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84-514: In April of the same year, the company leased the coastal strip opposite Zanzibar from Sultan Khalifa bin Said for 50 years. Its attempt to take over the administration led to a general revolt along the coast of what is now Tanzania. The company could hold Dar es Salaam and Bagamoyo only with the help of the German navy. In 1889 it had to request the assistance of the German government to put down

168-864: A constitutional monarchy within the Commonwealth under the Sultan. However, just a month later, on 12 January 1964 Sultan Jamshid bin Abdullah was deposed during the Zanzibar Revolution . The Sultan fled into exile, and the Sultanate was replaced by the People's Republic of Zanzibar , a socialist government led by the Afro-Shirazi Party (ASP). Over 20,000 people were killed – mostly Arabs and Indians – and many of them escaped

252-534: A Bantu language, the Swahili language as a consequence today includes some borrowed elements, particularly loanwords from Arabic , though this was mostly a 19th-century phenomenon with the growth of Omani hegemony. Many foreign traders from Africa and Asia married into wealthy patrician families on Zanzibar. Asian men in particular, who resided on the coast for up to six months because of the prevailing monsoon wind patterns, married East African women. Since almost all

336-533: A German mother. With the death of his father, the mother returned to Germany (Silesia), and entered Tom in an academy for young Prussian male aristocrats. Since Europe was quiet and offered no military advancement, he finally joined Wissmann's Kaiserliche Schutztruppe (called the Wissmann Truppe ) and liked seeing himself as a hero. By 1890, Tom von Prince was involved in German East Africa as

420-775: A fully autonomous state. Zanzibar has a government of national unity, with the president of Zanzibar being Hussein Ali Mwinyi , since 1 November 2020. There are many political parties in Zanzibar, but the most popular parties are the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and the Civic United Front (CUF). Since the early 1990s, the politics of the archipelago have been marked by repeated clashes between these two parties. Contested elections in October 2000 led to

504-400: A land company within the German territory. During World War I, Britain eventually occupied German East Africa. Both its military and that of Germany recruited and impressed thousands of Africans to serve as porters and workers supporting soldiers during the warfare on the continent. Each side destroyed countless African villages as the conflicts were waged across the colonies. The flag of

588-644: A lieutenant attempting to control 'the Street of Caravans' under control of the Wissmann Truppe . Since the Hehe , under Mquawa , had only attacked and harassed the Germans, leading to the loss of Commander Emil von Zelewski and many of his men, Tom Prince was sent far inland to Lake Nyassa, with a civilian representative of the Antislavery Committee, Wynecken. Here he met Wissmann, who lent him Bauer,

672-477: A massacre on 27 January 2001 when, according to Human Rights Watch , the army and police shot into crowds of protestors, killing at least 35 and wounding more than 600. Those forces, accompanied by ruling party officials and militias, also went on a house-to-house rampage, indiscriminately arresting, beating, and sexually abusing residents. Approximately 2,000 temporarily fled to Kenya. Violence erupted again after another contested election on 31 October 2005, with

756-456: A positive to this underdeveloped area to help it grow. Similar to Soden, Eduard von Liebert also helped develop East Africa's infrastructure . Under the command of Liebert, East Africa was able to develop hospitals, social facilities, railroads, and more. The railroads, however, were arguably the most important of these. East Africa was able to produce a large surplus of agricultural products, and now these goods could be shipped to markets. At

840-471: A possession of Portugal for almost two centuries. It initially became part of the Portuguese province of Arabia and Ethiopia and was administered by a governor-general. Around 1571, Zanzibar became part of the western division of the Portuguese empire and was administered from Mozambique . It appears, however, that the Portuguese did not closely administer Zanzibar. The first English ship to visit Unguja,

924-401: A product of colonization , nor become colonially organized territories. Territories furthermore do not need to have been militarily conquered and occupied to come under colonial rule and to be considered de facto colonies, instead neocolonial exploitation of dependency or imperialist use of power to intervene to force policy, might make a territory be considered a colony, which broadens

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1008-460: A settled agricultural and fishing community from the 6th century at the latest. The considerable amount of daub found indicates timber buildings, and shell beads, bead grinders, and iron slag have been found at the site. There is evidence of limited engagement in long-distance trade: a small amount of imported pottery has been found, less than 1% of total pottery finds, mostly from the Gulf and dated to

1092-493: A settlement became known as its metropolis ("mother-city"). Since early-modern times, historians, administrators, and political scientists have generally used the term "colony" to refer mainly to the many different overseas territories of particularly European states between the 15th and 20th centuries CE , with colonialism and decolonization as corresponding phenomena. While colonies often developed from trading outposts or territorial claims , such areas do not need to be

1176-552: A total blockade of Zanzibar was imminent, and Barghash reluctantly signed the Anglo-Zanzibari treaty which abolished the slave trade in the sultan's territories, closed all slave markets and protected liberated slaves. The relationship between Britain and the German Empire , at that time the nearest relevant colonial power, was formalized by the 1890 Heligoland–Zanzibar Treaty , in which Germany agreed to "recognize

1260-552: A varying degree dominated by remaining colonial settler societies or neocolonialism . The term colony originates from the ancient Roman colonia , a type of Roman settlement. Derived from colonus (farmer, cultivator, planter, or settler), it carries with it the sense of 'farm' and 'landed estate'. Furthermore, the term was used to refer to the older Greek apoikia ( Ancient Greek : ἀποικία , lit.   'home away from home'), which were overseas settlements by ancient Greek city-states . The city that founded such

1344-801: Is also an inter-religious body called the Joint Committee of Religious Leaders for Peace (in Swahili Juhudi za Viongozi wa Dini kuimarisha Amani ) with representatives from Muslim institutions such as the Islamic law ( Kadhi courts), religious property (the Wakf and Trust commission), education (the Muslim academy) and the Mufti ' s office as well as representatives from the Roman Catholic,

1428-513: Is in turn from Persian zangbâr ( زنگبار [zæŋbɒːɾ] ), a compound of Zang ( زنگ [zæŋ] , "black") + bâr ( بار [bɒːɾ] , "coast"), cf. the Sea of Zanj . The name is one of several toponyms sharing similar etymologies , ultimately meaning "land of the blacks" or similar meanings, in reference to the dark skin of the inhabitants. The presence of microliths suggests that Zanzibar has been home to humans for at least 20,000 years, which

1512-589: Is neglected by most historians. Hermann von Wissmann was born on September 4, 1853, in Frankfurt, Germany. He joined the Army, and after just four years, he became a lieutenant . Wissmann was later involved in a duel for which he was sentenced to jail, but this was not all a negative, because he met an African explorer with whom he traveled to Africa. While in Africa with the explorer, Wissmann became associated with

1596-519: Is not as highly recognized as other people involved in the German East Africa Company, but he did bring an important item to East Africa—schooling. Soden was a governor of German East Africa, and in 1892, he established the first school. Soden felt that a school for boys, free of religious influences, would greatly help the German presence in Africa. Instead of forcing the native people to work or taking over their land, Soden brought

1680-688: Is the de facto national and official language of Tanzania. Many local residents also speak Arabic , English , Italian and French . The dialect of Swahili spoken in Zanzibar is called Kiunguja . Kiunguja, which has a high percentage of Arabic loanwords, enjoys the status of Standard Swahili not in Tanzania only but also in other countries, where Swahili is spoken. Three distinct varieties of Arabic are in use in Zanzibar: Standard Arabic, Omani Arabic and Hadrami Arabic . Both vernacular varieties are falling out of use, although

1764-564: The Edward Bonaventure in 1591, found that there was no Portuguese fort or garrison. The extent of their occupation was a trade depot where produce was bought and collected for shipment to Mozambique. "In other respects, the affairs of the island were managed by the local 'king', the predecessor of the Mwinyi Mkuu of Dunga." This hands-off approach ended when Portugal established a fort on Pemba Island around 1635 in response to

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1848-712: The Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar . It is made up of the Revolutionary Council and House of Representatives . The House of Representatives has a similar composition to the National Assembly of Tanzania . Fifty members are elected directly from constituencies to serve five-year terms; 10 members are appointed by the President of Zanzibar ; 15 special seats are for women members of political parties that have representation in

1932-632: The "Spice Islands". Tourism in Zanzibar is a more recent activity, driven by government promotion that caused an increase from 19,000 tourists in 1985, to 376,000 in 2016. The islands are accessible via 5 ports and the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport , which can serve up to 1.5 million passengers per year. Zanzibar's marine ecosystem is an important part of the economy for fishing and algaculture and contains important marine ecosystems that act as fish nurseries for Indian Ocean fish populations. Moreover,

2016-433: The 13th century, houses were built with stone, and bonded with mud, and the 14th century saw the use of lime to bond stone. Only the wealthier patricians would have had stone- and lime-built houses, and the strength of the materials allowed for flat roofs. By contrast, the majority of the population lived in single-story thatched houses similar to those of the 11th and 12th centuries. According to John Middleton and Mark Horton,

2100-1071: The 1960s, and a wide range of Pentecostal-Charismatic Christian churches such as the Tanzania Assemblies of God, the Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania, the Evangelical Assemblies of God, the Pentecostal Church of Tanzania, the Victory Church and the Pentecostal Evangelistic Fellowship of Africa. Pentecostal-Charismatic churches have been present and growing in Zanzibar since the 1980s in relation to economic liberalization and increased labour migration from mainland Tanzania in connection to Zanzibar's expanding tourist sector. There are also Seventh Day Adventist and Baptist churches. Since 2005, there

2184-465: The 5th to 8th century. The similarity to contemporary sites such as Mkokotoni and Dar es Salaam indicates a unified group of communities that developed into the first center of coastal maritime culture. The coastal towns appear to have been engaged in Indian Ocean and inland African trade at this early period. Trade rapidly increased in importance and quantity beginning in the mid-8th century and by

2268-622: The Anglican and the Lutheran church. The places of worship in the city are predominantly Muslim mosques. There are also Christian churches and temples: Roman Catholic Diocese of Zanzibar ( Catholic Church ), Anglican Church of Tanzania ( Anglican Communion ), Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania ( Lutheran World Federation ), Baptist Convention of Tanzania ( Baptist World Alliance ), Assemblies of God . As an autonomous part of Tanzania , Zanzibar has its own government, known as

2352-626: The Asian traders were Muslims, their children inherited their paternal ethnic identity, though East African matrilineal traditions remained key. Vasco da Gama 's visit in 1498 marked the beginning of European influence. In 1503 or 1504, Zanzibar became part of the Portuguese Empire when Captain Rui Lourenço Ravasco Marques came ashore and received tribute from the sultan in exchange for peace. Zanzibar remained

2436-590: The British protectorate over… the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba". In 1890, Zanzibar became a protectorate (not a colony) of Britain. This status meant it remained under the sovereignty of the Sultan of Zanzibar . Prime Minister Salisbury explained the British position: From 1890 to 1913, traditional viziers were in charge; they were supervised by advisers appointed by the Colonial Office. In 1913, this

2520-474: The CUF claiming that its rightful victory had been stolen from it. Nine people were killed. Colony A colony is a territory subject to a form of foreign rule. Though dominated by the foreign colonizers, the rule remains separate to the original country of the colonizers, the metropolitan state (or "mother country"), which together have often been organized as colonial empires , particularly with

2604-601: The German East Africa Company featured a stylised representation of the constellation of the Southern Cross . One of the reasons for the formation of the German East Africa Company was politics occurring inside Germany. According to the Kolonialpolitischer Führer , German Imperialism was conceived in the 1850s when the growth of the economy due to industrialization caused German businessmen to look beyond Germany for business prospects. Later in

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2688-435: The German East Africa Company, and he obtained high recognition from the leaders in that region. Eventually, an uprising of the indigenous people against the German occupation occurred, and Wissmann, with his extensive background in the military, became essential to fight the rebellion. He was extremely successful in his military operations, and in a little time, he was able to silence the rebels and revive German control. After

2772-563: The House of Representatives; six members serve ex officio , including all regional commissioners and the attorney general. Five of these 81 members are then elected to represent Zanzibar in the National Assembly. Zanzibar spans 5 of the 31 regions of Tanzania . Unguja has three administrative regions: Zanzibar Central/South , Zanzibar North and Zanzibar Urban/West . Pemba has two: Pemba North and Pemba South . Concerning

2856-493: The Moresby Line, from Cape Delgado in Africa to Diu Head on the coast of India. Said lost the revenue he would have received as duty on all slaves sold, so to make up for this shortfall he encouraged the development of the slave trade in Zanzibar itself. Said came under increasing pressure from the British to abolish slavery entirely. In 1842, Britain told Said it wished to abolish the slave trade to Arabia, Oman, Persia, and

2940-525: The Omani one is spoken by a larger group of people (probably, several hundreds). In parallel to this, Standard Arabic , traditionally associated with the Quran and Islam , is very popular not only among ethnic Arabs but also among Muslims of various descent who inhabit Zanzibar. Nevertheless, Standard Arabic is mastered by very few people. This can be attributed to the aggressive policy of Swahilisation . Despite

3024-679: The Red Sea. Ships from the Royal Navy were employed to enforce the anti-slavery treaties by capturing any dhows carrying slaves, but with only four ships patrolling a huge area of sea, the British navy found it hard to enforce the treaties as ships from France, Spain, Portugal, and America continued to carry slaves. In 1856, Sultan Majid consolidated his power around the African Great Lakes slave trade. But in 1873, Sir John Kirk informed his successor, Sultan Barghash , that

3108-644: The Sultan of Mombasa 's slaughter of Portuguese residents several years earlier. Portugal had long considered Pemba to be a troublesome launching point for rebellions in Mombasa against Portuguese rule. The precise origins of the sultans of Unguja are uncertain. However, their capital at Unguja Ukuu is believed to have been an extensive town. Possibly constructed by locals, it was composed mainly of perishable materials. The Portuguese arrived in East Africa in 1498, where they found several independent towns on

3192-527: The Sultan of Oman and Majid to become the first Sultan of Zanzibar ; the brothers quarrelled about the will, which was eventually upheld by Charles Canning, 1st Earl Canning , Great Britain's Viceroy and Governor-General of India . Until around 1890, the sultans of Zanzibar controlled a substantial portion of the Swahili coast known as Zanj , which included Mombasa and Dar es Salaam . Beginning in 1886, Great Britain and Germany agreed to allocate parts of

3276-539: The Wissmann's safari leader. The three, Prince, Wynecken, and Bauer, were to encircle the Hehe under Mqwawa, with the help of less than 20 Atongas and a few hundred Sangu, enemy of the Hehe. While it is important to go into detail about the more significant and accomplished people involved in the company, it is also necessary to realize that a handful of people could not run the company on their own. Many governors—other than

3360-564: The Zanzibar sultanate for their own empires. In October 1886, a British-German border commission established the Zanj as a 10 nmi-wide (19 km) strip along most of the African Great Lakes region's coast, an area stretching from Cape Delgado (now in Mozambique ) to Kipini (now in Kenya ), including Mombasa and Dar es Salaam. Over the next few years most all of the mainland territory

3444-573: The ancestors of the Bantu Hadimu and Tumbatu , who began arriving from the African Great Lakes mainland around AD 1000. They belonged to various mainland ethnic groups and on Zanzibar, generally lived in small villages. They did not coalesce to form larger political units. During Zanzibar's brief period of independence in the early 1960s, the major political cleavage was between the Shirazi (Zanzibar Africans), who made up approximately 56% of

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3528-468: The architectural style of these stone houses have no Arab or Persian elements, and should be viewed as an entirely indigenous development of local vernacular architecture. While much of Zanzibar Town's architecture was rebuilt during Omani rule, nearby sites elucidate the general development of Swahili and Zanzibari architecture before the 15th century. From the 9th century, Swahili merchants on Zanzibar operated as brokers for long-distance traders from both

3612-492: The area's plant and animal life. Mining took place in all three countries the German East African Company occupied. “From 13,000 to 16,000 were engaged in railway construction, and 3,000 were in mining.” They were exporting many different types of goods, such as coffee, rubber, to Europe. In addition, they were building roads and railways by felling trees to connect the three countries where their company

3696-658: The bombardment stands as the shortest war in history. On 10 December 1963, the Protectorate that had existed over Zanzibar since 1890 was terminated by the United Kingdom. Rather, by the Zanzibar Act 1963 of the United Kingdom, the UK ended the Protectorate and made provision for full self-government in Zanzibar as an independent country within the Commonwealth. Upon the Protectorate being abolished, Zanzibar became

3780-409: The century, a newly unified Germany had to take a part in the exploration and expansion overseas if it were to be among the world's leading imperial powers. Being a large manufacturing country that both bought and sold goods, it had made sure its stake in resources was guarded. Gustav Schmoller , an economist , had a desire for a large naval fleet which was linked to this very idea of expanding

3864-473: The close of the 10th century, Zanzibar was one of the central Swahili trading towns. Excavations at nearby Pemba Island, but especially at Shanga in the Lamu Archipelago, provide the clearest picture of architectural development. Houses were originally built with timber (circa 1050) and later in mud with coral walls (circa 1150). The houses were continually rebuilt with more permanent materials. By

3948-623: The coast of the African mainland , and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island . The capital is Zanzibar City , located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town , is a World Heritage Site . Zanzibar's main industries are spices , raffia , and tourism . The main spices produced are clove , nutmeg , cinnamon , coconut , and black pepper . The Zanzibar Archipelago, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island , are sometimes referred to locally as

4032-427: The coast, with Muslim Arabic-speaking elites. While the Portuguese travellers describe them as "black", they made a clear distinction between the Muslim and non-Muslim populations. Their relations with these leaders were mostly hostile, but during the sixteenth century, they firmly established their power and ruled with the aid of tributary sultans. The Portuguese presence was relatively limited, leaving administration in

4116-463: The company, which made him a widely recognized explorer. For example, Peters convinced the indigenous peoples of East Africa to give Germany control of their land, allowing Germany to have a colony in East Africa. He was able to do this by impressing the natives by firing guns, wearing impressive clothing, and flying flags. After the Germans took control, Peters became the administrator of the region until his dismissal because of his brutal treatment of

4200-534: The concept, including indirect rule or puppet states (contrasted by more independent types of client states such as vassal states ). Subsequently, some historians have used the term informal colony to refer to a country under a de facto control of another state. Though the broadening of the concept is often contentious. The word "colony" comes from the Latin word colōnia , used for ancient Roman outposts and eventually for cities. This in turn derives from

4284-476: The country as a consequence of the revolution. In April 1964, the republic merged with mainland Tanganyika. This United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar was soon renamed, blending the two names, as the United Republic of Tanzania , within which Zanzibar remains an autonomous region. The 2022 census is the most recent census for which results have been reported. The total population of Zanzibar

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4368-539: The credit for founding the company and colony is given to a select number of people, none of it would be possible without the collective efforts of everyone in the company. Zanzibar Zanzibar is an insular semi-autonomous region which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania . It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean , 25–50 km (16–31 mi) off

4452-465: The development of modern imperialism and its colonialism . This coloniality and possibly colonial administrative separation, while often blurred, makes colonies neither annexed or integrated territories nor client states . Colonies contemporarily are identified and organized as not sufficiently self-governed dependent territories . Other past colonies have become either sufficiently incorporated and self-governed , or independent , with some to

4536-642: The diocese from 1892 to the present day. The bishop is Michael Hafidh. It is part of the Province of Tanzania, under the Archbishop of All Tanzania, based at Dodoma. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Zanzibar , with its headquarters at the St. Joseph's Cathedral in Stone Town, was established in 1980. An apostolic vicariate of Zanzibar had been established in 1906, from a much larger East African jurisdiction. This

4620-502: The empire. Twenty million people were estimated to have moved to Germany from other countries in the 1900s, and the colonies would be a good place to hold some of the population. The leaders of the country made an effort to show the German people how the industry and its workers prospered from German imperialism. The wealth that could be gained from Africa sparked interest from Germany. The African colonies were where natural resources and consumers could be found. Hunting wild animals

4704-503: The hands of the local leaders and power structures already present. This system lasted until 1631, when the Sultan of Mombasa massacred the Portuguese inhabitants. For the remainder of their rule, the Portuguese appointed European governors. The strangling of trade and diminished local power led the Swahili elites in Mombasa and Zanzibar to invite Omani aristocrats to assist them in driving the Europeans out. In 1698, Zanzibar came under

4788-698: The hands of traders from the Indian subcontinent , whom Said bin Sultan encouraged to settle on the islands. During his 14-year reign as sultan, Majid bin Said consolidated his power around the East African slave trade . Malindi in Zanzibar City was the Swahili Coast's main port for the slave trade with the Middle East. In the mid-19th century, as many as 50,000 slaves passed annually through

4872-434: The hinterland and Indian Ocean world. Persian, Indian, and Arab traders frequented Zanzibar to acquire East African goods like gold, ivory, and ambergris and then shipped them overseas to Asia. Similarly, caravan traders from the African Great Lakes and Zambezian Region came to the coast to trade for imported goods, especially Indian cloth. Before the Portuguese arrival, the southern towns of Unguja Ukuu and Kizimkazi and

4956-428: The independence and sovereignty of Zanzibar, Tanzania Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda said on 3 July 2008 that there was "nothing like the sovereignty of Zanzibar in the Union Government unless the Constitution is changed in future". Zanzibar House of Representatives members from both the ruling party, Chama Cha Mapinduzi , and the opposition party, Civic United Front , disagreed and stood firmly in recognizing Zanzibar as

5040-442: The influence of the Sultanate of Oman . There was a brief revolt against Omani rule in 1784. Local elites invited Omani merchant princes to settle in Zanzibar in the first half of the nineteenth century, preferring them to the Portuguese. Many locals today continue to emphasise that indigenous Zanzibaris had invited Seyyid Said , the first Busaidi sultan, to their island. Claiming a patron–client relationship with powerful families

5124-431: The land ecosystem is the home of the endemic Zanzibar red colobus , the Zanzibar servaline genet , and the extinct or rare Zanzibar leopard . Pressure from the tourist industry and fishing as well as larger threats such as sea level rise caused by climate change are creating increasing environmental concerns throughout the region. The word Zanzibar came from Arabic zanjibār ( زنجبار [zandʒibaːr] ), which

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5208-450: The late 20th century, but it was fully restored in 2016, at a cost of one million Euros , with a world heritage visitor centre. The restoration was supported by the Tanzanian and Zanzibari governments, and overseen by the diocese in partnership with the World Monuments Fund . The restoration of the spire, clock, and historic Willis organ are still outstanding. Historically the diocese included mainland locations in Tanganyika . In 1963, it

5292-436: The natives. He was known by the natives as " mkono wa damu ", meaning "the man with blood on his hands". He was put on trial and found guilty, although the decision was criticized by the German press. His poor treatment of the indigenous people earned him an end to his otherwise successful career, and because of the extreme negative response, he lost most of his prestige; many streets named after him have since been renamed, and he

5376-474: The northern town of Tumbatu were the dominant centres of exchange. Zanzibar was just one of the many autonomous city-states that dotted the East African coast. These towns grew in wealth as the Swahili people served as intermediaries and facilitators to merchants and traders. This interaction between Central African and Indian Ocean cultures contributed in part to the evolution of the Swahili culture , which developed an Arabic-script literary tradition. Although

5460-400: The ones listed above—allowed it to run smoothly throughout the German occupation: Friedrich von Schele , Gustav Adolf von Götzen , Albrecht von Rechenberg , and Heinrich Schnee . As well as governors, many other people helped operate the colony: soldiers who fought to allow Germany to have a colony in Africa, and all of the other people who worked there on a day-to-day basis. Although most of

5544-418: The political impetus for this was the 19th century movement for the abolition of the slave trade . Zanzibar was the centre of the East African slave trade . In 1822, Captain Moresby, the British consul in Muscat pressed Sultan Said to end the slave trade by signing a treaty. This Moresby Treaty was the first of a series of anti-slavery treaties with Britain. It prohibited slave transport south and east of

5628-421: The population, and the Zanzibar Arabs—the bulk of whom arrived from Oman in the 1800s—made up approximately 17%. Today, Zanzibar is inhabited mostly by ethnic Swahili . There are also a number of Arabs , as well as some ethnic Persian , Somalis , and Indian people. Zanzibaris speak Swahili (Kiswahili), a Bantu language that is extensively spoken in the African Great Lakes region. Swahili

5712-512: The port. Many were captives of Tippu Tip , a notorious Arab/Swahili slave trader and ivory merchant. Tip led huge expeditions, some 4,000 strong, into the African hinterland where chiefs sold him their villagers at low prices. These Tip used to carry ivory back to Zanzibar, then sold them in the slave market for large profits. In time, Tip became one of the wealthiest men in Zanzibar, the owner of multiple plantations and 10,000 slaves. One of Majid's brothers, Barghash bin Said , succeeded him and

5796-516: The prestige and importance the Arabic language once enjoyed, today it is no longer the dominant spoken language. Zanzibar's population is almost entirely Muslim, with a small Christian minority of around 22 000. Other religious groups include Hindus , Jains and Sikhs . The Anglican Diocese of Zanzibar was founded in 1892. The first Bishop of Zanzibar was Charles Smythies , who was translated from his former post as Bishop of Nyasaland . Christ Church Cathedral had fallen into poor condition by

5880-429: The rebellion, Wissmann went on to colonize the rest of the German colony until he returned to Germany. Contrary to Carl Peters, Wissmann reportedly treated the indigenous with respect: he insisted on fairness, respect for customs, and use of Swahili (the native language). Some consider him “Germany’s Greatest African”, and because of that, several monuments were erected to commemorate his accomplishments. Julius von Soden

5964-447: The rebellion. In 1891, after it became apparent that the company could not handle its dominions, it sold out to the German government, which began to rule German East Africa directly. The company initially continued to operate its many activities, including mines, plantations, railways, banking, minting, etc., before it consented to relinquish them to the German colonial administration and other organizations. It subsequently operated as

6048-428: The time, railroads were necessary to industrial growth, so with the German contributions, the countries of East Africa had a head start industrialising over nearby regions. This large project took many years to finish; it was completed in 1914—29 years after the beginning of the German colonization. Tom von Prince was born on January 9, 1866, to the British police governor of the British island colony of Mauritius and

6132-451: The word colōnus , which referred to a Roman tenant farmer . Settlements that began as Roman coloniae include cities from Cologne (which retains this history in its name) to Belgrade to York . A telltale sign of a settlement within the Roman sphere of influence once being a Roman colony is a city centre with a grid pattern. The Special Committee on Decolonization maintains

6216-526: Was 1,889,773 people – with an annual growth rate of 3.8 percent. The population of Zanzibar City , which was the largest city, was 219,007. In 2002, around two-thirds of the people, 622,459, lived on Unguja (Zanzibar Island), with most settled in the densely populated west. Besides Zanzibar City, other towns on Unguja include Chaani , Mbweni , Mangapwani , Chwaka , and Nungwi . Outside of these towns, most people live in small villages and are engaged in farming or fishing. The population of Pemba Island

6300-481: Was 362,166. The largest town on the island was Chake-Chake , with a population of 19,283. The smaller towns are Wete and Mkoani . Mafia Island , the other major island of the Zanzibar Archipelago but administered by mainland Tanzania (Tanganyika), had a total population of 40,801. The people of Zanzibar are of diverse ethnic origins. The first permanent residents of Zanzibar seem to have been

6384-476: Was a popular sport at the turn of the century, and Africa had this to offer. Products available from Africa were important imports to Germany, and one view of the era was that the most important resource of Africa was the native people. At the end of the 19th century, the Eastern Arc Mountains became important areas of research. Reginald Moreau and Adolf Engler wrote important publications on

6468-508: Was a strategy used by many Swahili coast towns from at least the fifteenth century. In 1832 or 1840 (the date varies among sources), Said bin Sultan, Sultan of Muscat and Oman moved his capital from Muscat, Oman to Stone Town. After Said's death in June 1856, two of his sons, Thuwaini bin Said and Majid bin Said , struggled over the succession . Said's will divided his dominions into two separate principalities , with Thuwaini to become

6552-665: Was changed to direct rule through residents who were effectively governors. The death of the pro-British Sultan Hamad bin Thuwaini on 25 August 1896 and the succession of Sultan Khalid bin Barghash , whom the British did not approve of, led to the Anglo-Zanzibar War . On the morning of 27 August 1896, ships of the Royal Navy destroyed the Beit al Hukum Palace. A cease-fire was declared 38 minutes later, and to this day

6636-480: Was forced by the British to abolish the slave trade in the Zanzibar Archipelago. He largely developed Unguja's infrastructure. Another brother of Majid, Khalifa bin Said , was the third sultan of Zanzibar and deepened the relationship with the British, which led to the archipelago's progress towards the abolition of slavery. Control of Zanzibar eventually came into the hands of the British Empire ; part of

6720-470: Was incorporated into German East Africa . The sultans developed an economy of trade and cash crops in the Zanzibar Archipelago with a ruling Arab elite. Ivory was a major trade good. The archipelago, sometimes referred to by locals as the Spice Islands, was famous worldwide for its cloves and other spices, and plantations were established to grow them. The archipelago's commerce gradually fell into

6804-486: Was operating. Carl Peters was born on September 27, 1856, in Hanover, Germany. Peters was awarded scholarships to attend college, where he studied history, philosophy, and law, and became a successful journalist. After some time, Peters became interested in colonization, and he then changed his focus in life to become one of the principal founders of the German East Africa Company. He made significant contributions towards

6888-455: Was renamed as the Diocese of Zanzibar & Dar es Salaam. Two years later, in 1965, Dar es Salaam became a separate diocese. The original jurisdiction was renamed as the Diocese of Zanzibar & Tanga. In 2001, the mainland links were finally ended, and it is now known as the Diocese of Zanzibar. The diocese includes parishioners on the neighbouring island of Pemba . Ten bishops have served in

6972-674: Was suppressed in 1953, when the territory was put under control of the Kenyan church, but it was restored in 1964 after independence. The church created a diocese here shortly before Easter 1980. The bishop is Augustine Ndeliakyama Shao. Zanzibar is part of the Roman Catholic Province of Dar es Salaam, under the Archbishop of Dar es Salaam. Other Christian denominations include the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania which arrived in Zanzibar town in

7056-608: Was the beginning of the Later Stone Age . A Greco-Roman text between the 1st and 3rd centuries, the Periplus of the Erythraean Sea , mentioned the island of Menuthias ( Ancient Greek : Μενουθιάς ), which is probably Unguja . At the outset of the first millennium, both Zanzibar and the nearby coast were settled by Bantu speakers. Archaeological finds at Fukuchani, on the northwest coast of Zanzibar, indicate

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