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Zanzibar

City in TanzaniaZanzibar City lies on the west coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, in the Indian Ocean just off the coast of mainland Tanzania.

What it's known for

Zanzibar City is the capital of Zanzibar, a semi-autonomous region that united with Tanganyika in 1964 to form Tanzania. Its old quarter, Stone Town, was the capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate and has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000. The islands, known locally as the Spice Islands, grow cloves and nutmeg.

Fun facts

  1. Freddie Mercury, the singer of the rock band Queen, was born in Stone Town.
  2. In 1896 the Royal Navy shelled Stone Town in the Anglo-Zanzibar War, which lasted between 38 and 45 minutes and is called the shortest recorded war in history.
  3. The House of Wonders was the first building in Zanzibar with electricity and the first in East Africa with a lift.

Finding it on the globe

Find Dar es Salaam on the Tanzanian coast and look about 70 km straight north, across the water: Zanzibar City is on the west side of the big island just offshore.

Easy to mix up

Zanzibar is not the capital of Tanzania. The capital is Dodoma, and the largest city is Dar es Salaam, on the mainland coast. The name Zanzibar is also used for the whole island group, not just the city.

Sources: Wikipedia: Zanzibar City, Wikipedia: Stone Town, Wikipedia: Zanzibar, Wikipedia: Anglo-Zanzibar War, Wikipedia: Tanzania