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Zanzibar is a small archipelago consisting of Unguja , Pemba, and several other small surrounding islands. It is located in the Indian ocean, just off the coast of East Africa, lying at 39 degrees East of the prime meridian and 6 degrees south of the equator. The islands have a total of 2,332 square kilometres.  

Unguja (commonly referred to as Zanzibar Island) is the largest Island. Pemba is the second largest island of the Archipelago, named Al-khudra "The Green Island” by the Arabic mariners. It is famous for its clove production and its channels offer some of best diving experiences in East Africa.

Small-scale farming, clove growing and fishing are the main activities carried out on the island.

Population: The population of Zanzibar is estimated at about One million people.

Link to Zanzibar website:Click here

Population: The population of Zanzibar is estimated at about One million people.
Census Link:http://www.tanzania.go.tz/census/regions.htm

CULTURE AND TRADITION:
The name Zanzibar is derived from a combination of two Arabic words, 'Zinj', meaning black, and 'barr', being the Arabic word for land, resulting in the ancient title 'Land of the Blacks'. As Zanzibar absorbed peoples from as far as The Orient and Iberia, Assyria and India, so the tapestry of Zanzibar cultures became more diverse in its range, more unique in its expression.

Zanzibar is the birthplace of Swahili, a lingua franca forged from global dialects, upon which legends were carried, trade routes opened and a Sultan’s empire prospered.

Traditional Music:
Taraab imaged from the strident laments and exultant overtures of Swahili. Their rhythms and melodies carried and honed between Zanzibar and the Arabian Gulf until they became the islands’ own musical story.

Meet the taarab phenomenon:
She might be over 90 years old with a stoop that makes her appear even tinier than she is, but Fatuma Binti Baraka, better known as Bi Kidude, remains a monument to traditional East African music. Her hoarse voice and the taarab rhythms she beats out of her massive unyago drum make her an enduring testimony to Tanzanian music. For decades the songstress toured her country singing songs in Swahili and Arabic. Source:http://www.mondomix.com


Architectural Style:

The architectural styles of Stone Town were borne of the social convergence, while the tangled mass of stories, woven from centuries of lives lived, bestow a folklore and legacy that permeate life on the archipelago.

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