Tanganyika (territory)
Tanganyika was a territory in Africa, administered by Great Britain from 1916 to 1961. The territory was roughly equivalent to the part of modern-day Tanzania, which is on the African continent, without the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, but with the Island of Mafia.
Before 1916, it was part of German East Africa. German East Africa included other territories as well. The territory was named after Lake Tanganyika, on its eastern border. In 1961, Tanzania became independent, with the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, as well.
Tanganyika was placed under a League of Nations mandate after World War I and later became a United Nations trust territory under British administration. The mandate required Britain to administer the region for the benefit of its inhabitants and to prepare it for eventual self-rule.
Economically, Tanganyika was largely agricultural, with exports such as sisal, coffee, and cotton playing a major role. The British also invested in infrastructure, including railways and ports, to facilitate trade. Despite these developments, much of the indigenous population worked under challenging conditions, and political participation was limited until the mid-20th century.
Nationalist movements began to grow after World War II, led primarily by the Tanganyika African National Union (TANU) under Julius Nyerere. TANU pushed for independence through peaceful political campaigns rather than armed struggle. Their efforts gained momentum in the 1950s, leading Britain to gradually introduce reforms toward self-government.
On 9 December 1961, Tanganyika achieved independence, becoming the first East African territory to do so under majority African leadership. Julius Nyerere became the country’s first prime minister and later its first president. In 1964, Tanganyika united with the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba to form the United Republic of Tanzania, marking the birth of the modern nation.
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