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76-577: 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 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

152-862: 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

228-534: 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

304-470: A depression between the Eastern and Western Rifts, formed by the uplift of the rifts to either of its sides. Around two to three million years ago, Lake Turkana was larger and the area more fertile, making it a center for early hominids . Richard Leakey led numerous anthropological excavations in the area, which yielded many important discoveries of hominin remains. The two-million-year-old Skull 1470

380-773: 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

456-650: A lesser degree of autonomy through local legislatures. The five overseas regions, French Guiana , Guadeloupe , Martinique , Mayotte , and Réunion , are generally governed the same as mainland regions; however, they enjoy some additional powers, including certain legislative powers for devolved areas. New Zealand maintains nominal sovereignty over three Pacific Island nations. The Cook Islands and Niue are self-governing countries in free association with New Zealand that maintain some international relationships in their own name. Tokelau remains an autonomous dependency of New Zealand. The Chatham Islands —despite having

532-476: 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

608-469: 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,

684-706: A region with great potential after independence, the Great Lakes region has suffered from civil war and conflict in the four decades around the turn of the 21st century ( c.  1980 –2020). In 2022 the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees commended Tanzania for consistently welcoming and aiding refugees from other countries in the region. The highlands are relatively cool, with average temperatures ranging between 17 °C (63 °F) and 19 °C (66 °F) and abundant rainfall. Major drainage basins include those of

760-460: 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

836-551: 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

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912-422: 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 the "Spice Islands". Tourism in Zanzibar

988-586: 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,

1064-801: 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,

1140-407: Is home to hundreds of species of birds endemic to Kenya. The flamingo wades in its shallows. The East African rift system also serves as a flyway for migrating birds, bringing in hundreds more. The birds are essentially supported by plankton masses in the lake, which also feed the fish there. Vegetation ranges from rainforest to savanna grasses. In some lakes, rapidly growing invasive plants, like

1216-486: Is hot and very dry. A short rainy season in October is followed by a longer one from April to May. The Western Rift Valley lakes are freshwater and home to an extraordinary number of endemic species. More than 1,500 cichlid fish species live in the lakes, as well as other fish families. The lakes are also important habitats for a number of amphibian species. Nile crocodiles are numerous. Mammals include elephants , gorillas and hippopotamus . The Lake Turkana area

1292-509: 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

1368-619: Is more than either Lake Baikal or the North American Great Lakes . This total constitutes about 25% of the planet's unfrozen surface fresh water. The large rift lakes of Africa are the ancient home of great biodiversity, and 10% of the world's fish species live in this region. Countries in the area which are bounded by the lakes of the Great Lakes region include Burundi , the Democratic Republic of

1444-686: 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

1520-564: The Democratic Republic of the Congo , Ethiopia , Kenya , Malawi , Mozambique , Rwanda , Tanzania , Uganda , and Zambia . The adjective interlacustrine ("between lakes") can refer to the region, or more specifically, the nations or area bounded by the lakes. The Swahili language is the most commonly spoken language in the African Great Lakes region. It also serves as a national or official language of five nations in

1596-562: 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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1672-862: The Kingdom of the Netherlands , each with their own parliament. In addition they enjoy autonomy in taxation matters as well as having their own currencies. The French Constitution recognises three autonomous jurisdictions. Corsica , a region of France , enjoys a greater degree of autonomy on matters such as tax and education compared to mainland regions. New Caledonia , a sui generis collectivity, and French Polynesia , an overseas collectivity , are highly autonomous territories with their own government, legislature, currency, and constitution. They do not, however, have legislative powers for policy areas relating to law and order, defense, border control or university education. Other smaller overseas collectivities have

1748-712: 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

1824-433: 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,

1900-1069: 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

1976-464: 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

2052-620: 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

2128-622: 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

2204-589: 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

2280-501: The CUF claiming that its rightful victory had been stolen from it. Nine people were killed. Autonomous administrative division Tobago Gibraltar is a self-governing overseas territory of the UK . Most of the other 13 British Overseas Territories also have autonomy in internal affairs through local legislatures. Aruba , Curaçao , and Sint Maarten are autonomous countries within

2356-542: The Congo , Ethiopia , Kenya , Malawi , Mozambique , Rwanda , Zambia , Tanzania , and Uganda . The following are included on most lists of the African Great Lakes, grouped by drainage basin . The exact number of lakes considered part of the African Great Lakes varies by list, and may include smaller lakes in the rift valleys, especially if they are part of the same drainage basin as the larger lakes, such as Lake Kyoga . The Great Lakes region (rarely: Greater Lakes region) consists of ten riparian countries: Burundi ,

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2432-597: The Congo-Zaire, Nile, and Zambezi rivers, which drain into the Atlantic Ocean , Mediterranean Sea , and Indian Ocean , respectively. Forests are dominant in the lowlands of the Congo-Zaire Basin, while grasslands and savannas (dry grasslands) are most common in the southern and eastern highlands. Temperatures in the lowlands average about 35 °C (95 °F). Around Lake Turkana , the climate

2508-560: 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

2584-544: 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

2660-525: 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

2736-677: 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

2812-640: 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

2888-523: 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

2964-562: 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

3040-573: 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

3116-466: 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

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3192-608: 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

3268-471: 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

3344-426: 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

3420-475: 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

3496-522: The designation of Territory —is an integral part of the country, situated within the New Zealand archipelago; its council is not autonomous and has broadly the same powers as other local councils, although notably it can also charge levies on goods entering or leaving the islands. In Ethiopia , "special woredas" are a subgroup of woredas (districts) that are organized around the traditional homelands of specific ethnic minorities , and are outside

3572-641: 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

3648-501: 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

3724-749: 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

3800-434: 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

3876-428: 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

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3952-440: 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

4028-428: 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

4104-449: 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

4180-442: The main livelihood for people in the region. With four Great Lakes on its borders, Uganda ranks as one of the world's largest producers of freshwater fish. The climate and rich volcanic soils in the highlands also sustain intensely cultivated croplands. The economies of the Great Lakes region states have different structures and are at various stages of development. The GDP real growth rate ranges from 1.8 percent in Burundi to 4.4 in

4256-473: 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

4332-507: The part of the Rift Valley lakes in and around the East African Rift . The series includes Lake Victoria , the second-largest freshwater lake in the world by area; Lake Tanganyika , the world's second-largest freshwater lake by volume and depth; Lake Malawi , the world's eighth-largest freshwater lake by area; and Lake Turkana , the world's largest permanent desert lake and the world's largest alkaline lake. Collectively, they contain 31,000 km (7,400 cu mi) of water, which

4408-417: 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

4484-417: 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

4560-509: 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

4636-513: 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

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4712-402: The region: Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Because of its high population—estimated to be 107 million people —and the agricultural surplus in the region, the area became organized into a number of small states. The most powerful of these monarchies were Buganda , Bunyoro , Karagwe , Rwanda, and Burundi. Being the long-sought source of the Nile and

4788-418: The separation of two tectonic plates , often accompanied by a graben , or trough, in which lake water can collect. This rift began when East Africa, impelled by currents in the mantle , began separating from the rest of Africa, moving to the northeast. The basins that resulted from the geological uplifts filled with water that now flowed north. Lake Victoria is not actually within the Rift Valley. It occupies

4864-404: The surface-choking water hyacinth and shore-clogging papyrus , are problems. Water hyacinth have thus far affected only Lake Victoria. Until 12 million years ago, the bountiful waters of the equatorial plateau either flowed west into the Congo River system or east to the Indian Ocean . This was changed by the formation of the Great Rift Valley. A rift is a weak place in Earth's crust due to

4940-424: The usual hierarchy of a kilil , or region. These woredas have many similarities to autonomous areas in other countries. Other areas that are autonomous in nature but not in name are areas designated for indigenous peoples , such as those of the Americas : African Great Lakes The African Great Lakes ( Swahili : Maziwa Makuu ; Kinyarwanda : Ibiyaga bigari ) are a series of lakes constituting

5016-450: The watershed triple point between the rivers Nile, Congo and Zambezi, the region had long been of interest to Europeans. The first Europeans to arrive in the region in any numbers were Christian missionaries who had limited success in converting the locals, but did open the region to later colonization. Increased contact with the rest of the world led to a series of devastating epidemics affecting both humans and livestock. While seen as

5092-523: 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

5168-405: 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

5244-452: 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

5320-434: 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

5396-414: 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

5472-568: Was found in 1972. It was originally thought to be Homo habilis , but some anthropologists have assigned it to a new species, Homo rudolfensis , named after the lake (previously known as Lake Rudolf). In 1984, the Turkana Boy , a nearly complete skeleton of a Homo erectus boy was discovered. In 1999, a 3,500,000-year-old skull was discovered there, named Kenyanthropus platyops , which means "flat-faced man of Kenya". Fishing—primarily of tilapia species but also of Nile perch —provides

5548-542: 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

5624-455: 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

5700-673: 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

5776-607: 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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