THE HISTORY OF ZANZIBAR

PART ONE: Introduction to the Zanzibar

 Zanzibar geo-politics and climatic condition
 Peopling to Zanzibar
 Natural resources: Flora and Fauna
 Small island and forests
 Religious traditions ethnic groups and Race
 Zanzibar economy

GEO-POLITICS
Zanzibar is an archipelago (group of islands in large body of water), formed by
two main islands, Ungula and Pemba, and several smaller islands. Zanzibar
Situated 22 miles (35 Kms) off the coast of Tanganyika.
Zanzibar is a semi -autonomous island of the united republic of Tanzania.
According to 2012 population and housing census Zanzibar has total population
of 1,303,569 of whom 630,677 are male and 672,892 female. The Average
Annual Growth Rate is 2.8.
As semi-autonomous island Zanzibar is led her president who is also chairman
of revolutionary council.
Administratively, the island is divided into five regions and eleven district. The
smallest administrative unit is called shehia led by sheha. There more than 200
shehias throughout Zanzibar.

PEOPLING
It is thought that early inhabitants were itinerant and that the first permanent
residents of the archipelago were members of Bantu ethnic groups who made
the crossing from the East African mainland in approximately 1000 AD.
However, it is also thought that traders from Asia had visited Zanzibar for at
least 900 years prior to these settlers’ arrival.
In addition travellers, traders, raiders and colonizers from around the world
have been drawn to Zanzibar throughout the centuries. These include
Assyrians, Egyptians, Indians, Chinese, Malays, Persians, Portuguese, Arabs,
Dutch and the British and many others each leaving behind a different legacy.

NATURAL RESOURCES: FLORA AND FAUNA

Flora
Zanzibar is home to a wealth of different types of flora with unique flowers and
plants. These include
 Mangrove
 Coconut palm trees
 Bread Fruit Tree (artocarpus comunis)
 Jack fruit tree
 Mango Tree
 Clove Tree (eugenia aromatica)
 Odyendea zimmermanni (Mjoho),
 Riverine forest of Barringtonia racemosa (Mtomondo),
 Milicia spp (Mvule),
 Alexandrian laurel (Mtondoo),
 Erythropholem spp (Mwavi),
 Antiarus spp (Mgulele),
 Chrisalidocarpus pembanus (Mpapindi)
 Terminalia catapa (Mkungu),

Fauna
 Zanzibar red colobus (Piliocolobus kirkii)
 endemic monkey
 Pemba flying fox, (considered the largest bat species in the world)
  Blue monkeys,
 Rabbit
 Several species of snakes.
 Feral pigs

SMALL ISLAND AND FORESTS

Small Island
As archipelago, apart from two main islands, there several small islands
surrounding Unguja and Pemba. Common ones include:
 Tumbatu,
 Bawe,
 Chumbe
 Kisiwa panza,
 Makoongwe,
 Kojani,
 Fundo,
 Misali,
 Shamiani
 and many others
Forests
Jonzani National park
Jonzani National park is the only national park in Zanzibar, covering an area of
50 square kilometres (19 sq mi), occupying the largest near-natural forest area
on Zanzibar." It is in the island of Unguja. Habitats within the park and
associated protected lands include groundwater forests, coastal forests, and
grassland, with mangroves and salt marsh on the coast.
 Ngezi forest reserve
Ngezi Forest Reserve covers an area of 14.4 square kilometres (5.6 sq mi) and is
in the north-western tip of Pemba Island. It was declared a reserve in 1950 after
most of the area had been denuded for cultivation of cloves. It still has high
closed forests known as Ngezi forest extending right up to the beach at
Vumawimbi. The forest consist of coral bushes and thickets, thick grasses and
bushes in the sandy-loam soils.

 Kiwengwa/Pongwe Forest Reserve

Kiwengwa/Pongwe Forest Reserve is located on the north east coast of Unguja,
20 kilometres (12 mi) from the Zanzibar Town. The reserve is an important
biodiversity spot in the coral rag zone. The forest reserve is rich both in faunal
and floral species.
 Kidike Root Site
Kidike Root Site is in the central part of Pemba Island. It has the endangered
Pemba flying fox, considered the largest bat species in the world.
CLIMATE
As tropical archipelago, Zanzibar has tropical climate with two rainy seasons
one more intense season (Masika-spring) from March to May, with the peak in
April.
The other less intense, known as the "short rains" season, (Vuli-autumn)
between mid-October and December.
There is also light periodic rains with a bit cold (Kipupwe-ripening) between
June and September with its peak in July.
The total annual rainfall is about 1,600 millimeters (63 inches) in Zanzibar, and
1,900 mm (75 in) in Pemba.
The warmest period is from October to March, during which the maximum
temperature hovers around 31/33 degrees Celsius (88/91 °F)
Here are the average temperatures in Zanzibar.
Zanzibar - Average temperatures
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Min (°C) 23 23 23 24 23 22 21 20 20 21 22 23
Max (°C) 32 33 32 30 29 29 29 29 30 31 31 31
Min (°F) 73 73 73 75 73 72 70 68 68 70 72 73
Max (°F) 90 91 90 86 84 84 84 84 86 88 88 88

RELIGIOUS TRADITIONS ETHNIC GROUPS AND RACE

Religious
Zanzibar is muslim majority island. 99% of inhabitants are muslims.
Zanzibar muslims committed to muslims practice which is infact part of
Zanzibar culture. Praying (swalah) is one of the daily islamic practice where
mosques are scattered every corner.
Other practice is Swaum that ending with idd-el fitri ceremonies.
There many other islmic practice and traditions
Ethnic groups and races
 The Hadimu.
According to Sir John Gray, the “Hadimu are off-shoots from mainland tribes of
many different origins, who have arrived in Zanzibar at very different dates.
They are mainly found in the south, south-east and the eastern parts of unguja
island such as Unguja Ukuu, Kizimkazi, Bwejuu and Chwaka are the main
centres of Hadimu concentration. In 1924, 1931 and 1948, they numbered
17,052, 28,511 and 41,766 respectively
 The Tumbatu.
According to a manuscript concerning the history of Tumbatu, summarized by
Sir John Gray, in the six-hundredth year of Hijra (A.D. 1204) there arrived in
Tumbatu a certain Sultan Yusuf bin Alawi of the Abdali or Alawi tribe from
Tudi in the country of Basra. Tumbatu are of African and Arab ancestry. In
1924, 1931 and 1948, they numbered 26,382, 34,975 and 46,131 respectively.

 The Pemba.
The Pemba, like the Tumbatu, are also of African and Asiatic origins. At the
beginning of the twelfth century A.D., immigrants from Shiraz in Persia began
to arrive in Pemba. From the mainland came people of the Bantu tongue
particularly from the Segeju group.
 Shirazy
Intermarriage between the early immigrants from Persia and the indigenous
African peoples, resulted in the formation of a people of both African and
Asiatic origin but who prefer to call themselves Shirazi.
Other ethnic groups include arabs, Indians and mainlanders
ZANZIBAR ECONOMY
Trade of one kind or another is an intrinsic part of the Zanzibar economy and
culture and has shaped its history for thousands of years.
Zanzibar’s identity as a trading hotspot was forged by its location on the trade
route from Arabia to Africa; and by its abundance of valuable spices, including
cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg.
Other traditional economic activities are fishing and farming.
What about current economic activities