Women standing on their buckets during an auction at the city's Magogoni fish market, Dar es Salaam. © Mark Henley (Panos)
Tanzania has been stable and peaceful since independence in 1961. Despite having one of the greatest ranges of ethnic and religious diversity in the world (some 120 tribes), it maintains a tradition of strong toleration.
Although Tanzania has undergone significant economic and structural reform, it still has a long way to go in reducing poverty. It is heavily aid dependent (approximately 40% of the national budget is funded through aid) and more than a third of its people live below the national poverty line.