Zanzibar

American  

[zan-zuh-bahr, zan-zuh-bahr] / ˈzæn zəˌbɑr, ˌzæn zəˈbɑr /

noun

1. an island off the E coast of Africa: with Pemba and adjacent small islands it formerly comprised a sultanate under British protection; became independent in 1963; now part of Tanzania. 640 sq. mi. (1,658 sq. km).

2. a seaport on W Zanzibar, Tanzania.

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Zanzibar British  

/ ˌzænzɪˈbɑː /

noun

1. an island in the Indian Ocean, off the E coast of Africa: settled by Persians and Arabs from the 7th century onwards; became a flourishing trading centre for slaves, ivory, and cloves; made a British protectorate in 1890, becoming independent within the Commonwealth in 1963 and a republic in 1964; joined with Tanganyika in 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanzania. Pop: 622 459 (2002)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Zanzibari
  adjective

Example Sentences

The previous humpback travel record was held by a whale that swam more than 13,000 km from Colombia's Pacific coast to Zanzibar off eastern Africa.

From Barron's • May 20, 2026

They were later told by Zuri Zanzibar, the hotel where the couple had been staying, that she had died.

From BBC • Apr. 14, 2026

Local activists identified the men as members of the intelligence unit, largely drawn from Zanzibar, Hassan’s home region, and working under the orders of the president’s son.

From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 10, 2025

In Tanzania's semi-autonomous archipelago of Zanzibar - which elects its own government and leader - CCM's Hussein Mwinyi, who is the incumbent president, won with nearly 80% of the vote.

From BBC • Nov. 1, 2025

Dr. Geffard will stop whatever he is doing and open a bottle of Malbec and tell Marie-Laure in his whispery voice about reefs he visited as a young man: the Seychelles, Belize, Zanzibar.

From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr