Geography
Zanzibar is an archipelago of two main islands of Unguja and Pemba and 52 islets covering an area of 2654 (Unguja -1666 and Pemba -988) square kilometres. It is located in the Indian Ocean about 30kms off the coast of East Africa between 5 and 7 degrees south of the Equator. Being tropical, its climate is warm and humid with an average of over 2750 hours of sunshine per year. The main rainy season is during the months of March to May and October to November. The cold season is during the months of June to August, while the hot season is experienced from December to February. The islands experience high humidity of between 70 and 80 %. The peak of the cold season averages 20°C and the hottest temperature averages 32°C. Zanzibar has no winter and no serious summer weather. Zanzibar presents itself as the all around year holiday destination because even the rainy season has its own peculiar attractions. Zanzibar is 3 hours ahead of GMT.
Governance
Zanzibar is part of the United Republic of Tanzania but with an autonomous government that has e President and Cabinet, Legislature (House of Representatives) and Judiciary. Referred to as the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar, it is responsible for non-union matters. The 1984 Constitution of Zanzibar provides for the inclusion of the opposition in government to form a Government of National Unity.
Education
Since 1964, the Revolutionary Government of Zanzibar adopted a policy of free education for all citizens of Zanzibar. Every student has the right to get free basic education and currently there are both public and private educational institutions running. These also include universities, which are providing high quality market-oriented education. The education policy allows private entities to invest in education.
People and Culture
The population of Zanzibar stands at 1.3 million people according to the 2012 Census at an annual growth rate of 2.8%. OCGS (2018) projects the population to have reached 1,671,598 in 2020. Its Swahili culture is a hybrid of African, Arabian, Indian and Persian practices. The official languages are Kiswahili and English. Arabic is spoken in selected quarters. The people of Zanzibar are predominantly Muslim.