Unguja (also referred to as "Zanzibar Island" or simply "Zanzibar", in – as mentioned in The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea) is the largest and most populated island of the Zanzibar archipelago, in Tanzania.

History

Geography

Unguja is a hilly island, about 85 km long (north-south) and 30 km wide (east-west) at its widest, with an overall area of about 1,666 km2. It is located in the northern half of the Zanzibar Archipelago, in the Indian Ocean, about 59 km south of the second largest island of the archipelago, Pemba. Unguja and mainland Tanzania are separated by the Zanzibar Channel. Unguja is surrounded by a number of smaller islands and islets, with only two of them, Tumbatu and Uzi, being inhabited. Other minor islands around Unguja include Bawe, Chapwani, Changuu, Chumbe, Kizingo, Kwale, Latham, Mautani, Miwi, Mnemba, Mwana wa Mwana, Nianembe, Popo, Pungume, and Ukanga.

Politics

Unguja and the surrounding islands are divided into three regions: Unguja belongs to Zanzibar, which is defined by the Tanzanian Constitution as "a part" of Tanzania with a high degree of autonomy. The local Zanzibari government is based in Stone Town, on the west coast of Unguja.

Population

As of the 2012 census, the total population of Unguja was 896,721, mostly concentrated in the Zanzibar urban region. The main settlement on the island is Zanzibar City, which serves as a capital for Zanzibar and which includes the renowned historical city of Stone Town as well as other populated areas such as Michenzani. Other major settlements on Unguja include Mbweni, Mangapwani, Chwaka, and Nungwi. People of Unguja mostly speak kiunguja ("the language of Unguja"), which is the dialect of the Swahili language that was used as the main model for the definition of standard Swahili.

Economy

Unguja is the island of the Zanzibar Archipelago that has the most developed tourism industry. This accounts for a substantial part of Unguja's economy. Agriculture (including the production of spices such as cloves) and fishing are other relevant activities. All along the east coast, most villages also rely on seaweed farming.

Ecology

Notable mammal species on the island include the Zanzibar servaline genet, African palm civet, and Zanzibar red colobus. In June 2018, a leopard was caught on camera here, despite previously being considered extinct in Zanzibar for the past 25 years.