ZANZIBAR SAFARI

INFORMATION ABOUT ZANZIBAR
Tanzania comprises a pair of islands off the east coast of Africa called ZANZIBAR ('Unguja') (1994 est. pop. 800,000, 1,554 km²) and Pemba . They are, together with Mafia Island , sometimes referred to as the Spice Islands, though this term is more commonly associated with the Maluku Islands . The main town and economic centre is Stone Town on the actual island of Zanzibar . Zanzibar 's main industries are spices (including nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper) and tourism. Zanzibar is also the only home of the Zanzibar Red Colobus monkey.

HISTORY
The monsoon winds that blow across the Indian Ocean allowed contact between Persia , Arabia , India and the coast of East Africa for over 2000 years. The first European arrivals were Portuguese 'navigators' looking for a trade route with India . They reached Zanzibar at the end of the 15th Century and established a trading station here and other points on the East African coast. At the end of the 17th century Omani Arabs ousted the Portuguese.

During this period, Zanzibar became a major slaving centre. In 1840, the Omani Sultan Said moved his court from Muscat to Zanzibar , and the Island became an Arab state and an important centre of trade and politics in the region. Many European explorers, including Livingston and Stanley, began their expeditions into the interior of Africa from Zanzibar during the second half of the 19thcentury.

Zanzibar was a British protectorate from 1890 until 1963, when the state gained independence. In 1964, the sultan and government were overthrown in a revolution. In the same year, Zanzibar and the newly independent country of Tanganyika combined to form the United Republic of Tanzania.