Tanzania has a varied eco-system and has preserved 25% of the country in 12 national parks, 16 game reserves, 2 marine parks, a number of marine reserves and 13 million hectares of forest reserves. Three of these areas have been declared UNESCO World Heritage sites. They are the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, Serengeti National Park and the Selous Game Reserve. Tanzania has abundant flora and fauna with over 430 species. It has 4 million wild animals and over 1000 bird species. There are over 33 million people in Tanzania (of these 825 000 live in Zanzibar) and is divided into 120 different ethnic tribes. About 95% of the population has Bantu background. The Masai tribe and some small groups are of the Nile-Hermitic background. Tanzania has a rich and varied culture with traditional dances, music, literature, painting and the famous Makonde carvings. Politeness and respect mark the traditional Tanzania society of which about 40% are Muslim, 45% Christian and the remainder animist and other religions. Kiswahili and English are the official languages. For more information on Tanzania visit : www.lonelyplanet.com/worldguide/tanzania/