Category: Zanzibar

Zanzibar is an archipelago situated in Indian Ocean and the islands are the semi-autonomous portion of Tanzania. The archipelago consists of two large islands and several small islands. The two large islands are Pemba and Unguja. Zanzibar City is the capital of Zanzibar. The neighboring territories and countries of the islands are Mayotte, Comoros, Mauritius, Reunion and Seychelles. The human inhabitation in Zanzibar was about 50,000 year back. The region was visited by Portuguese and Arabs during earlier times. Portuguese gained the control of the islands for about 200 years. Omanis was controlling the island during 18th as well as 19th centuries. In 1890, the islands became the protectorate of British. Zanzibar got independence from the British in the year 1963.

Zanzibar is the semi-autonomous portion of Tanzania. The islands have their own government which is known as Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar. The government consists of House of Representatives and Revolutionary Council. The islands have their own president and vice presidents. The economy of Zanzibar is mainly dependent on clove production. The economy main depends on the industries such as raffia, spices and tourism. Spices mainly produced are cloves, cinnamon, pepper and nutmeg. Because of this, the islands are known as Spice Islands and another name of the islands is Tanzania’s Mafia Island.

The total population of the islands is 1.3 million. Zanzibar has a mixture of ethnic population. The majority of the population in Zanzibar consists of Africans of Bantu origins. Asians are the minority which is originally from Arab countries and India. Large numbers of people are identified as Shirazi. About 95% of the people are following Islam and the remaining people are following Christianity as their religion. A small number of people are following Baha’i faith. Swahili is the language spoken in Zanzibar and it is believed that Zanzibar people are speaking the purest form of Swahili as the islands are considered as the birthplace of Swahili. English is also spoken by several people.

Zanzibar is blessed with several tourist attractions such as water sports, beaches, safaris and historical sites. Stone town is situated in the old town of Zanzibar which has historical buildings and narrow winding streets. The safaris of this region includes visiting Palace museum, old fort, Livingstone’s House, Old harbor, bazaars, former market for slaves and house of wonders. Zanzibar is famous for spices such as clove, cardamom, cinnamon etc. So you can go for a tour to agriculture and spice plantations. Jozani Forest is a place of biodiversity where you can find endangered Red Colobus monkey of Zanzibar along with 40 species of birds, different species of butterflies and various animal species.

Prison Island is a place where you can enjoy beaches which are perfect for snorkeling, sunbathing and swimming. Kizimkazi fishing village is a favorite sightseeing destination of tourists where you can find many schools of Dolphins, mosques of 12th century and 17th century tombs. The highlight of this village tour is that you can swim along with the dolphins. Nungwi is another fishing village with numerous beaches perfect for swimming, sunbathing and scuba diving and sailing.