Zanzibar is an insular semi-autonomous province which united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. It is an archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25–50 km (16–31 mi) off the coast of the African mainland, and consists of many small islands and two large ones: Unguja (the main island, referred to informally as Zanzibar) and Pemba Island. The capital is Zanzibar City, located on the island of Unguja. Its historic centre, Stone Town, is a World Heritage Site.
Zanzibar's main industries are spices, raffia and tourism. In particular, the islands produce cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon, and black pepper. For this reason, the Zanzibar Archipelago, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island, are sometimes referred to locally as the "Spice Islands".
Tourism in Zanzibar is a more recent activity, driven by government promotion that caused an increase from 19,000 tourists in 1985 to 376,000 in 2016. The islands are accessible via 5 ports and the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, which can serve up to 1.5 million passengers per year.
February is the hottest month in Zanzibar with an average temperature of 28°C (82°F) and the coldest is July at 24°C (75°F) with the most daily sunshine
hours at 10 in December. The wettest month is April with an average of 401mm of rain.
Capital: Zanzibar City
Official Language: Swahili, English, Arabic
Language spoken: Swahili, English and French
Total Area: 2,462 km2
Population2022 census: 1,889,773
Main Religion: Islam, Christianity
Currency: Tanzanian Shilling
Time zone: UTC+3 (East Africa Time)
