Zanzibar

For other uses, see Zanzibar (disambiguation). Zanzibar
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Map of Zanzibar's main island Zanzibar is part of Tanzania Coordinates: 6°8′S 39°19′E / -6.133, 39.317 Country Tanzania Islands Unguja and Pemba Capital Zanzibar City Settled AD 1000 Government - Type semi-autonomous part of Tanzania - President Amani Abeid Karume Area - Total 1,651 km² (637 sq mi) Population (2004) - Total 1,070,000

The country of Zanzibar (pronounced /ˈzænzɨbɑr/) is part of the East African republic of Tanzania. It consists of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25–50 km (15–30 mi) off the coast off the mainland. There are numerous small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, informally referred to as "Zanzibar"), and Pemba. Zanzibar was once a separate state with a long trading history within the Arab world; it united with Tanganyika to form Tanzania, and still enjoys a high degree of autonomy within the union. The capital of Zanzibar, located on the island of Unguja, is Zanzibar City, and its old quarter, known as Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.

Zanzibar's main industries are spices, raffia, and tourism. It is still sometimes referred to as the Spice Islands, a term also associated with the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, because of the significance of its production of cloves, of which it is the world leader, and also nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper. The ecology is of note for being the home of the endemic Zanzibar Red Colobus and the elusive Zanzibar Leopard. The word "Zanzibar" probably derives from the Persian زنگبار, Zangi-bar ("coast of the blacks"); it is known as Zanji-bar in Arabic.

1 History
2 Fauna
3 Geography
4 Political status
5 Education
6 Culture
7 Economy
8 Picture gallery
9 See also
10 References
11 Further reading
12 External links

History

Main article: History of Zanzibar

A Zanzibari woman photographed by the Coutinho brothers, c. 1890

The presence of microlithic tools attests to 20,000 years of human occupation of Zanzibar. The islands became part of the historical record of the wider world when Arab traders discovered them and used them as a base for voyages between Arabia, India, and Africa. Unguja offered a protected and defensible harbour, so although the archipelago offered few products of value, the Arabs settled at what became Zanzibar City (Stone Town) as a convenient point from which to trade with East African coastal towns. They established garrisons on the islands and built the first mosque in the Southern hemisphere.[1]

During the Age of Exploration, the Portuguese Empire was the first European power to gain control of Zanzibar, and kept it for nearly 200 years. In 1698 Zanzibar fell under the control of the Sultanate of Oman, which developed an economy of trade and cash crops, with a ruling Arab elite. Plantations were developed to grow spices, hence the moniker of the Spice Islands (a name also used of Dutch colony the Moluccas, now part of Indonesia). Another major trade good was ivory, the tusks of elephants killed in mainland Africa. The third pillar of the economy was slaves, giving Zanzibar an important place in the Arab slave trade, the Indian Ocean equivalent of the better-known Triangular Trade. Zanzibar City was the main trading port of the East African slave trade, with about 50,000 slaves a year passing through the city.[2] The Sultan of Zanzibar controlled a substantial portion of the East African coast, known as Zanj, which included Mombasa and Dar es Salaam, and trading routes which extended much further inland, such as to Kindu on the Congo River.

Stone Town with Sultan Palace

Sometimes gradually, sometimes by fits and starts, control came into the hands of the British Empire; part of the political impetus for this was the 19th century movement for the abolition of the slave trade. The relationship between Britain and the nearest relevant colonial power, Germany, was formalized by the 1890 Helgoland-Zanzibar Treaty, in which Germany pledged not to interfere with British interests in insular Zanzibar. That year, Zanzibar became a protectorate (not a colony) of Britain. From 1890 to 1913, traditional viziers were appointed to govern as puppets, switching to a system of British residents (effectively governors) from 1913 to 1963. The death of one sultan and the succession of another of whom the British did not approve 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 45 minutes later, and the bombardment subsequently became known as The Shortest War in History.

Zanzibar Town, 12 January 2004: President Amani Abeid Karume (waving) enters Amani Stadion in his ceremonial Hummer for the 40th anniversary celebration of Zanzibar's 1964 revolution.

The islands gained independence from Britain in December 1963 as a constitutional monarchy. A month later, the bloody Zanzibar Revolution, in which several thousand Arabs and Indians were killed and thousands more expelled,[3] established the Republic of Zanzibar and Pemba. That April, the republic merged with the mainland former colony of Tanganyika, or more accurately, was subsumed by the much larger entity. This United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar was soon renamed as a portmanteau, the United Republic of Tanzania, of which Zanzibar remains a semi-autonomous region. Zanzibar was most recently in the international news with a January 2001 massacre, following contested elections.

Fauna

Zanzibar has many animal species from the African mainland who traveled from the mainland during the last ice age. These included the Zanzibar leopard, which some think is extinct.

Geography

Main article: Zanzibar Archipelago

Political status

Main article: Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar

The new flag of Zanzibar was hoisted for the first time in January 2005.

Zanzibar also has its own Revolutionary Council and House of Representatives (with 50 seats, directly elected by universal suffrage to serve five-year terms) to make laws especially for it; these make up the semi-autonomous Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar.

Unguja comprises three administrative regions: Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North and Zanzibar Urban/West. The second-largest island has two regions: Pemba North and Pemba South.

Since the early 1990s, the politics of the archipelago have been marked by repeated clashes between two political parties: the Chama Cha Mapinduzi (CCM) and the Civic United Front (CUF). Violence erupted over contested elections in 2000 and 2005, with the CUF claiming both times to have had their rightful victory stolen from them. Following 2005, negotiations between the two parties aiming at the long-term resolution of the tensions as well as a power-sharing accord took place, but suffered repeated setbacks, most notably in April 2008, when the CUF walked away from the negotiating table following a CCM call for a referendum to approve of what had been presented as a done deal on the power-sharing agreement.

Education

The island is home to Zanzibar University.

Culture

The Michenzani apartment blocks in Stone Town, once the pride of East German development cooperation with Zanzibar, have turned into an area of urban decay.

Zanzibar is a conservative, Sunni Muslim society. Its history was influenced by the Arabs, Persians, Indians, Portuguese, British and the African mainland.

Stone Town is a place of winding lanes, circular towers, carved wooden doors, raised terraces and beautiful mosques. Important architectural features are the Livingstone house, the Guliani Bridge, and the House of Wonders. The town of Kidichi features the hammam (Persian baths), built by immigrants from Shiraz, Iran during the reign of Barghash bin Said.

Zanzibar was the first region in Africa to introduce colour television, in 1973. The current TV station is called TvZ. The first television service on mainland Tanzania was not introduced until some twenty years later.

Zanzibar criminalised gay and lesbian sex in 2004 [1] [2]. In September 2006, a radical Islamic group on the archipelago, Uamsho, forced organizers to abandon plans to mark the 60th birthday of the late Freddie Mercury (born Farouk Bulsara into the Parsi community of Stone Town, who reached fame as the lead singer of the rock group Queen), saying he violated Islam with his openly bisexual lifestyle. (See Islam and homosexuality.)

Economy

Pemba Island was once the world's leading clove producer, although when the national government decided to privatize the clove market, the island went into an economic slump. Zanzibar exports spices, seaweed and fine raffia. It also has a large fishing and dugout canoe production. Tourism is a major foreign currency earner.

Picture gallery

A Zanzibar beach

Stone Town

House of Wonders

Zanzibar West Coast beach

Polluted beach at Mtoni

References

^ Else, David. Guide to Zanzibar. ISBN 1 898323 28 3.
^ Swahili Coast
^ Yeager, Rodger (1989). Tanzania: An African Experiment, p. 27.

External links

Wikisource has an original article from the 1913 Catholic Encyclopedia about: Zanzibar Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Zanzibar

v • d • e Portuguese Empire North Africa

15th century
1415–1640 Ceuta
1458–1550 Alcácer Ceguer (El Qsar es Seghir)
1471–1550 Arzila (Asilah)
1471–1662 Tangier
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16th century
1505–1769 Santa Cruz do Cabo de Gué (Agadir)
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1577–1589 Arzila (Asilah)

Sub-Saharan Africa

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1470–1975 São Tomé1
1474–1778 Annobón
1478–1778 Fernando Poo (Bioko)
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16th century
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1500–1975 Príncipe1
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1502–1659 St. Helena
1503–1698 Zanzibar
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1506–1511 Socotra
1557–1578 Accra
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1588–1974 Cacheu2
1593–1698 Mombassa (Mombasa)

17th century
1642–1975 Cape Verde
1645–1888 Ziguinchor
1680–1961 São João Baptista de Ajudá
1687–1974 Bissau2

18th century
1728–1729 Mombassa (Mombasa)
1753–1975 São Tomé and Príncipe

19th century
1879–1974 Portuguese Guinea
1885–1975 Portuguese Congo (Cabinda)

1 Part of São Tomé and Príncipefrom 1753. 2 Part of Portuguese Guineafrom 1879.

Southwest Asia

16th century
1506–1615 Gamru (Bandar Abbas)
1507-1643 Sohar
1515–1622 Hormuz (Ormus)
1515-1648 Quriyat
1515-? Qalhat
1515–1650 Muscat
1515?-? Barka
1515-1633? Julfar (Ras al-Khaimah)
1521–1602 Bahrain (Al Muharraq and Manama)
1521-1529? Qatif
1521?-1551? Tarut Island
1550-1551 Qatif
1588-1648 Matrah

17th century
1620-? Khor Fakkan
1621?-? As Sib
1621-1622 Qeshm
1623-? Khasab
1623-? Libedia
1624-? Kalba
1624-? Madha
1624-1648 Diba al-Hisn
1624?-? Bandar-e Kong

Indian subcontinent

15th century
1498–1545 Laccadive Islands (Lakshadweep)

16th century
Portuguese India
   1500–1663 Cochim (Kochi)
   1502–1661 Quilon (Coulão/Kollam)
   1502–1663 Cannanore (Kannur)
   1507–1657 Negapatam (Nagapattinam)
   1510–1962 Goa
   1512–1525 Calicut (Kozhikode)
   1518–1619 Paliacate (Pulicat)
   1521–1740 Chaul
   1523–1662 São Tomé de Meliapore
   1528–1666 Chittagong
   1534–1601 Salsette Island
   1534–1661 Bombay (Mumbai)
   1535–1739 Baçaím (Vasai-Virar)
   1536–1662 Cranganore (Kodungallur)
   1540–1612 Surat
   1548–1658 Tuticorin (Thoothukudi)
   1559–1962 Daman and Diu
   1568–1659 Mangalore
   1579–1632 Hughli
   1598–1610 Masulipatnam (Machilipatnam)
1518–1521 Maldives
1518–1658 Portuguese Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
1558–1573 Maldives

17th century
Portuguese India
1687–1749 São Tomé de Meliapore

18th century
Portuguese India
1779–1954 Dadra and Nagar Haveli

East Asia and Oceania

16th century
1511–1641 Portuguese Malacca
1512–1621 Banda Islands
1512–1621 Moluccas (Maluku Islands)
   1522–1575 Ternate
   1576–1605 Ambon
   1578–1650 Tidore
1512–1665 Makassar
1553–1999 Macau
1533-1545 Ning-po
1571–1639 Decima (Dejima, Nagasaki)

17th century
1642–1975 Portuguese Timor (East Timor)1

19th century
Macau
   1864–1999 Coloane
   1851–1999 Taipa
   1890–1999 Ilha Verde

20th century
Macau
   1938–1941 Lapa and Montanha (Hengqin)

1 1975 is the date of East Timor's Declaration of Independence and subsequent invasion by Indonesia. In 2002, the independence of East Timor was recognized by Portugal and the rest of the world.

North America and the North Atlantic Ocean

15th century
1420 Madeira
1432 Azores

16th century
1500–1579? Terra Nova (Newfoundland)
1500-1579? Labrador
1516–1579? Nova Scotia

Central and South America

16th century
1500–1822 Brazil
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17th century
1680–1777 Nova Colônia do Sacramento

19th century
1808–1822 Cisplatina (Uruguay)

Portuguese colonization of the Americas v • d • e British Empireand Commonwealth of Nations

Legend
Current territory · Former territory
* now a Commonwealth Realm · now a member of the Commonwealth of Nations

Europe

18th century
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since 1713 Gibraltar
1782-1802 Minorca

19th century
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20th century
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16th century
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17th century
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18th century
Canada (British Imperial)
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19th century
Canada (British Imperial)
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20th century
*Canada (post-Confederation)
1907-1934 Dominion of Newfoundland2

1 In 1931, Canada and other British dominions obtained self-government through the Statute of Westminster. 'Dominion' remains Canada's legal title; see Canada's name.
2 Remained a de jure dominion until 1949 (when it became a Canadian province); from 1934 to 1949, Newfoundland was governed by the Commission of Government.

Latin America and the Caribbean

17th century
1605-1979 *Saint Lucia
1623-1883 Saint Kitts (*Saint Kitts & Nevis)
1624-1966 *Barbados
1625-1650 Saint Croix
1627-1979 *St. Vincent and the Grenadines
1628-1883 Nevis (*Saint Kitts & Nevis)
1629-1641 St. Andrew and Providence Islands3
since 1632 Montserrat
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1643-1860 Bay Islands
since 1650 Anguilla
1651-1667 Willoughbyland (Suriname)
1655-1850 Mosquito Coast (protectorate)
1655-1962 *Jamaica
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since 1670 Cayman Islands
1670-1973 *Bahamas
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18th century
1762-1974 *Grenada
1763-1978 Dominica
since 1799 Turks and Caicos Islands

19th century
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1860-1981 *Antigua and Barbuda
1871-1964 British Honduras (*Belize)
1882-1983 *St. Kitts and Nevis
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20th century
1958-1962 West Indies Federation

3 Now the San Andrés y Providencia Department of Colombia.

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18th century
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1795-1803 Cape Colony

19th century
1806-1910 Cape Colony
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1884-1960 British Somaliland
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1890-1980 Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)
1890-1962 Uganda
1890-1963 Zanzibar (Tanzania)
1891-1964 Nyasaland (Malawi)
1891-1907 British Central Africa
1893-1968 Swaziland
1895-1920 British East Africa
1899-1956 Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

20th century
1900-1914 Northern Nigeria
1900-1914 Southern Nigeria
1900-1910 Orange River Colony
1900-1910 Transvaal Colony
1906-1954 Nigeria Colony
1910-1931 South Africa
1911-1964 Northern Rhodesia (Zambia)
1914-1954 Nigeria Protectorate
1915-1931 South West Africa (Namibia)
1919-1960 Cameroons (Cameroon) 4
1920-1963 Kenya
1922-1961 Tanganyika (Tanzania) 4
1954-1960 Nigeria

4 League of Nations mandate.

Asia

18th century
1757-1947 Bengal (West Bengal (India) and Bangladesh)
1762-1764 Philippines
1795-1948 Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
1796-1965 Maldives

19th century
1819-1826 British Malaya (Peninsular Malaysia and Singapore)
1826-1946 Straits Settlements
1839-1967 Colony of Aden
1841-1997 Hong Kong
1841-1941 Kingdom of Sarawak (Malaysia)
1858-1947 British India (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, Burma)
1882-1963 British North Borneo (Malaysia)
1885-1946 Unfederated Malay States
1891-1971 Muscat and Oman protectorate
1892-1971 Trucial States protectorate
1895-1946 Federated Malay States
1898-1930 Weihai Garrison

20th century
1918-1961 Kuwait protectorate
1920-1932 Iraq4
1921-1946 Transjordan4
1923-1948 Palestine4
1946-1948 Malayan Union
1946-1963 Sarawak (Malaysia)
1948-1957 Federation of Malaya (Malaysia) since 1965 British Indian Ocean Territory

4 League of Nations mandate.

Oceania

18th century
1788-1901 New South Wales

19th century
1803-1901 Van Diemen's Land/Tasmania
1807-1863 Auckland Islands6
1824-1980 New Hebrides (Vanuatu)
1824-1901 Queensland
1829-1901 Swan River Colony/Western Australia
1836-1901 South Australia
since 1838 Pitcairn Islands
1840-1907 *Colony of New Zealand
1850-1901 Victoria (Australia)
1874-1970 Fiji5
1877-1976 British Western Pacific Territories
1884-1949 Territory of Papua
1888-1965 Cook Islands6
1888-1984 Sultanate of Brunei
1889-1948 Union Islands (Tokelau)6
1892-1979 Gilbert and Ellice Islands7
1893-1978 British Solomon Islands8

20th century
1900-1970 Tonga (protected state)
1900-1974 Niue6
1901-1942 *Commonwealth of Australia
1907-1953 *Dominion of New Zealand
1919-1949 Territory of New Guinea
1949-1975 Territory of Papua and New Guinea9

5 Suspended member.
6 Now part of the *Realm of New Zealand.
7 Now Kiribati and *Tuvalu.
8 Now the *Solomon Islands.
9 Now *Papua New Guinea.

Antarctica and South Atlantic

17th century
since 1659 St. Helena (On African Continent)

19th century
since 1815 Ascension Island9
(On African Continent)

since 1816 Tristan da Cunha9
(On African Continent)

since 1833 Falkland Islands11
(South America)

20th century
since 1908 British Antarctic Territory10
since 1908 South Georgia and
the South Sandwich Islands10, 11

9 Dependencies of St. Helena since 1922 (Ascension Island) and 1938 (Tristan da Cunha).
10 Both claimed in 1908; territories formed in 1962 (British Antarctic Territory) and 1985 (South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands).
11 Occupied by Argentina during the Falklands War of April-June 1982.

Coordinates: 6°08′S, 39°19′E

Categories: Islands of Tanzania | Former Portuguese colonies | Former British protectorates | Zanzibar