Is Zanzibar a Real Place?

This is what most people ask me when I tell them this is where I am going. Most people don't know where it is. A lot of people are just hearing about it for the first time. So I thought I would take this opportunity to tell you a little about the place I will be visiting.

Zanzibar is off the coast of Tanzania which is a country on the East Coast of Africa. To the North is Kenya and Uganda. To the West is Rwanda, Burundi, and D.R. Congo. To the South is Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique. Here is a map to show you exactly where it is.

And here is a map of Zanzibar. I will be staying in Stonetown the whole time I am there and I will be teaching in a rural area of Stonetown. It has been described to me as "the Bronx of Stonetown."
Zanzibar itself lies in the Indian Ocean and is 6 degrees south of the Equator (HOT!!!) The main language spoken is Kiswahili with English being second. Zanzibar (or Unguja) is famous for its spice plantations, Arabian style alleys, palaces and snorkeling.

Zanzibar was the center of East Africa slave trade, over a million slaves were traded here with the permission of their own Sultan. Zanzibar was also the center of ivory trade for many years. But Zanzibar is most famous for its spices which brought people from all over the world to this remote place.

Because of Arabia's influence on this culture, Zanzibar is almost completely Muslim. Fishing and agriculture are are he main economic activities. A fun fact is that it was the main exporter of cloves. Who knew?

So, that is a very brief description of Zanzibar. Hopefully this helps give you a sense of where it is I am going.