Zanzibar Island
Zanzibar island, a part of the United Republic of
Tanzania, is a series of many islands, the main ones
being
Unguja and Pemba. The more
populated of the two main islands, Unguja, is better
known as
Zanzibar Island and is home to Stone
Town (also known as Zanzibar Town or Zanzibar
City), an historic, bustling city of narrow alleyways
and stone coral buildings. In addition to the two
main islands, there are many other islands and islets
in the Zanzibar archipelago which stretches from the
top of Pemba to the south point of Unguja.
Unguja is in the Indian Ocean about 40 km east
of Bagamoyo on the Tanzanian mainland. The slightly
hilly island itself is about 85 km long and between
20 - 30 km wide at its widest points. Most of the
population lives in the more fertile regions of
the north and west. The eastern part of the island
is arid and covered in coral rag (rock made of coral)making
it unattractive for farming, but the beaches
and the reefs on the eastern coasts make
them ideal for fishing villages, tourist guesthouses,
and resorts. Zanzibars coral reefs offer a variety
of diving including wall, drift
and deep dives. Dives differ from those over coral
gardens, diving with dolphins and many
dives offer a chance to see turtles.
People:
The people of Zanzibar are predominantly Muslim,
about 95% of the population being followers of Islam.
The remaining percentage is a mix of Christians,
Hindus and followers of various other religions.
Swahili is the official and national language of
Tanzania but English is also spoken in Zanzibar,
and a percentage of the population also has a working
knowledge of Arabic. The population consists of
people from the following ancestries: African, Persian,
Omani (and other Arab states), and Asian. The local
economy is based on agriculture and fishing. The
population of the archipelago is estimated at over
740,000 while the population of Unguja is estimated
at almost 450,000, forty per cent of which live
in Stone Town. The literacy rate in Zanzibar is
very high.
Climate: Zanzibar is a few degrees
south of the equator and enjoys a tropical climate
that is largely dominated by the Indian Ocean monsoons.
The kasikazi winds are from the north and occur
in the winter months bringing the short rains. The
long rains, known as mwaka, arrive in March and
last until late May or June.
Itineraries in Zanzibar