Dar es Salaam, April 26 -- TANZANIA: TODAY Tanzania marks 61 anniversary of the Union that came about after the Tanganyika and Zanzibar merger.

The United Republic of Tanzania was formed on 26 April 1964. Mwalimu Julius Nyerere became the first President and Sheikh Abeid Amani Karume became the First VicePresident and Chairman of the Revolutionary Council.

Zanzibar, also a former British colony, had become an independent constitutional monarchy under Sultan Jam- shid bin Abdulla on 10 Decem- ber 1963. The African majority led a revolution against Arab control on 12 January 1964, establishing a new government led by Mzee Karume.

The formalisation of the Union was agreed in the Articles of the Union, which outlined 11 areas of cooperatio...