Browse / Tanzania / Zanzibar Urban/West / Zanzibar City
Zanzibar City
Zanzibar Urban/Westcity
Zanzibar City
Total population
709,809
Air quality index
Demographic figures from National Bureau of Statistics (Tanzania). Overview below cites Wikipedia and may reference a different year.
City facts
Sister cities
Facts from Wikidata (CC0).
Overview
Zanzibar City or Mjini District, often simply referred to as Zanzibar, is one of two administrative districts of Mjini Magharibi Region in Tanzania. The district covers an area of 15.4 km2 (5.9 sq mi). The district has a water border to the west by the Indian Ocean. The district is bordered to the east by Magharibi District. The district seat is in Stonetown. The city is the largest on the island of Zanzibar. It is located on the west coast of Unguja, the main island of the Zanzibar Archipelago, north of the much larger city of Dar es Salaam across the Zanzibar Channel. The city also serves as the capital of the Zanzibar Urban/West Region. In 2022 its population was 219,007.
Read more on WikipediaHistory & geography
History
In 1592, the first English ship arrived in port. In 1824, Said bin Sultan, Sultan of Muscat and Oman established the capital of his kingdom in the city. The city was a high place of slavery, one of the main ports of East Africa for the slave trade. The famous slave trader Tippu Tip lived there. In 1846, the island had 360,000 enslaved for 450,000 inhabitants. In 1866, the British explorer David Livingstone (1813–1873) stayed in Zanzibar to prepare his last expedition to Tanzania. In 1892, Zanzibar was declared a free port.
Excerpted from the corresponding Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA).
Geography
Coordinates & boundaries from the US Census TIGER/Line shapefiles.
Climate
10-year averages from ERA5 reanalysis (Open-Meteo).
Air quality
Current readings from Open-Meteo Air Quality API (Copernicus CAMS European reanalysis).
Walkability
Amenities nearby
Wildlife & biodiversity
Most-observed species
- Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 · Aves988
- Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758)Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves608
- Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766)Egretta garzetta (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves549
- Chalcomitra senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766)Chalcomitra senegalensis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves533
- Pycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaines, 1789)Pycnonotus barbatus (Desfontaines, 1789) · Aves414
- Streptopelia semitorquata (Rüppell, 1837)Streptopelia semitorquata (Rüppell, 1837) · Aves399
- Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus, 1758)Bubulcus ibis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves376
- Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves370
Citizen-science & research observations from the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).
Earthquake history
Most recent
- M 5 — 2005-01-1513 km SW of Gamba, Tanzania
Events from the USGS Earthquake Catalog (global) (FDSN Event Web Service).
Photos
Sights & places nearby
Notable people from here







People born within ~10 km, from Wikidata (CC0). Click any name for their Wikipedia article.
Nearby places in Zanzibar Urban/West
Geography & sun
Elevation, sunrise/sunset and daylight from Open-Meteo. Solar climatology from NASA POWER.
Nearby airports
Public attention
Pageview totals from the Wikimedia Pageviews API.
Books about this place
Recent natural events nearby
Ground air-quality sensors
Recently spotted species









Research-grade observations from iNaturalist (within ~15 mi).
Events
Gallery
Geotagged photos within ~6 miles of Zanzibar City, from Wikimedia Commons contributors.
0.3 miPhotos via Wikimedia Commons — see each image page for license & attribution.
Sources
- • Wikipedia
- • Open-Meteo (ERA5 reanalysis)
- • Wikimedia Commons
- • Wikidata
- • Open-Meteo Air Quality (CAMS)
- • USGS Earthquake Catalog (global feed)
- • GBIF (Global Biodiversity Information Facility)
- • iNaturalist
- • Open-Elevation
- • Open-Meteo / sunrise-sunset.org
- • Wikipedia Pageviews API