanzania is home to the Ngorongoro Crater, the world’s largest caldera, or volcanic depression.

Being a former European colony, Tanzanians have adopted football and rugby as their favorite sports.

Tanzanians love hip hop music.

Football is the most popular sport in the country. Other popular sports include netball, boxing, volleyball, athletics, and rugby.

One of the most spectacular waterfalls in Tanzania is Kalambo Falls. Comprising part of the Kalambo River, the water drops 772 feet in a single, uninterrupted drop, making them one of the continent’s tallest uninterrupted falls.

Nearly 30% of Tanzania is national parks.

Tanzania is not only home to the Big 5 Cats (Lions, Cheetahs, Tigers, Leopards, Tigers) but also home to the Big 5 herbivores (Elephants, Hippos, Giraffes, Buffalos, Rhinos).

Ruaha National Park, the largest national park in Tanzania, is home to its largest elephant population.

Tanzania's Tarangire National Park is home to unique tree-climbing lions.

Tanzania has a weird solution for raiding elephants that stray into farmlands – “Throw condoms filled with chili powder at them”, and it totally works. Looking at the brighter side, earlier they used to throw spears.

The Amani Nature Reserve in eastern Tanzania is the only place on the entire planet where African Violets really grow in the wild.

Tanzanians prefer drinking tea in the morning as a breakfast beverage and coffee in the evening.

The use of left hand to greet someone is considered impolite and rude in Tanzania.

I decided to let this Tanzania fact be the inspiration for this week's card... Tanzania grows coffee, tea, sisal and cotton; they also rear cattle.