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The history of surveys and mapping in Tanzania has been influenced by two European cultures through its colonization; first by the German and then by the British. During the German Administration, surveys and mapping activities were carried out by the Department of Surveys and Agriculture from 1893 to 1914. When the British took over the mandate for the territory after World War I, the also used the “old” German maps until when they when they started the surveys to produce other topographic maps from 1946. In 1961, the Surveys and Mapping Division was created. The division was charged with the surveys and mapping activities in Tanzania. Today there are still topographic maps from the Surveys and Mapping Division, but there are also maps and 3D Terrain Modeling from GIS and Remote Sensing made by different other organizations. In 2013 Tanzania will record its 120th year since surveys and mapping officially started. A number development has been achieved since then. The purpose of this paper is, therefore, to narrate the evolution of surveys and mapping activities in Tanzania.
