Zanzibar
An aerial view of part of Chumbe Island, Zanzibar. Chumbe Island Coral Park is a private nature reserve that includes a coral reef sanctuary and a forest reserve. The reef has been protected since 1992.
Island region of Tanzania, 40 km/25 mi from the mainland, separated by the Zanzibar Channel; area 1,658 sq km/640 sq mi (80 km/50 mi long); population (2002 est) 622,500. Fishing is an important industry and cloves, tobacco, and copra are produced. The main town is Zanzibar.
History
The island was settled by Arab traders in the 7th century. It was occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century, became a sultanate in the 17th century, and was under British protection 1890–1963. Until well into the 19th century the island was a major centre for the slave trade. Together with the island of Pemba, some nearby islets, and a strip of mainland territory, it became a republic in 1963. It merged with Tanganyika as Tanzania in 1964.
| The city of Zanzibar includes the former home of the missionary and explorer, David Livingstone, and it was from here in 1866 that he started his expedition to search for the source of the Nile. |
Zanzibar
| Port and town on the west side of Zanzibar island, formerly capital of the state of Zanzibar; population (1995 est) 184,000. It is the chief commercial centre for both Zanzibar and Pemba islands. The city has an airport and there are ferry boat and hydrofoil links to Dar es Salaam. Industries include cigarettes, clove oil, and tourism; agricultural products include cloves and copra. Much of the population, away from the harbour, is now housed in large concrete blocks of flats. |
| It is older than most East African towns, its period of greatest prosperity beginning when the ruler of Oman moved his court there in 1840, and has many fine Arab buildings. Famous sites include the Beit Al Ajaib palace of the former sultans, dating from 1833, and the house where Dr Livingstone once lived. |
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