Area Guide
The island of Zanzibar is in the Indian Ocean, 50km off the Eastern coast of Africa, a few degrees South of the Equator. It joined Tanzania in 1964, known as Tanganyika at the time, and since then it has been a part of what is now known as the United Republic of Tanzania. However, it has its own Government, Parliament and President.
The largest town is Zanzibar, which includes the ancient part Stone Town. Among the many islands forming its archipelago, Unguja and Pemba are the most extended and inhabited. The language spoken here is Ki-Swhaili, a result of the contact between the Bantu and the Middle Eastern civilizations, declared UNESCO World Heritage in 1960. English is also spoken, along with French and Italian. The most common religion is Islam and a very small minority of people are either Christians or Indus.
The island of Zanzibar is an extraordinarily beautiful place from the naturalistic point of view and was, for centuries, a crossroads for international trade between Eastern Africa, the Indian Ocean, China and Europe. This has turned the island into a place where different cultures cohabit harmonically.
Getting here: Zanzibar International (ZNZ/HTZA).
Population: 800,000.
Capital: Stone Town. Population: 200,000
GPS coordinates: Latitude 5°55’55.38’’S - Longitude 39°21’37.71’’E
