Zanzibar
Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous archipelago located 6 degrees south of the Equator and 22 miles off the cost of East Africa. It comprises the islands of Unguja, Pemba and a number of smaller islands and collectively they form part of Tanzania, East Africa. The total population of Zanzibar is approximately 1.1 Million people and the economy is largly based on agriculture athough tourism has become a strong contributor to the economy in the last few years.
Zanzibar’s rich heritage of culture, defined as Swahili, meaning “coastal”, is a blend of influences from the African mainland and the nations bordered by the Indian Ocean all the way to China. Influences range from the early settlers from Africa’s interior to early sea-faring Assyrians, Sumerians, Egyptians, Phoenicians, to later day Persians, Omanis, Indians, Chinese, Portuguese and the English.