Zanzibar City
District of Mjini Magharibi Region, Tanzania
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Zanzibar City comprises two main parts, Stone Town and Ng'ambo (literally: "The Other Side"); the two areas were historically divided by a creek since filled in, with the street on the Stone Town side of the creek originally called Creek Road but later renamed to Benjamin Mkapa Road. Stone Town is the historical core of the city, the former capital of the Zanzibar Sultanate; because of its unique architecture and culture, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. Ng'ambo is a much larger, modern area that developed around Stone Town after the Zanzibar Revolution, with office buildings and large apartment blocks such as those of the Michenzani neighbourhood. Zanzibar City is served by a number of international and domestic airlines via Abeid Amani Karume International Airport.
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.
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Climate
Zanzibar City has a tropical climate, very similar to whole Unguja island, and slightly hotter than what is found in Pemba. This climate is classified as a tropical monsoon climate (Köppen climate classification Am). The average temperature in Zanzibar City is 26.9 °C (80.4 °F). The average annual rainfall is 1,512 mm (59.5 in). The monthly average temperatures are usually between 25.1 and 28.8 °C (77.2 and 83.8 °F). There are two rain seasons, with most rainfall coming between March and May and smaller rain season coming between November and December. Drier months are January - February, and a longer drier season between June and October.
Places of worship
The places of worship in the city are predominantly Muslim mosques. There are also Christian churches and temples: Roman Catholic Diocese of Zanzibar (Catholic Church), Anglican Church of Tanzania (Anglican Communion), Evangelical Lutheran Church in Tanzania (Lutheran World Federation), Baptist Convention of Tanzania (Baptist World Alliance), Assemblies of God.
Constituencies
For parliamentary elections, Tanzania is divided into constituencies. As of the 2010 elections the area for Zanzibar City District had ten of the nineteen constituencies in the region:
- Amani Constituency
- Chumbuni Constituency
- Jangombe Constituency
- Kikwajuni Constituency
- Kwahani Constituency
- Kwamtipura Constituency
- Magomeni Constituency
- Mji Mkongwe Constituency
- Mpendae Constituency
- Rahaleo Constituency
Wards
The Zanzibar Urban District is administratively divided into 45 wards:
As of 2012, Mjini District was administratively divided into 20 wards.