*** Welcome to piglix ***

Zanzibar

Zanzibar
Flag of Zanzibar
Coat of arms of Zanzibar
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Mungu ametubarikia  (Swahili)
God has blessed us
Location within Tanzania
Location within Tanzania
The major islands of Unguja and Pemba
The major islands of Unguja and Pemba
Status Semi-autonomous region of Tanzania
Capital Zanzibar City
Official languages Kiswahili
Ethnic groups
Religion
Demonym Zanzibari
Government Federacy
• President
Ali Mohamed Shein
• First VP
Seif Sharif Hamad
• Second VP
Seif Ali Iddi
Legislature House of Representatives
Independence from the United Kingdom
10 December 1963
12 January 1964
• Merger
26 April 1964
Area
• Total
2,461 km2 (950 sq mi)
Population
• 2012 census
1,303,569
• Density
529.7/km2 (1,371.9/sq mi)
GDP (nominal) 2012 estimate
• Total
$860 million
• Per capita
$656
Currency Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
Time zone EAT (UTC+3)
• Summer (DST)
not observed (UTC+3)
Drives on the left
Calling code +255
Internet TLD .tz

Zanzibar (/ˈzænzbɑːr/; Arabic: زنجبار‎‎ Zanjibār), is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania in East Africa. It is composed of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25–50 kilometres (16–31 mi) off the coast of the mainland, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre is Stone Town, which is a World Heritage Site.

The name Zanzibar is apparently derived from the Persian zang-bâr signifying "black coast".

Zanzibar's main industries are spices, raffia, and tourism. In particular, the islands produce cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper. For this reason, the islands, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island, are sometimes called the Spice Islands (a term also associated with the Maluku Islands in Indonesia). Zanzibar is the home of the endemic Zanzibar red colobus monkey, the Zanzibar servaline genet, and the (possibly extinct) Zanzibar leopard.


...
Wikipedia

...