ِ ‫ز ْن‬, 

Zanzibar (/ˈzænzɪbɑːr/; Swahili: Zanzibar; Arabic: ‫جبَار‬ ِ romanized: Zinjibār) is a semi-autonomous

region of Tanzania. It is composed of the Zanzibar Archipelago in the Indian Ocean, 25–50
kilometres (16–31 mi) off the coast of the 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 is Stone Town, which is
a World Heritage Site.
Zanzibar's main industries are spices, raffia, and tourism.[5] 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" (a
term borrowed from the Maluku Islands of Indonesia).
Zanzibar is the home of the endemic Zanzibar red colobus, the Zanzibar servaline genet, and
the extinct or rare Zanzibar leopard.[6][7]

Etymology[edit]
The word Zanzibar came from Arabic zanjibār (‫زنجبار‬ [zandʒibaːr]), which is in turn
from Persian zangbâr (‫زنگبار‬ [zæŋbɒːɾ]), a compound of Zang (‫زنگ‬ [zæŋ], "black") + bâr (‫بار‬ [bɒːɾ],
"coast"),[8][9][10] cf. the Sea of Zanj. 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 the
inhabitants.