About Zanzibar
.Zanzibar is a tropical archipelago located at the western side of the Indian Ocean, about 25-50 kilometers off the coastline of East Africa.
This small collection of coral islands lies between the 5 and 6 degree south of equator. Zanzibar is made up of two large islands surrounded by a host of about 50 islets. The main island, Unguja, is separated from mainland Tanzania by a shallow Zanzibar channel.
It is located about 72 kilometers away from the coastal Dar-es-Salaam, Tanzania’s largest city, and about 217 kilometers away from Mombasa on the Kenyan coast. The capital of Unguja is Zanzibar City with its old part called Stone Town, a UNESCO heritage site. Pemba, second biggest island of the archipelago, has three major towns: Wete, Chakechake and Mkoani.
Zanzibar is blessed with lush, tropical greenery, pristine, white, sandy beaches, washed with the gentle and warm waters of the Indian Ocean in all shades of blue and turquoise, hiding some of the world’s best coral reefs. These natural treasures combined with unique history, rich culture, great climate and most beautiful people make Zanzibar one of the holiday destinations you will want to revisit all over again.
Climate
Zanzibar experiences pleasant tropical weather conditions for most of the year which makes it one of ear-round destinations.
The temperature rarely drops below 25, but even when it hits the thirties, splendid sea breezes will cool you down. Love sun? Here you can enjoy 12 hours of daylight every day.
The climate in Zanzibar is influenced by the motions of the Indian Ocean monsoons and defined by wet and hot seasons. There are two official wet seasons:
The long rains (Swahili: Masika ) start in mid-March throughout the end of May. During this period it
rains heavily, especially in April but the chances to catch an interval of clear sky followed by sunshine during a day are still quite high.
Short rainy season (Swahili: Vuli) is in November. Between December and March is the Zanzibari summer, the hot season, when temperature tends to reach 30°C and over. During this time of the year expect heat and high humidity, especially in February, which is the hottest month, with temperatures reaching up to 35°C in shade. Zanzibar, like other tropical destinations tends to experience cool season from June throughout October with temperature averaging 26°C. August is the coolest month of the year with the temperature average dropping to about 24°C . You can clearly see that “cool” here still means weather that is very much welcoming beachwear.
Fact File
Archipelago: Zanzibar island (Unguja), Pemba Island and surrounding islands.
Location: About 40 km off the coast of East Africa, in the Indian Ocean, about 6 degrees south of equator.
Size: Unguja is 1,660km2,
Pemba is 985km2
Climate: Wet
season mid-March to end of May, short rains in November, rest of year generally dry. Average temperature ranging between 24°C -30°C.
Status: Semi- autonomous state within United Republic of Tanzania, governed by Revolutionary Council and House of Representatives.
Residents: Zanzibaris
Population:1.304 million (whole archipelago)
Main Town: Zanzibar
Town (combined Old Stone town with New Town)
Economy: Fishing, agriculture, tourism.
Language: Swahili (official),English, Arabic
Religion: Islam (98%), Christianity, Hinduism.
Currency: Tanzanian shilling (Tsh)
International telephone code: +255
Time zone: GMT +3
Electrical voltage: 220-240v AC
50Hz; 3 pins round or square ’British-style’ plugs
Weights and measures: Metric
Stone Town: UNESCO Heritage site (unique maze of buildings made of coral reef stones, lime and clay)
History at a glance
For over thousands years, the monsoons that blow across the Indian Ocean have played a major role in connecting the lands of Arabia, India and Persia with the coastline of East Africa, including the Zanzibar archipelago. With the aid of the northeast monsoon, the overseas navigators sailed to Zanzibar and return when the southwest monsoon took over. Zanzibar islands were already inhabited by people who are believed to be fishermen that reached the islands from the African mainland in dugout canoes and settled there during the 1st millennium BC. The first European arrivals were Portuguese navigators searching for a trade route to India. They arrived Zanzibar at the end of the 15th century and set up a trade base in the northern part of the islands.
The Omani Arabs and the Portuguese fought long battles over who should be ruling the islands. The conflict terminated at the end of the 17th century when the latter were conquered by the Omani. As the result, Zanzibar became infamous as the major hub for slave trade. In 1840, the Omani Sultan Sayyid Said bin Sultan moved his residence and court from Muscat to Zanzibar, turning the island into an Arab state and an essential center of trade and politics in the region. In 19th century, Zanzibar became a base for most prominent European explorers such as Livingstone and Stanley who set off for their expeditions into the African interior from the islands.
In 1890 the British and German Empires signed the Heligoland-Zanzibar Treaty that declared Zanzibar British protectorate. It lasted until 1963 which was the year when the British terminated the protectorate and the state gained its independence. In 1964, the
last sultan of Zanzibar Sayyid Jamshid bin Abdullah Al Said and his court were deposed as a result of the revolution. In the same year, Zanzibar and its mainland neighbor country Tanganyika unified to form the United Republic of Tanzania.
People
The Arab impact on the population of Zanzibar islands is visible until today. Local demographics is a blend of Arab and Persian(shiraz) influences and Bantu tribes from the African mainland. The people of Zanzibar tend to identify with where they come from within the islands, as Zanzibar does not have tribal relations. People from Unguja would introduce themselves as Waunguja, Watumbatu are people from Tumbatu island and Wapemba come from Pemba. Aside from the Swahili and Arab people, Zanzibar has also a small Indian population. Recently, large number of Africans have been immigrating to the islands from Tanzania mainland and other East African states, mostly working in hospitality industry. This includes the Maasai, famous warriors from Northern part of Tanzania. Aside a small Asian community on the island, there are also the European expatriates and volunteers drawn to Zanzibar to work in education, healthcare and tourism.
Culture
Zanzibar Archipelago boasts huge cultural diversity.
Majority of Zanzibaris consider themselves Swahili people, following the ways of Swahili culture. The word Swahili derives from the Arabic
word “sahil” meaning “coast”. Swahili culture has Arabic, Hindu and Bantu influences and permeates the everyday ways of life on Zanzibar. Despite its relationship with Tanzania mainland, Zanzibar could easily be considered a fully autonomous country largely due to the unique history and culture cherished by its people. The differences setting Swahili people apart from other social groups begin in the dress code. Women of the archipelago and other Swahili female members veil themselves in deras, bui buis (black veils) or wrap colorful kangas around their heads and bodies, while the men wear long robes (kanzu) with embroidered hats (kofia) that add up to the cultural highlight when visiting Zanzibar.
Swahili is an African language of Bantu origin with many loan words from Arabic, as well as Portuguese, English and Persian influences. Zanzibar is believed to be where Swahili originated and where it continues to be spoken in its purest form as the mother tongue for most of Zanzibaris.
Swahili is also the official language of the United Republic of Tanzania and, with a total of over 100 million speakers, it is also spoken widely in Kenya and some regions of eastern and central African countries, though it is usually the second language to those speakers, as those regions have various tribal languages. It is not difficult to learn the basics:
