It is located in the Indian Ocean, 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 is also a semi-autonomous region that united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the present-day United Republic of Tanzania. 

 

The archipelago's main industries are spices, raffia, and tourism.

 

The main spices produced are clove, nutmeg, cinnamon, coconut, and black pepper. 

 

The Zanzibar Archipelago, together with Tanzania's Mafia Island, is sometimes referred to locally as the "Spice Islands". 

 

Tourism in Zanzibar is a more recent activity, driven by government promotion, which has increased from 19,000 tourists in 1985 to 376,000 in 2016 and 917,000 in 2025 [8]. 

 

The islands are accessible via five ports and the Abeid Amani Karume International Airport, which can serve up to 1.5 million passengers per year.

 

Zanzibar's marine ecosystem plays a vital role in its fishing and algacultural industries; these ecosystems act as nurseries for Indian Ocean fish populations. 

 

Moreover, the land ecosystem is the home of the endemic Zanzibar red colobus, the Zanzibar servaline genet, and the extinct or rare Zanzibar leopard.

 

Environmental pressure from the tourism and fishing industries, as well as larger threats such as sea-level rise caused by climate change, is creating growing environmental concerns throughout the region.

 

The word Zanzibar came from Arabic zanjibār

 

The name is one of several toponyms sharing similar etymologies, ultimately meaning "land of the blacks" or similar meanings, in reference to the dark skin of its inhabitants.