Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous part of Tanzania made up of the islands of Unguja (1,464 km²) and Pemba (985 km²) and their islets, lying 25–50 km off the mainland coast. The 2022 census recorded about 1.9 million residents. Ruled by the Omani sultans from the 1830s and then a British protectorate, it united with Tanganyika in 1964 after its own revolution, and it keeps its own government and president. The islands were the centre of the East African spice and slave trades, and cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper are still grown and shown on farm tours. Stone Town, the old port city on Unguja's west coast, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The beaches on the north and east of Unguja — Nungwi, Kendwa, Matemwe, Paje and Jambiani — are the main resort areas, with Mnemba atoll for snorkelling and Jozani forest for the endemic Zanzibar red colobus. The long rains fall from March to May and a shorter wet spell in November; the driest months are June to October, with January and February hot and mostly dry.
