Chinese President Hu Jintao arrived in the Tanzanian capital of Dares Salaam on Saturday (local time) for a state visit to the eastern African country. The following are some facts and figures about his visit.

-- The United Republic of Tanzania was founded on April 26, 1964, when Tanganyika and Zanzibar, previously separate countries, merged. The day Tanzania was founded became the official date for the forging of China-Tanzania ties.

-- China established diplomatic ties with Tanganyika in 1961 and Zanzibar in 1963.

-- China was among the first few countries to recognize the independence of Tanganyika and Tanzania was among the African countries that made efforts to help China return to the United Nations in 1972.

-- The 1,860-kilometer Tanzania-Zambia Railway, also known as the TAZARA, was one of the biggest Chinese assistance projects in Africa.

Chinese President Hu Jintao (L, front) is greeted by Tanzanian President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete upon his arrival at the airport in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, Feb. 14, 2009. Hu arrived here on Saturday night for a state visit to Tanzania.
-- Tanzania's economy relies heavily on agriculture, which accounts for almost half of the GDP.

-- Two-way trade between China and Tanzania in the first 10 months of 2008 reached 889.87 million U.S. dollars, according to official figures, The bilateral trade volume was only 93.44 million dollars in 2001.

-- Tanzania is the fourth leg of President Hu's five-nation trip, that will also take him to Mauritius. Earlier he visited Saudi Arabia, Mali and Senegal.

-- Covering a total area of more than 945,000 square km, Tanzania has a population of about 37 million.

Source:Xinhua