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East Africa (GERMAN former German)

GERMAN, former German possessions in East Africa, acquired in 1885-1890, lying immediately to the S. of British East Africa, and having an estimated area of about 400,000 square miles, and estimated population of 7,659,898. They are bounded on the N. by a line running N. W. from the Umba river to the E. shore of the Victoria Nyanza, and continuing W. from this lake to the Kongo state. Lake Tanganyika forms the W. boundary, and thence a line to Lake Nyassa and the river Rovuma form the S. W. and S. boundaries. In September, 1894, it was agreed that the German-Portuguese e frontier should follow parallel 10° 40' S. lat. from the coast to its intersection with the river Rovuma, leaving Kionga and the mouth of the Rovuma to Germany, and Cape Delgado to Portugal. Several stations have been established by the German East Africa Company, and the chief ports are Dar-es-Salaam, Bagamoyo, Kiloa, and Tanga. The products of the country are coffee, tobacco, cotton, ivory, caoutchouc, and gum. The conquest of German East Africa, in the course of the World War (1914-1918), was completed by British forces in 1918, and by the terms of the Peace Treaty of 1919 the territory is divided between Great Britain and Belgium. The British part has been named "Tanganyika" territory. Government seat, Dar-es-Salaam.