Zanzibar General Information

Overview The spice island of Zanzibar’s real name is Unquia. It’s part of the Zanzibar Archipelago that also includes the island of Pemba, 40 km to the northeast, and 50 smaller, mostly uninhabited islands in the surrounding waters. The population of the whole of the archipelago is around one million. Most people live on the main island of Unquia, simply referred to as Zanzibar, and most of these live in the capital Stone Town. Zanzibar is 35km from mainland Tanzania and is connected to Dar es Salaam by ferries, hydrofoils, and flights. The name Zanzibar comes from the Persian Zendji-Bar, which means 'land of blacks'. It originated when the East African coast was the trading centre for Persians, Arabs, Indians, and Chinese. Today’s Zanzibar is a place of fragile Islamic culture, noble Arabian architecture, romantic white-sailed dhows and miles of sandy palm fringed beaches. A walk through the narrow, twisting passageways of the capital, Stone Town plunges you into the past. It reeks of medieval atmosphere. Veiled women with hennaed hands and feet haggle for coconuts in markets full of the aroma of Zanzibar’s many spices, whilst old men sit on crumbling walls to drink chai and idly gossip. The 19th century Arabic buildings built from coral rag are testament to the Omani sultans who founded their empires on the spoils of ivory and slaves. Recently many of the buildings have been restored to their former glory, thanks to Stone Town earning the recognition of a World Heritage Site. Some can be visited to marvel at their elaborate balconies and carved brass-studded doors. Also from Stone Town there’s the opportunity to meet a hundred-year-old giant tortoise on Prison Island, or get spiced up on a spice tour - a speciality unique to Zanzibar. You will learn about the 50 different spices and fruit that grow on the island, from cinnamon and cloves, to jackfruit and sugarcane. Zanzibar is easy to get around, whether on a public bus, hired car or minibus, and it’s not very big. You could race round the whole island in a day, but there is so much atmosphere and culture to absorb it deserves more time. Some visitors fly directly in and are whisked away to resort hotels around Stone Town where they remain for the duration of their holiday. These unfortunate visitors don’t benefit from the ease of Zanzibari life, best experienced in the laid-back villages on the beautiful beaches on the north coast around Nungwi and Jambiani on the east coast. Miles and miles of white sand, not yet lined with touristy hotels and bars - just simple, family run guesthouses and coconut villages where seaweed lies drying by the side of the road and people pull water from wells by hand. The ocean offers warm, clear blue waters, excellent reefs for snorkelling and diving, fantastic deep sea fishing, water sports and the rare opportunity to swim with dolphins. Inland, Jozani Forest is Zanzibar’s only protected reserve, and one of the few places in Africa where the red colobus monkey can be found. Community guides can take you primate spotting, and the reserve is well worth supporting to help protect this endangered animal. Finally, Zanzibar is a seafood lover's paradise. Numerous restaurants offer the freshest catch from game fish to giant lobster. Alternatively, join the locals for dinner at the nightly fish market in the Forodhani Gardens on Stone Town’s waterfront where a collection of stalls serve up freshly cooked seafood and snacks - fast food Zanzibar style.

What is Zanzibar's history? Over the centuries, Zanzibar has attracted the attention of many international visitors. The first arrived in dhows on the seasonal monsoons that blow across the Indian Ocean. With them they brought various goods, such as beads and cloth, to trade for tortoiseshell, ebony and ivory, spices, rhino-horn, leopard skins and later, slaves. Zanzibar was once a very powerful and important commercial centre. The Persians, Arabs, Chinese and Indians arrived from the 11th century, and it’s thanks to the interaction of all these cultures that the unique coastal Swahili culture and language were formed. The word for tea – chai - is the same in Swahili and Chinese, and there are many Arab words in the language. The name Swahili comes from the Arab word 'sawahil' which means 'coast'. The Swahili people also adopted the Arabian religion, and today 97% of all Zanzibaris are Muslim. The oldest building on Zanzibar today is the Kizimkazi mosque which dates from 1107. Vasco da Gama was the first European explorer to arrive on the East Coast of Africa on his way to India in 1499. He was followed closely by his native Portuguese. They ruled Zanzibar from the 15th to the end of the 17th century when Arabs from Oman managed to regain possession of the entire East Africa region. They transferred their capital from Muscat to Zanzibar in 1832 and controlled the mainland coast from present day Mozambique to Somalia for the next 30 years. They sent slaves back to Oman to work on date plantations and sold slaves destined for the East Indies to the Dutch who were increasingly plying the coast. It’s estimated that around 600 000 slaves were sold through Zanzibar’s slave markets between 1830 and 1873. Cloves were introduced to Zanzibar and by the mid-19th century, Zanzibar had become the world's largest supply of cloves. Other spices, such as pepper, ginger, cumin, and cinnamon were introduced, earning Zanzibar the title of the Spice Island. Spices, ivory and slaves bought great wealth, and for a time Zanzibar was Africa's most prosperous port. This is reflected in the fine buildings and palaces still seen in Stone Town today. In 1861, Zanzibar separated from Oman and became an independent sultanate. This left the door wide open for the arrival of the British who were at the time embroiled in the Scramble for Africa. Zanzibar is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for having the Shortest War in History when the British attacked in 1896 – it took them only 40 minutes to take the island! Zanzibar became a British protectorate in 1890 and the British immediately proceeded to curtail the slave trade. They did not have great success though and slaving continued illegally until World War I. Britain began to break up its Empire after World War II and by 1963 Zanzibar had become independent. But only one year later the new government was overthrown by a violent revolution. The long-established Arab ruling class was overthrown and the government was replaced with Africans, the majority of Zanzibar’s population. A declaration of unity was signed in 1964 between Tanganyika on the mainland and Zanzibar. The new country was named Tanzania - a combination of the two names. Though they are united, Zanzibar remains separate from Tanzania in many respects, and today is semi-autonomous. In recent years, there has been sporadic political violence on Zanzibar during election times, mostly due to blatant vote rigging. It has been advised not to travel to Zanzibar during elections.

What does Zanzibar look like? Zanzibar’s real name is Unquia and it is part of the Zanzibar Archipelago, which includes the island of Pemba, 40 km to the northeast, and 50 smaller, mostly uninhabited islands in the surrounding waters. As it's the main island, everyone refers to Unquia simply as Zanzibar. It is 35km from mainland Tanzania and is connected to Dar es Salaam by several daily ferries and hydrofoils, as well as flights. Irregularly shaped, Zanzibar is 85km long and 39km wide and covers 1 464 sq km. It’s almost entirely flat, with the highest point being a fertile ridge in the west that reaches 120 meters. Inland are busy villages and farms, where most of the population works, tending banana plantations and the famous spices. Most of Zanzibar’s vegetation bears fruit, from cloves, to mango and jackfruit trees. This is best appreciated on a spice tour. There are no big African animals in Zanzibar, though there is a substantial tract of forest, the Jozani Forest Reserve, that is home to some monkeys, birds, small antelope and the odd bush-pig. There are rumours that a leopard lives on Zanzibar but few people claim to have seen it. Zanzibar has many stretches of beautiful long sandy beaches with the obligatory palm trees and inviting turquoise Indian Ocean. The coral reefs that surround the east coast of Zanzibar are rich in marine diversity and it’s an ideal location for snorkelling and diving. Be warned though - the east coast is tidal, and sometimes it’s a very long walk to get to the sea.

What is Zanzibar's weather like? Zanzibar has a warm tropical climate, with high temperatures and humidity almost all year round, and at least 7-8 hours of daily sunshine. The average daytime temperature is 25°C, but it can be as high as 39°C. High temperatures are cooled by ocean breezes so it is rarely overpoweringly hot. The hottest season is from January to February and the coldest month is August. There are two rainfall seasons. The short rains are from September to November, when it is sunny in the morning and a pounding of rain falls from the heavens most afternoons. The long rains are from March to June, but be warned, these lashing rains take on monsoon proportions and this is not the best time to visit. What do the people speak? The Swahili culture and language was nurtured on Zanzibar, and you will hear the infectious chatter all over the island. The language, known as KisSwahili on the coast is the most pure form and a little more complicated then the ‘kitchen’ Swahili spoken in the rest of East Africa. It is apparently a lot more evocative and descriptive. Mainland Tanzanians and Kenyans will always remark on your Swahili if you learned it on Zanzibar. Here are a few words of Swahili so you can say hello and at least get a cold drink. A little Swahili goes a long way on Zanzibar and most Zanzibaris will be thrilled to hear visitors attempt to use it. Since the language was originally written down by the British colonists things sound just like they look. English is also widely spoken; some people speak Arabic; and other European languages such as French and Italian can be heard in the tourist resorts. • Hello - Jambo! • How are you? - Habari? • OK/fine - Sawa sawa • Very well – Mzuri Sana • Friend – Rafiki • And you? – Na wewe? • Where are you from? – Unatoka wapi? • I’m from – Natoka • Yes - Ndiyo (try to skip the 'N') • No - Hapana • Good - Mzuri (To say 'very good' you add 'sana' and get 'mzuri sana') • Bad - Mbaya - (again, 'very bad' would be 'mbaya sana') • Please - Tafadali • Thank you (very much) - Asante (sana) • Goodbye - kwaheri • How much? - Pesa Ngapi? • No problem - Hakuna matata • Where is the bathroom? - Iko wapi choo? (where = wapi) • Water - Maji • Ice - Barafu • Hot - Moto • Cold - Baridi ('Nataka beera baridi sana' - ' I want a cold beer') • Tea - Chai • Coffee - Kahawa • Milk - Maziwa • Meat - Nyama ('Nyama choma' is cooked meat) • Beer - Bia or beera • I don’t speak Swahili but… - Sisemi Kiswahili, lakini