Zanzibar << ZAN zuh `bahr` >> (pop. 223,033) is a historic seaport city on the west coast of Zanzibar Island. The city of Zanzibar is the seat of government for the Zanzibar island group, which is part of Tanzania. The island group consists of Zanzibar Island, Pemba Island, and a few other islands. Zanzibar’s main exports are cloves and clove oil. In Stone Town, the city’s old section on the sea, ornate buildings line narrow, winding streets. Large apartment buildings tower over the city’s Ng’ambo section, inland from Stone Town.
In the early 1800’s, the sultan of Oman, who controlled much of East Africa’s coast, established his capital in Zanzibar. He built an economy based on clove plantations and the slave and ivory trades. The sultan’s palace still stands in Stone Town.
See also Zanzibar (islands).
